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Joan of Arc: Woman of Achievement
by Bballman23
When thinking about women of achievement, I immediately look at those who have changed the course of history. When I do that, Joan of Arc immediately comes to mind. As anyone who has studied the Middle Ages should know, Joan of Arc fought against the English during the Hundred Years' War and was instrumental in driving out the English and putting France back under the control of a French king. When Joan was born to parents who farmed a small plot of land in eastern France, however, no one could have guessed what she would accomplish.
Joan grew up in the midst of a succession crisis in France: the prince and legal ruler, Charles VII, grappled with the English under Henry V and the powerful Burgundian dukes for control of the country. Despite living near to Burgundian territory, Joan and her parents lived in an area loyal to Charles VII - something Charles would no doubt learn to be thankful for. From an early age, Joan claimed to hear the voice of French saints and God himself, calling for her to drive the English out of their lands. At the age of sixteen, therefore, she sought entry into the military.
Joan's first attempts to join the fighting failed: in that age, women were not involved in fighting. After she miraculously predicted a surprising French victory, Joan gained support from several influential men and she was brought before the dauphin (prince) himself. Charles VII was impressed with the aspiring female soldier, and allowed Joan to join the French army at Orleans. She again struggled with prejudice at Orleans, but persisted and took great part in many war councils and planning, finally leading an aggressive charge that ended the siege in a vital French victory. Historians quarrel about Joan's true role in the battle - some call her a mere symbol and others a brilliant strategist - but all acknowledge her heroism in leading the final charge despite a neck injury.
Joan's rise to prominence at Orlean as a rallying point and leader transformed a kings' war into a peasants' war, and her appearance marked the turning point of the war: after her, the English would lose rather than gain land in France, and the Burgundians would come to join the French in ending the English invasion. With her victories at Orleans and after, Joan likely saved France from being completely absorbed by England, something that rightfully makes her a national saint and heroine of the country. For her great contributions and sacrifices (after a later battle, Joan would be captured by Burgundian soldiers and burned as a witch by the English) in the name of France, the "Maiden of Orleans," is certainly a woman of achievement. However, was this achievement all positive?
After the end of the Hundred Years' War in 1453, England and France (in their various incarnations such as Great Britain, the French Republic, etc.) fought each other in a total of ten major conflicts, and countless other smaller wars, in which hundreds of thousands of people perished. Despite the constant conflict and killing, however, the two nations' borders remain essentially the same today as they were on the eve of the Hundred Years' War! All the human life, time, and money that went into fighting resulted in nothing different than the two countries present in 1336, so it's fascinating to wonder what a combined England and France would have accomplished.
This "Englance," as I like to call it, could have achieved great things, peacefully controlling turbulent European politics with its unity rather than doing horrendous things in order to defeat the rival across the Channel. A lack of competition might have prevented - or at least changed dramatically - the violent colonization and then independence of the Americas, the "Scramble for Africa," and imperialism in Asia, and the world would be a vastly different place.
Of course, I could be totally wrong: Englance could have expended just as much time fighting Germain (Germany-Spain) and Swedenay (Sweden-Denmark-Norway), and their wars might have devastated the world more than France's and England's. This history geek, though, would love to see a world without the effects of St. Joan of Arc - woman of achievement or not!
Readers: If you want to argue, discuss, or marvel at my take on history, please don't hesitate to do so! There are many different ways to look at Joan and an "Englance," but I didn't want to go bore those not historically inclined with too many details. My PM inbox on the forums is always open, as is the article's thread on The Zardian forum.
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