Her Name Wasn't Joan
She was from France and "Joan" isn't even a French name. Her name was Jehanne and she actually called herself "Jehanne la Pucelle" which translates to "Jehanne the maid". Since the English translation of "Jehanne" is "Joan", English speakers call her "Joan". But where did "Arc" come from? She was from a village called Domremy. But her father was from Arc-en-Barrois. At that time in France, the custom was for females to inherit their mother's names. But since modern people have a hard time wrapping their heads around that idea, people started calling her by her father's name.Her Family Wasn't Poor
In movies, she's often portrayed as being a poor girl who became a great military leader, but that isn't the truth. There's evidence that her family was pretty well off. After she died, her neighbors came forward and testified that her father was a senior inhabitant in the village and held a rank next to mayor in importance. Her family also had about 20 acres of land and had money stashed away for emergencies. They had plenty of money to live comfortably and could even give some money to charity.But in entertainment, people are more likely to connect emotionally with an underdog than someone that's rich. So that's probably where the idea that she was poor came from. It's more inspiring to imagine that Joan of Arc was a poor nobody who became the savior of France than to imagine she was a wealthy girl that did the same thing.
She May Have Been Mentally Ill Or Had Epilepsy
These days, if you say you can talk directly to God people, will decide you're probably schizophrenic or that you have a certain type of seizure disorder that can make people feel like they're having spiritual experiences. But in the past, people didn't know about these issues. But it could still get you into a lot of trouble and in Joan's case, eventually, it did. The very same people she tried to help eventually abandoned her and she was put on trial for being a heretic and burned at the stake. But Joan was a very devout Catholic, so whether she was truly talking to God or not, there is little doubt that she believed she was doing the right thing by leading the army of France. Of course, no one can go back in time and know for certain what was happening in Joan's head and the idea that she was mentally ill or suffering from seizures is just a theory.She Wore Men's Clothes To Protect Herself
Of course, there is nothing wrong with wearing whatever you want, but back then, the world didn't see things that way. But Joan didn't wear men's clothing because she wanted to. She did it because she was terrified she'd be raped if she didn't. Normally, female prisoners were kept in the custody of nuns, but after Joan was captured by the English, they decided to leave her in the hands of male soldiers instead. So in order to protect herself, she fastened her hose to her tunic with 20 cords and her boots went all the way up to her waist and were also attached to her tunic. The idea was that removing all that clothing would take forever and would hopefully be a deterrent for any would-be attackers.But unfortunately, this is also what sealed the young heroine's fate. It's hard to prove whether or not someone is really talking to God, but it's not so hard to prove if someone is crossdressing or not. Cross-dressing was considered a sin and she was put on trial for heresy.
She Died At Age 19
On May 30, 1431, she was burned at the stake at the marketplace in Rouen in front of about 10,000 people. She was only 19 years old. Her journey to lead the military of France began about three years earlier when she was 16. There is a legend that says her heart survived the fire unaffected. Hundreds of years later she was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint in 1920.References:
Biography.com. Joan of Arc Biography. Accessed at https://www.biography.com/people/joan-of-arc-9354756 on September 24, 2018.
NationalGeographic.com. How Joan of Arc Turned the Tide in the Hundred Years' War. Accessed at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/03-04/joan-of-arc-warrior-heretic-saint-martyr on September 24, 2018.
