Saturday, September 29, 2007

Joan of Arc Mystery Revealed

History tells us that Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 and hundreds of documents mention sightings in 1436.

The myth of Joan of Arc, a simple shepherdess who heard God’s calling to save the French crown, has lasted several centuries now but, as it seems, it is far from reality, as two French researchers, Marcel Gay and Roger Senzig, are trying to prove in the book ‘L'Affaire Jeanne d'Arc.’

Even the name of the Maid of Orleans, Jeanne d’Arc, is ‘heresy,’ claims Marcel Gay, a journalist at L’Est Republicain, who has spent more than ten years researching the subject. The authors were granted insight into five of the 19 letters written by her. Three of them are signed ‘Jeanne,’ but none of them reads ‘d’Arc.’

Sightings after her death

Her modest background is also questionable. The supposed shepherdess stated during her trial in Rouen that she ‘never tended sheep or other cattle.’ An excellent equestrian, Joan was well acquainted with the language of the court, which is evident in the written documents mentioned in the book.

The authors were also confused by the circumstances of her death. Even though history teaches us that Joan was burned at the stake in 1431, there are hundreds of documents that say that ‘the Maid of Orleans’ appeared in Metz, Arlon (Belgium), Koeln (Germany) and Orleans even after the year 1436.

- In the 15th century like today, one handled the public opinion. Jeanne d’ Arc, it is secret diplomacy – says Marcel Gay - The legend is beautiful, but the truth is even more.

Psychological warfare

Based on numerous documents that support their thesis, the authors claim that Joan was a ‘psychological’ weapon of the French crown in the war against the English. According to ‘Operation Virgin,’ supposedly conceived by the king’s mother-in-law Yolande d’Anjou, Joan heard voices and became God’s messenger in order to inspire fear in the enemy. The strategy brought the French success in the war.

In the end: Jeanne reportedly got married to Robert des Armoises in 1436, became Jeanne des Armoises, and the Maid was committed to legend. The Joan of Arc myth was revived at the end of the 19th century, when France named her a symbol founder of the Republic after the defeat in 1870. The Church declared her to be a saint in 1920.