Hot History - Joan of Arc

Episode Date: May 30, 2025

Today, May 30th, marks 594 years since Joan of Arc was burned at the stake at only 19 years old. But who was she? Heretic? Warrior? Martyr? Victim? We break it all down in today's episode!

Hello guys and welcome back to Hot History of the podcast. I have missed you all and cannot wait to jump back into our episodes covering all the things in history that you probably should know but don't. And I thought who better to come back with than the saint, the warrior, the heretic and most importantly, the incredibly brave young woman that was Joan of Arc because today is the 594th anniversary of the last. of her death at the stake on May 30, 1431. So let's get into it. Class is in session. So as I said, this is the podcast covering all the things in history that you should know but probably don't. So if you've never heard of Joan of Arc before, that is totally fine.

And if you've only heard of Joan of Arc because of Zendaya's 2018 Met Gala look, then that's also okay. But let's start from the very beginning. So born around 1412, Jean Diarch, or in English, Joan of Arc, and I'm not pronouncing French this whole time, so deal with it, was the daughter of a tenant farmer Jacques Diac from the village of Dom Remy in northeastern France. Now, we have to do a little context here, so bear with me. So at this point in history, England and France were engaged in something called the 100. years war, which rather confusingly actually lasted 116 years, but it's kind of besides the point. Now, the 100 years war was over a whole bunch of crap, but it was primarily about who the true

king of France was, because at this point, the English and the French royal families were pretty wound up, but we're not going to get into that too much. All we need to know is that there is disputes over who is the king, and it's been going on for around 40 years by the time. that Joan is born. Now at this point in time the English had the uphand as they had aligned with the Duke of Burgundy which was a pretty big duchy within France who supported the English King Henry V as the rightful ruler of France. Now this was a pretty big deal because it meant that the Duchy of Burgundy had to basically disown their own crown prince the French Charles of

Valois, who was previously forced to sign a peace treaty in 1420, which recognized Henry as the king, which led to most of northern France, including Paris being under English rule. So there's just a whole bunch of beef going on, there's religion, there's questions of kingship and treachery, it's all just one big mess. And Jones village of Don Rameh was exposed to this because they boarded on the pro-English lands. Context done, beefy, warlike, England v France, history, done. Let's get back to Joan. So, Joan's father was a tenant farmer and her mother, Isabel, was a very, very pious Catholic woman. Now, Joan, like nearly all girls at the time, was not taught to read or write, but Isabel spent many hours teaching her about the Catholic Church. she developed a deep reverence from an incredibly young age. It was this that led Joan to experience

visions and she began hearing voices when she was about 13 years old. Now she believed that these voices were sent by God and identified them as St. Michael, the Archangel, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Margaret of Antioch three very, very powerful figures within the Christian tradition. Now Joan described these visions as intensely personal and deeply moving experiences. She claimed the voices gave her guidance, reassurance, and very specific instructions, telling her that she had been chosen by God to help France at its darkest hour, specifically to help drive out the English invaders and ensure that Charles of Valois was crowned as the rightful king of France. Now, for a young, illiterate peasant girl in medieval France, these divine messages gave her a profound sense of both purpose and mission.

So much so that at 16 years old, Joan decided to leave her village for the nearest pro-Charles outpost, and it was here that she cut her hair and began dressing like a boy. Now, some historians make a claim that this was a sign of her sexuality or even of her. her being transgender. But this was common practice for women travelling given the dangers of transient roadmen. So we kind of have to take that into consideration when looking at her. Miraculously, Joan survived the travel to the camp, but when she arrived, the commander turned her away,

telling her that he hoped her father would discipline her for her insolence. Now Joan traveled back to Dom Remy, her father did not disdise. discipline her and in the months that followed her tale began to spread beyond the village borders into English-controlled territories. After all, a tale of a 16-year-old girl hearing voices from saints and angels is hardly going to go unnoticed and as such, her village was burnt down. Now, it appears that it was this acknowledgement of Joan's visions by the English-controlled French forces, which was the light bulb moment for that former commander who turned Joan away. and this time when she revisited the camp, he let the now 17-year-old girl through to see Charles of Valois. Although sceptical, Charles wanted Joan to lead a small force in his name to reclaim the besieged city of Orleans in 1429. This city had been under English siege for months and was on the verge of falling, a disaster that would doom Charles's hopes of securing his throne. So he thinks, yep, okay, cool, I believe what she's saying. Maybe it's BS, but like, what's the hurt in her trying?

So he sends her off to O'Leon. Now, despite the caution from military leaders and nobles, Joan's determination combined with her deep religious conviction and her charismatic presence inspired both soldiers and common people alike when she showed up at the city gates. Here, she was given armor, a banner, and a small army to lead, and though she had no formal military training, she was known for focusing on morale and faith,

rallying the troops with her belief that God was on France's side. Here at Olean, Joan took an active role in planning and leading the attacks against the English fortifications which surrounded the city, and on several occasions she personally led charges and inspired the soldiers to push forward where they had hesitated before. She was even wounded at Orlion by an arrow which sunk six inches deep into her shoulder, but quickly returned to the fight. And on the 8th of May 1429, the French lifted the siege and O'Leon was saved.

It was a stunning victory and it completely shifted the momentum in favour of Charles. Now following the success, Joan urged Charles to advance towards Riem, the traditional site of French. coronations. This led to Charles of Valois being referred to as Charles the seventh and he was formally crowned in July 1429 with Joan by his side, a moment that finally, finally confirmed his legitimacy. But this triumph marked the peak of Jones' influence. There's got to be a tale of of deceit in here, otherwise it isn't hot history. So Charles was happy. to just stop right there. Joan, however, was not, and she continued to fight in subsequent campaigns, including trying to recapture the English-controlled Paris. Now, the campaign failed miserably

and ended with Joan being shot in the leg and recalled back to reamed by Charles, who never authorized her attack in the first place. And it's at this point that Charles basically fobs her off. He's so ungrateful. He doesn't need her anymore. The young. instrument of gods, gotten him back on the throne, he's gotten him his crown back. And even though she helped place him there, he really becomes disinterested in her pursuit to drive the English from France. And as such, kind of sends her off to Coppigny, where she ends up falling behind enemy lines and was captured by Burgundian forces in early May of 1430. Now, Jones' capture here is a pivotal, pivotal moment in the power dynamics within France at this point in time

and would ultimately go on to shape the next part of the 100 years war. So at this point, with Charles back on the throne, the Burgundy forces, they want to make nicely nice. You know, this was the guy that they previously helped out. So they think, you know, all right, let's hand Joan back. She is his rallying point. He'll be so thankful. know, we'll give her back, he will sign for peace, France will be, you know, whole again, we will be restored, the English will eventually, basically piss off and everything will be fine.

That's option one. Or the Burgundians go even deeper with the proverbial devil and hand Joan over to the people who truly, truly despise her, the English. Now, of course, being the absolute assholes they are, the Burgundians chose the latter, and Joan finds herself sold into English mercy, where she's charged with heresy, witchcraft, cross-dressing, and defying church authority. This is what is most fucked up about this whole situation. I mean, it's totally and entirely fucked up, and it's in its being, but Charles, Charles, despite having every opportunity to,

made little to no effort to ransom or rescue. Joan. Again, this is the woman who at that point in time was a young girl saying, God has spoken to me, you are meant to be king, I will fight for you, I will rally for you. And he's like, yep, cool, thanks. Love you by. It sends her off.

It doesn't really make any true action to get her back. And now some historians today tend to argue that because Charles, like, I said was now secure on his throne, he may have even feared Joan her growing popularity, her unpredictable nature, and it was for this reason that he left her to the mercy of the English. Whatever the reason, a rescue for Joan became increasingly unlikely, and she was now forced to face a trial by a church court, which was overseen by Bishop Pierre Cachon, a staunch supporter of the English cause. So from the beginning, these proceedings are completely and entirely stacked against her.

And as for the trial itself, it was to no surprise, woeful. Joan was treated terribly. She was kept in a secular prison guarded by men, something which was strictly against church law for someone who was on trial for religious offense. She was also denied legal counsel and subjected to intense questioning, often for hours at a time, by learned theologians and scholars trying to trap her into self-incrimination. But despite their attempts to wear her down, including starvation, Joan said that she would rather die than disobey God's will, standing firm and insisting that her visions were holy and gave her the strength to persevere. Now, one of the most controversial points within the proceedings was Jones' wearing of men's clothing, which the court considered a sinful defiance of church teachings. Under threat of execution, Joan signed a confession to wearing men's clothing and swore not to do so again on threat of death at the stake.

In the end, it was this very point that sent her there when she was found in her prison cell wearing men's clothing yet again. However, it has long been thought by historians that her male prison guards actually stripped her of her clothing and threatened to keep her naked if she did not wear the men's garments that they threw at her, therefore entrapping her. Either way, when she was found in them, the court had the justification they needed to sentence her as a relapsed heretic. Now on the day of her execution, which was May 30th, 1431, like I said at the top, 594 years ago to this day, Joan was led out to the marketplace in a white dress. Eyewitness accounts describe her asking for a cross to hold and calling on the name of Jesus as she was tied to the stake. A sympathetic English soldier reportedly fashioned a small cross from wood for her, and a larger crucifix was held up so she could see it as the flames rose.

Her death here was meant to be a public spectacle and a political message at the same time, yet many witnesses were moved to tears by the courage and piety of the young French woman. So we've covered a fair bit here with the chunk of 100 years war history, but Joan's own life is only 19 years. So let's contextualize her in time a bit for you. So Joan was alive at the same time as the oldest university in Northern Europe was established. Street Lanterns first came to London and she was also alive for the Battle of Agincourt. She was born the same year the Medici family became the official bankers of the papacy

and 83 years after the plague first arrived in Europe. She also died 43 years before construction started on the Sistine Chapel, 45 years before Michelangelo was born, and 60 years before Henry the 8th came screaming into this world. Now, perhaps the most important question to ask about Joan of Arc is what impact does she have on society? Like I said before, she was only alive for 19 years, but her influence seems to be so large and so looming,

and she is still such, has such an influence and such an impact on how we think and how we reflect upon medieval France at today's point in time. And the answer to this question is, like I said, a lot right from the time she died to right now. So 25 years after her death, Jones' conviction was formally overturned by the French authorities who recognised her mistreatment at the hands of the English and, and Charles of Valois himself, as a misjustice and praised her courage in the face of adversity. Her influence as a religious figure bolstered the French people

for hundreds of years following her death, and she was finally canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1920, transforming her from condemned heretic to revered martyr. Today, she is honored as the patron saint of France, remembered for her courage, faith, and unwavering commitment to her divine calling. The last question we want to answer is how is she represented in pop culture today? This is always my favorite question, and the answer is pretty vastly, if we're being honest. She has been the subject of multiple artists, including here comes terrible French pronunciations again,

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingray, Jules Bastien Le Pages, and my personal favourite by John Everett, Milley. In TV and films, she is portrayed as a symbol of courage, faith, rebellion, and youthful determination, which we see through 1948's Joan of Arc, starring Ingrid Bergman, and perhaps most famously through 1999's The Messenger, where she's played by Mila Jovovich.

Joan also frequently appears in video games, including Age of Empires 2, Assassin's Creed 2, and Blade Storm the 100 Years War. But her big modern influence today, I think, is through fashion. As I said at the top, we had Zendaya's 2018 interpretation at the Met Gala. Alexander McQueen's 1998 fall line title Joan featured various chain mail headdresses and blunt cuts. Chapel Roans, 2024 VMA's performance, was equal. inspired by the French warrior and she crops up yet again in this year's deal line. Safe to say, she's not going anywhere from the public psyche anytime soon. And that brings us to the end of another episode of Hot History.

If you'd like to support us, then you can find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as Hot History. Follow us on TikTok at hot.com. And of course, on Instagram at Hot History Club. As always, it is a pleasure getting down and dirty in time with you and tune in next time as we discuss the life of the sun king himself, King Louis XIV.