Tag: Armagnacs

Book Review: “Joan of Arc: A History” by Helen Castor

On By hmalagisiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

We all believe we know the story of Joan of Arc, one of the patron Saints of France. A young peasant woman who God called to lead the dauphin to the altar to be crowned King Charles VII of France in a time of civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, as well as the continuation of the war between England and France. It was a political quagmire, but somehow, as the story goes, Joan of Arc resolved the civil war and gave France a fighting chance against the English. But what did Joan of Arc actually accomplish during her short life? Helen Castor examines the life of this extraordinary young woman in her book “Joan of Arc: A History.”

 

I have been following Helen Castor for a few years now, and I have heard about this book, but I have not read it until now. Since I have started studying medieval history, I have read a few accounts of Joan of Arc, but I have never read a full biography about the Maid herself, so I was excited to learn more. 

 

To understand the reason why a single young woman who donned armor and led an army to victory, we must go back to the beginning of the conflict between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians, as well as how the English had the advantage over the French at this time in the Hundred Years’ War. France had a relatively weak King Charles VI, who suffered from mental illness. Two potential leaders emerged from the chaos: the king’s son, the dauphin, Charles VII, for the Armagnacs, and John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, for the Burgundians. The Burgundians were a commanding force; the Armagnacs needed a miracle, or in this case, a maiden sent by God.

 

Joan was seen as just a peasant girl from Domremy who heard voices. This may not seem extremely extraordinary in an age where many men and women claimed to have heard voices from God. However, what separated Joan from others before her was the fact that she donned armor and led the Armagnac army during the Orleans campaign. She was victorious and was able to have the dauphin crowned King Charles VII of France. However, her luck shortly ran out when she was captured by the English, placed on trial, and declared guilty of heresy before she was burned at the stake. Finally, Castor examines the trial to redeem Joan’s legacy and how a mere girl became a patron saint of an entire country.

 

I found this a very engaging and informative biography about Joan of Arc. Castor not only tells her audience the story of a girl who became an icon, but also the story of how France was broken and became whole again. If you are a fan of medieval history, you will enjoy “Joan of Arc: A History” by Helen Castor. 

Biography: King Henry V

On By hmalagisiIn BiographiesLeave a comment

mw03074(Born September 16, 1387- Died August 31, 1422). Son of Henry IV and Mary de Bohun. Married to Katherine of Valois. He only had one son Henry VI.

Henry V was a soldier from birth. He did so much for his country, yet he died too soon, leaving his kingdom in the incapable hands of his baby son Henry VI.

At the age of fifteen, Henry V fought alongside his father against the Welsh rebels under Owain Glyn Dwr and the English rebels under Edmund Mortimer and Henry “Hotspur” Percy. Henry’s relationship with his father in the later years of Henry IV’s life was not great. The two argued about many issues, but it was mostly about the English involvement in France. Henry IV wanted to press his claim to the French throne while France was in the midst of a civil war between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs; Henry IV supported the Armagnacs while Henry V supported the Burgundians. This issue would never be resolved between them as Henry IV would die in 1413 and Henry V became king.

As king, Henry V desired to regain the lands in France that he believed was rightfully his, but unlike his father, he was able to get the full support of Parliament to do so. Henry V tried to negotiate with the French to regain all of the old Angevin Empire,  but when that failed, he invaded on August 11, 1415. On October 25, 1415, the Battle of Agincourt took place. Even though the French had the English outnumbered, the English had longbowmen. The French lost some 6,000 men whereas the English only lost 400 men.

Agincourt was a tremendous victory for the English, but the French refused to fall. Henry V gained support from Sigismund, the Holy Roman Emperor and John, duke of Burgundy and started a new campaign in August 1417. In the spring of 1419, Normandy fell to Henry V. In May 1420, Henry V signed the Treaty of Troyes with the Burgundians which recognized him and his heirs  as heir to the French throne. In order to cement this new alliance, he married the daughter of the French King Katherine of Valois.

Everything seemed right in Henry’s kingdom, but he still wanted to gain more French land. In 1421, he went back to France and was able to gain control of the Dauphin’s stronghold of Meaux in May 1422. Unfortunately, in the winter of 142, Henry V fell ill from dysentery and died on August 31, 1422. He left his kingdom in the hands of his infant son Henry VI. Even though Henry V’s reign was one of the shortest of any English king since the Norman Conquest, it was one of the most successful. England was in a position of power on the world stage thanks to the actions of Henry V.