Category: Joan of Arc
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Book Review: Joan of Arc: La Pucelle
In Joan of Arc: La Pucelle, Craig Taylor tells us that the trial against Joan of Arc “is perhaps the best recorded heresy trial of the middle ages.” This only scratches the surface, as there is so much more in this volume of English translations of documents, transcripts, journal entries, and chronicles related to her…
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Joan of Arc Fired Cannons, not Trebuchets
We know a lot about Joan of Arc including that she besieged cities with cannons, not trebuchets. Yet, when it came time to showcase Joan’s army using siege weapons in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999), director Luc Besson went with a siege tower and a trebuchet. It’s easy to let this medievalism…
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How was Joan of Arc so Skilled with Cannons?
One of the most striking aspects of Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was that her primary weapon was the cannon. Not only that, but she was very skilled with it. There are several testimonies from those who fought with her about her ability to place and aim cannons, as well as predict the target of enemy…
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Joan of Arc Monument at New Orleans
A year ago, my wife and I traveled to New Orleans and we had the opportunity to see the Joan of Arc monument on Decatur Street. There are some interesting features of the monument including two cannons. France erected the statue in 1972 as a gift to New Orleans, whose namesake, Orléans, was one of…
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Joan of Arc’s Military Successes and Failures
Joan of Arc was an aggressive military commander who always opted for offense instead of defense. In thirteen known engagements, her troops were victorious nine times. At least thirty different cities, towns, and villages surrendered without a fight when she approached with her army. Personally, she was a skilled horseman and swordsman, but tactically, she…
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Book Review: Joan of Arc: A Military Leader
DeVries, Kelly. Joan of Arc: A Military Leader. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2003, 244 pages. Kelly DeVries, author and professor of history at Loyola University in Maryland, has written a strong case that scholars have incorrectly analyzed Joan of Arc through virtually every lens save for a military one. She “was a soldier, plain and…