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 simple” (p. 3) is how he sums up Joan at the beginning of Joan of Arc: A Military Leader. The need of another scholarly study on Joan comes into question right away as DeVries points out, “No person in the Middle Ages, male or female, has been the subject of more historical studies than Joan of Arc” (p. 2). Yet, he sees a massive void in the scholarship concerning Joan’s military capabilities, contributions, and soldiering. The common themes of feminism in her leadership and theology in her trial have dominated the story of Joan for far too long and DeVries offers a unique perspective on her life. He believes all other focuses are pointless if scholars ignore or even downplay her military aptitude in the process. Joan of Arc: A Military Leader successfully brings to light the military aspect of Joan and puts her soldiering at the forefront of her story.
Early in the book, DeVries sets the stage of the Hundred Years War in 1429 explaining how the French remained split between the Burgundians and those who were still loyal to Dauphin Charles VII while the English seized this advantage and conquered most of the land north of Loire River. Yet, as DeVries points out, the French still maintained a strong numerical advantage over the English (p. 8). The English successfully mitigated this advantage by winning several key battles while outnumbered (e.g., Crécy, Agincourt). Using defensive positions and longbowmen, the English in 1429 gave off an air of invincibility (p. 26). Since the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French were unsuccessful in curbing the English conquest of France. It was because of this that DeVries believes Joan “may have been just what the French military needed to regain its own confidence and composure and to realize the advantages that it had over its English enemies” (p. 28).
Throughout the rest of the book, DeVries filters everything concerning Joan through a military lens. Her “voices” that she claimed to hear are only mentioned if they gave military instructions. He devotes a chapter to establishing that Joan’s entire mission was a military one that she could only achieve through a force of arms: Lift the siege of Orléans, crown Charles VII as the King of France in English-controlled Reims, retrieve the Duke of Orléans from captivity, and kick the English out of France. Once Joan convinced the Dauphin that she was on a mission from God, he supplied her with a suit of armor, equipment, and troops, which DeVries points out is the final, obvious indicator that she was on a military mission (p. 48).
The author’s expertise in this time in history is strong. Along with his BA, MA, and PhD in Medieval Studies, DeVries has written or edited more than a dozen books on medieval warfare and he is an editor of the Journal of Medieval Military History. In addition, DeVries has reading knowledge of medieval versions of English and French. This skill is apparent any time he quotes a primary source–which is often–as DeVries provides his own translations. Along with the contemporary histories, there are testimonies given at Joan’s trial and her retrial available. During the retrial, soldiers who fought alongside her gave details on various battles and her participation. DeVries draws heavily from these texts to tell Joan’s story.
The coverage of battles is lopsided. DeVries dedicates forty pages to the relieving of Orléans, nine pages to the siege of Paris, and about one to two pages to every other engagement. This is indicative of the material available on the battles. There is a plethora of material on Joan’s success at Orléans and her failure at Paris due to thousands of witnesses and participants. Other battles were on a much smaller scale and thus have little or no reliable sources. The book ends with Joan’s capture. Only a few paragraphs cover her lengthy trial and execution making it apparent that once Joan became a prisoner, DeVries considers her military career over.
Unfortunately, the book is not without its issues. DeVries does not always stay focused. The first three pages of the chapter entitled “A Military Mission?” are dedicated to determining what Joan looked like including topics like her hair color and whether her fellow soldiers found her attractive (pp. 29-31). It is interesting, but does not add to the topic of her military mission. There are only four maps tossed in with the other plates and they offer no details on the battles themselves. Also missing are details on fighting techniques and weapons. DeVries relies almost entirely on contemporary testimonies and often inserts his analysis in between large block quotes restricting the reader to only the knowledge provided from medieval texts on the battles. For example, the final day of the siege of Orléans featured a scene of fighting that lasted “from the early morning until eight o’clock in the evening” (p. 82) as the French attempted to assault an English fortification. A discussion of medieval assault techniques would have been perfect in this spot. What would a medieval French army do all day to a fortification? Instead, DeVries simply quotes witnesses of the battle who are far from descriptive and moves along.
Joan of Arc: A Military Leader is a unique book and it does accomplish its goal of portraying Joan as a soldier while ignoring virtually everything else. Those interested in this aspect of Joan will find it a scholarly book by a man who is not interested in finding feministic qualities or theological principles in the story. Instead, they will find a well-researched book that relies heavily on primary sources to depict Joan’s action, but they will want more in terms of analysis of the battles and fighting techniques.