THE PROLOGUE
EDWARD OF WINDSOR (1312 - 1330)
Born in 1312, Edward of Windsor as he was often called, had a problematic childhood thanks to the disastrous and unorthodox reign of his father, King Edward II.

The biggest problem being the First War with Scotland over it's independence, which had long been a repeated failure in large part thanks to Edward II's lack of activity. Plus Edward II's rumored homosexual love affair with Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall and his favoring of the very unpopular Hugh Despenser the Younger and his father, Hugh the Elder, did nothing to help matters. In fact, Edward II's wife, Queen Isabella, was said to have hated both Gaveston and the Despensers so much that it strained their marriage.

And it all finally came to a breaking point in 1325, when Edward II's brother-in-law and the King of France, Charles IV the Bald, demanded that England pay him feudal homage for his ownership of the Duchy of Aquitaine in southwestern France.

But instead of going to France himself, the reluctant king sent his young 14 year old son and heir-apparent, Edward of Windsor, along with his mother, Queen Isabella, to perform the homage. And was what finally caused everything to break down for poor Edward II. Cause Isabella was also King Charles IV's younger sister. And instead of negotiating peace with France as Edward II has hoped, they now conspired to forcibly remove the king instead. And after building up diplomatic and military support by having her son engaged to the young Phillipa of Hainault, she along with the exiled Marcher lord, Roger Mortimer, invaded England. Edward II tried to fight back, but his forces completely deserted him. Defeated and humiliated, Edward II then relinquished the throne to his 14 year old son, who was then crowned King Edward III at Westminster Abbey on the 1st of February in 1327.

King Edward III, however, never had full control of England as he was too young. England was placed under a regency led by Queen Isabella and her now rumored lover, Roger Mortimer. The pairs first order of business was to remove the hated Despensers and have them both brutally executed. The Queen then secrety negotiated an unpopular peace treaty with Scotland called the Treaty of Northampton, angering the many English lords, who were invested in the War. Then in 1327, the former king, Edward II, died under mysterious circumstances at Berkeley Castle. The rumors were that he was tortured and murdered with a red-hot poker under orders from Edward III, but secretly given by the Queen and Mortimer. And when King Edward III discovered the truth in 1330, he was furious and took matters into his own hands. In the dead of night, Edward III surprised his mother and Mortimer at Nottingham Castle and had them both arrested in a coup d'état. The Queen begged her son to show mercy to her rumored lover, but Edward III still had him hanged at Tyburn like a common criminal. His mother's life was spared, but she was placed under house arrest for the remainder of her life.

It was then after this show of his rightful authority that Edward of Windsor truely did begin his personal reign as King Edward III.

SECOND WAR WITH SCOTLAND (1332 - 1338)
And reign he did. As King Edward III was not content to the let the unpopular Treaty of Northhampton stand, as it was made in his name without his approval. But unlike the First War with Scotland that was openly declared by the royal initiative, the Second War began in secret. Instead a group of English magnates calling themselves The Disinherited, cause they lost their Scottish holdings thanks to the peace treaty, plotted and staged a secret invasion of Scotland with help from a usurper named Edward Balliol. In secret, they rallied many rebel forces behind Balliol through various means. Then when the time was right, they fought and won a great victory out of seemingly nowhere at the Battle of Dupplin Moor at Perthshire in 1332. And with this victory, Edward Balliol was declared King of Scotland instead of the infant son of the famous Robert the Bruce, King David II.

Balliol's reign didn't last long, as he was forced to flee half-naked back to England to seek help from King Edward III three month later, after David II's supporters won a surprise victory at the Battle of Annan. The English king's response came one year later and it was quick and decisive when he laying siege to the important border town of Berwick in 1333. He then heavily defeated the Scots in the Battle of Halidon Hill, using the unfavorable terrain to his advantage. This put Balliol back on the Scottish Throne as King Edward III's loyal vassal, placing much of Scotland under his rule. But these victories were always short lived however, as David II's supporters refused to accept English rule and continued to slowly regain control of Scotland over the next few years. That is until 1338, when King Edward III was finally forced to sign the truce that ended his threat to Scotland's independence for good.

But King Edward III did not blame David II or his supporters for his defeats in Scotland. Not at all. Instead he blamed the current King of France, Philip VI, who had supported David II in the war. Their relationship then went from bad to worse in 1337, when King Philip VI confiscated the Duchy of Aquitaine from King Edward III for harboring the infamous French fugitive, Robert III of Artois. And instead of humbling himself and paying homage to King Philip VI like his father Edward II had done in the past, he declared himself the rightful King of France. This was due to the fact that he was the only living grandson of King Philip IV via his mother, Queen Isabella. However, the French nobles rejected this declaration based on the precedents for agnatic succession set in 1316 and 1322. Instead, they upheld the rights of Philip IV's nephew, King Philip VI, his only agnatic descendant.

Thus began the greatest conflict of the Middle Ages, THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR!

THE EDWARDIAN WAR  (1337 - 1360)
The first major period of conflict during the Hundred Years' War was called the Edwardian War, due to the fact that the primary instigator of the War was King Edward III himself. And although Edward III made his intentions of war clear in 1337, the War did not officially begin until three years later in 1340. This was mainly because after his War with Scotland, Edward III now lacked the money to fund his campaign for the French Throne. It wasn't until a wealthy merchant named William de le Pole came to his financial rescue and gave him the funds he needed.

And finally on 22 June 1340, King Edward III and his fleet sailed from England and arrived off the Zwin estuary the next day. The French fleet assumed a defensive formation off the port of Sluys. The English fleet deceived the French into believing they were withdrawing. When the wind turned in the late afternoon, the English attacked with the wind and sun behind them. The French fleet was almost completely destroyed in what became known as the Battle of Sluys. This victory also prevented the now crippled French Fleet from ever attempting to invade England, as the English Fleet dominated the English Channel during the entire war.

But it was a costly victory for Edward III, as his funds ran out again in 1341. And the French may have been able to successfully drive Edward III from France for good, if it were not for the death of John III the Good, Duke of Brittany. This caused a power vacuum in who would become the next Duke of Brittany. The two top contenders being John of Montfort and Charles of Blois. Edward III backed Montfort and Philip VI back Blois, leading to the War of Breton Succession that would last on and off for several years. In fact, it wasn't until the decisive Battle of Auray in 1364, that Montfort would be victorious.

After dealing with personal matters at home and even more fund raising, Edward III finally invaded France for the second time in July of 1346. And this time he planned finish what he had started before. The English army captured the completely unguarded Caen in just one day, surprising the French. Philip then mustered a large army to oppose Edward, who chose to march northward toward the Low Countries, pillaging as he went. He reached the river Seine to find most of the crossings destroyed. He moved further and further south, worryingly close to Paris, until he found the crossing at Poissy. This had only been partially destroyed, so the carpenters within his army were able to fix it. He then continued on his way to Flanders until he reached the river Somme. The army crossed at a tidal ford at Blanchetaque, leaving Philip's army stranded. Edward, assisted by this head start, continued on his way to Flanders once more, until, finding himself unable to outmaneuver Philip, Edward positioned his forces for battle and Philip's army attacked, beginning the one of the most famous battles of the War, the Battle of Crécy.

The battle was a complete disaster for the French and helped establish the longbow as the dominant on the Western European battlefield, cause during a brief archery duel a large force of French mercenary crossbowmen was routed by Welsh and English longbowmen. The French then launched a series of cavalry charges by their mounted knights. These were disordered by their impromptu nature, by having to force their way through the fleeing crossbowmen, by the muddy ground, by having to charge uphill, and by the pits dug by the English. The attacks were further broken up by the effective fire from the English archers, which caused heavy casualties. By the time the French charges reached the English men-at-arms, who had dismounted for the battle, they had lost much of their impetus. The ensuing hand-to-hand combat was described as "murderous, without pity, cruel, and very horrible". The French charges continued late into the night, all with the same result: fierce fighting followed by a French repulse.

After the battle was over, the now crippled French Army watched helplessly as Edward III then marched north unopposed and began the Siege of Calais in late 1346. After the city fell in early 1347, it became an important strategic asset for the English, allowing them to keep troops safely in northern France. The city would remain under English control, even after the end of the Hundred Years' War, until the successful French siege in 1558.

After all of this, Edward III may have not been stopped and he may taken the French Throne. But in 1348, something arrived in France and hit Paris HARD. The Black Death. The bubonic plague ravaged everything and everyone in it's path. So Edward III was forced to return to England once again. And after it finally passed in 1355, the English were ready to start again.

Or Edward III's first son and namesake was ready to. Edward, the Black Prince of Wales, using the military tactics of chevauchée or sorched earth, pillaged Avignonet and Castelnaudary, sacked Carcassonne, and plundered Narbonne. Then he rested for a bit. But the following year in 1356, he continued his chevauchée rampage by ravaging the regions of Auvergne, Limousin, and Berry. However this campaign finally ended with him failing to take the city of Bourges.

He then offered his terms of peace to the new King of France, John II the Good. John II's father, Philip VI, had died in 1350 during the Black Death pandemic, which had also claimed his mother, Queen Joan, in 1349. John II told the Black Prince he would only accept the peace, if he surrendered to him personally. The Black Prince, obviously refused these terms and after being outflanked by John II, the Battle of Poitiers began. And despited being outnumbered by the larger French Army, the Black Prince still routed the French and they suffer heavy losses again. In fact, the French advance was so contained, that it led to the capture of King John II and his youngest son, Philip the Bold. John II would remain in English custody in London until his death in 1364.

The effects of this on the French and France itself was catastrophic, leaving the young Dauphin Charles to rule. But he could not keep the country together. Many French nobles and mercenaries rampaged through the land and chaos was now the norm.

And during all the chaos in 1359, King Edward III decided to capitalize and finally finish what he had started in 1337. This time the strategy was simple enough, get to the traditional coronation city of Reims as quickly as possible and crown himself the rightful King of France. And the Dauphin Charles knew this all too well. So he didn't try to stop Edward III and meet him on the battlefield before he got to Reims. Not at all. He instead built up Reims and fortified it enough to hopefully withstand the incoming English siege. And it did. Even after five long weeks, Reims stood strong against the English. Still crown less, but not beaten enough, Edward III retreated to Paris. He was then driven back yet again after a few minor skirmishes. Still unwilling to finally admit defeat, he tried to take the city of Chartres. And that's when the something unbelievable happened, the phenomenon known later as Black Monday. On the day after Easter in 1360, a freak hail storm struck and killed over a 1,000 English soldiers as they continued to lay siege to Chartres. It was then finally Edward III took this occurrence as sign from God himself that he should end his endeavors for the French Crown. In fact, during the climax of the storm, he is said to have dismounted from his horse and kneeled in the direction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres. He recited a vow of peace and was convinced to negotiate with the French.

Three weeks later in May of 1360, the Treaty of Brétigny was signed, marking the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War.

THE FIRST PEACE (1360 - 1369)
After the Treaty of Brétigny was signed in 1360, there was an extended period of relative peace. However that didn't stop war altogether, as both England and France continued to fight among themselves, during this period.
In 1363, the so called King of Navarre, the apatly named Charles the Bad, tried to use the imprisonment of John II in London as means to claiming the French Crown for himself. And with Dauphin Charles still very politically weakened in France, King Edward III supported the Navarrese moves, particularly as there was a prospect that he might gain control over the northern and western provinces as a consequence. With this in mind, Edward III deliberately slowed the peace negotiations with Dauphin Charles.

However, King John II would die in captivity in 1364 and Dauphin Charles became the new King of France as King Charles V. And just days before his official coronation at Reims, he put an end to the Navarrese threat once and for all by crushing them at the Battle of Cocherel.

With the threats to his newly established rule defeated, King Charles V then turned his attention back to England and resuming the War.

But England was not ready for War with France again, as it had it's own problems to deal with too. In 1366, there was a civil war of succession in Spanish Crown of Castille between Peter the Cruel and his illegitimate brother, Henry of Trastámara. Henry, after assembling large army in France with help from Charles V, was able to force Peter to flee Castille. Peter then did the only thing he could, he appealed to England for help. King Edward III refused. However his son, the Black Prince, honor bound by the Treaty of Brétigny, reluctantly agreed to help. With English troops now helping his cause, Peter returned to Castille and won a major tactical victory at the Battle of Nájera (Navarrete). However they failed to kill Henry in this battle and the consequences would be catastophic for both England and Castille.

After Peter failed to reimburse the Black Prince the large sum of money he had spent on amassing the large army needed to defear Henry, their alliance ended on bad terms. And Peter was left by himself, once again. This also isolated Peter from the rest of powers in Europe, leading to his defeat in the Battle of Montiel in 1369. After the battle, Peter fled to the castle of Montiel, where he became trapped. In an attempt to bribe the famous French commander, Bertrand du Guesclin, Peter was lured into a trap outside his castle refuge. In the confrontation his half-brother Henry stabbed Peter multiple times. Henry was then crowned King of Castille as Henry II, ending the civil war for good. He then named Bertrand du Guesclin, the Duke of Molina for his loyalty to him.

Then in 1370, Charles V declared Bertrand du Guesclin the Constable of France in his final preparations for the second phase of the Hundred Years' War.

THE CAROLINE WARS (1369 - 1375)
Just as the first major period of conflict during the Hundred Years' War was named after King Edward III for starting it, the second major period of conflict was called the Caroline Wars after King Charles V broke the Treaty of Brétigny and restarted it.

After the Black Prince had spent a great sum of money in restoring Peter the Cruel to the Castille Throne during it's aformentioned civil war, he demanded Peter pay it back. He did not recieve payment and broke his allaince with Peter, as a result. This led to the now broke Black Prince raising the taxes of the Duchy of Aquitaine to recoup the funds. The people were outraged, but the Black Prince ignore their complaints. So they went King Charles V instead. And in May of 1369, the Black Prince recieved a summons to Paris from Charles V. The Black Prince outright refused to go and Charles V responded by declaring war on the Black Prince and England.

And with both King Edward III and the Black Prince in poor health by start of the War in 1370, Charles V set out to retake much of what he had lost during the Edwardian Wars. He was largely successful for a number of reasons too.

One being that with both of the Edwards too ill to command England's armies, France had a great advantage from the start as the Constable of France, Bertrand du Guesclin, was one of the finest military commanders in history. Well known for his legendary Fabian Strategy, he led France to major victories during this period in the Battle of Pontvallain in 1370 and the Battle of Chiset in 1373. And another being that England also lost it's command of the sea battle as the Castille Fleet defeated the English Fleet decisively in the Battle of La Rochelle in 1372. This effectively cut off England's French holdings from the rest of England.

England desperately needed to find something that would turn the War around. And in 1373, they finally did in King Edward III's fourth son, the enigmatic John of Gaunt.

In August of 1373, John of Gaunt, along with the Duke of Brittany, John de Montfort, led the so called Great Chevauchée through France. While initially successful as French forces were insufficiently concentrated to oppose them, the English met more resistance as they moved south. French forces began to concentrate around the English force but under orders from Charles V, the French avoided a set battle. Instead, they fell on forces detached from the main body to raid or forage. The French shadowed the English and in October, the English found themselves trapped against the River Allier by four French forces. With some difficulty, the English crossed at the bridge at Moulins but lost all their baggage and loot. The English carried on south across the Limousin plateau but the weather was turning severe. Men and horses died in great numbers and many soldiers, forced to march on foot, discarded their armour. At the beginning of December, the army entered friendly territory in Gascony. By the end of December they were in Bordeaux, starving, ill-equipped and having lost over half of the 30,000 horses with which they had left Calais. Although the march across France had been a remarkable feat, it was a military failure. The Great Chevauchée's defeat caused tremendous anger and resentment in Britain. But John of Gaunt continued to be a powerful political player in both England and France. Although his efforts to promote peace with France were unsuccessful due to his growing unpopularity among the people.

It would take the instigation of Pope Gregory XI to get the peace conference started in 1374. And after heated negotiation from both sides, the Treaty of Burges was signed in present day Belguim in 1375. This brought the second phase of the War to a close for the time being.

THE MAD KING (1380 - 1399)
Meanwhile in France, as Richard of Bordeaux slowly began his rise to power in England as Richard II, Charles VI suceeds his father, Charles V, as King of France in 1380. However like Richard II, he is not of age to rule. So his uncle Phillip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy is put in charge of the regency. However, his other two uncles, Louis, Duke of Anjou and John, Duke of Berry also come to power as well. And thanks to their political scheming and manipulation, these three would remain in power until around 1388, well after the time Charles VI had achieved royal majority.

The Constable of France, Bertrand du Guesclin, also died in 1380, leaving France with no top military commanders as well. This caused France to lose its main leadership and overall momentum in the now stalled Hundred Years' War.

And with France facing widespread destruction, plague, and economic recession, high taxation to fund the now pointless War put a heavy burden on the French peasantry and urban communities. So Charles V abolished many of these taxes on his deathbed in 1380, and subsequent attempts to reinstate them stirred up hostility between the French government and populace. France, it seemed, was now on the verge of total collapse. But by 1388, enough was enough for Charles VI, who royally asserted himself and finally brought the regency to an end, taking up personal rule. He then restored to power the highly competent advisors of Charles V, known as the Marmousets, who ushered in a new period of high esteem for the crown. Charles VI was then widely referred to as Charles the Beloved by his subjects.

But it did not last for long, Charles VI suddenly descended into madness in 1392. After his close friend and advisor, Olivier de Clisson, was the victim of an attempted murder. Although Clisson survived, Charles VI was determined to punish the would-be assassin, Pierre de Craon, who had taken refuge in Brittany. John V, Duke of Brittany, was unwilling to hand him over, so Charles VI prepared a military expedition. And while on the campaign to Brittany, he was said be in a crazed frenzy like state and very disconnected his speeches. The slow progress towards Brittany, made Charles VI grow increasingly impatient, as well. Then he just snapped completely. As the king and his escort were traveling through the forest near Le Mans on a hot August morning, a barefoot leper dressed in rags rushed up to the King's horse and grabbed his bridle. "Ride no further, noble King!" he yelled. "Turn back! You are betrayed!" The king's escorts beat the man back, but did not arrest him, and he followed the procession for half an hour, repeating his cries. The company emerged from the forest at noon. A page who was drowsy from the sun dropped the king's lance, which clanged loudly against a steel helmet carried by another page. Charles VI shuddered, drew his sword and yelled "Forward against the traitors! They wish to deliver me to the enemy!" The king spurred his horse and began swinging his sword at his companions, fighting until one of his chamberlains and a group of soldiers were able to grab him from his mount and lay him on the ground. He lay still and did not react, but then fell into a coma. The king had killed a knight known as "The Bastard of Polignac" and several other men.

And from this day forward, Charles the Beloved became also known as Charles the Mad. He would suffer off and on periods of madness for the remainder of his life. This included times where he didn't even remember his own name or the fact he was King of France. He also started to suffer from what was called glass dillusion and began to believe he was made of glass and demanded iron rods be sewn into his clothes so that he would not shatter if he came into contact with another person.

If things could now get any worse for Charles VI or France, in late January 1393, at a masked ball that had been organized by Isabeau of Bavaria to celebrate the wedding of one of her ladies-in-waiting at the Hôtel Saint-Pol. At the suggestion of Huguet de Guisay, Charles VI and four other lords dressed up as wild men and they were dancing around. They were dressed "in costumes of linen cloth sewn onto their bodies and soaked in resinous wax or pitch to hold a covering of frazzled hemp, so that they appeared shaggy & hairy from head to foot". At the suggestion of one Yvain de Foix, the king commanded that the torch-bearers were to stand at the side of the room. Nonetheless, the king's brother Louis I, Duke of Orléans, who had arrived late, approached with a lighted torch in order to discover the identity of the masqueraders, and accidentally set one of them on fire. There was panic as the flames spread. The Duchess of Berry threw the train of her gown over the king in order to protect him. Several knights who tried to put out the flames were severely burned. Four of the wild men perished: Charles de Poitiers, son of the Count of Valentinois; Huguet de Guisay; Yvain de Foix; and the Count of Joigny. Another – Jean, son of the Lord of Nantouillet – saved himself by jumping into a dishwater tub. This incident would later be known as the Bal des Ardents or the Ball of the Burning Men.

This was followed up in 1394, when Charles VI suddenly published an ordinance in which he declared, in substance, that for a long time he had been taking note of the many complaints provoked by the excesses and misdemeanors of the Jews against Christians, and that the prosecutors had made several investigations and discovered that the Jews broke the working agreement with the king on many occasions. Therefore, he decreed, as an irrevocable law and statute, that no Jew should dwell in his domains.

After the expulsion of the Jews from France, some good news finally did occur, when Richard II and Charles VI signed the Truce of Leulinghem in 1396. In the truce, Richard II also agreed to marry Charles VI's daughter, Isabella of Valois, when she came of age to marry.

But Charles VI was still plague with mental illness and it just seemed to worsen after the Truce was signed. So Phillip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy acted as the real power behind the throne and advisor to Queen Isabeau of Bavaria, while she ruled France as regent when her husband's bouts of mental illness left him unable to do so. But another charismatic contender for power was quickly rising through the ranks in Louis I, Duke of Orléans. He also had the Queen's ear at the time. He was also rumored to secretly have the Queen's bed, as well.

In 1399, Louis I convinced his friend and ally, the recently exiled Duke of Hereford, Henry Bolingbroke, to return to England and retake what was rightfully his from King Richard II. This left Louis I free from the burden of rapprochement with the English crown, setting the stage for Louis I to make his power play for total control of the royal court.

THE FRENCH CIVIL WAR (1400 - 1419)
By the early 1400s, the French royal court had been divided into two competing factions for total control, the Louis I, Duke of Orléans controlled faction called the Armagnacs and the Burgundians faction led by Phillip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. The third main man of this rivalry, John, Duke of Berry, wanted no part of either side and acted as mediator the best he could. But he could not control the rivalry fully and it would grow increasingly more hostile day by day and year by year, until it was a powder keg ready to explode into all out civil war. All it needed was the right spark to set it off.

That spark came in 1404, when Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy suddenly died. His ambitious son, John the Fearless, aimed to continue the political aspirations of his father. But there was one major flaw, he did not have Queen Isabeau's ear or rumored bed like Louis I did. So his influence slowly started to fade away at the royal court.

This did not sit well with John the Fearless. Not at all. So in secret, he plotted and waited for the right moment end Louis I's threat once and for all. That moment came in November of 1407. After exchanging solemn vows of reconciliation before the royal court of France, John the Fearless ordered the assassination of Louis I. And just three days later, it happened. On the streets of Paris itself as Louis I was mounting his horse, he was pulled off and stabbed repeatedly by fifteen masked criminals led by Raoulet d'Anquetonville, the personal servant of John the Fearless. And since John the Fearless had the full support of Paris and it's people, he openly admitted to ordering the assassination, filling it was justified to kill tyrants like Louis I before they gained total control. And in return, the Armagnacs loyal to Louis I declared all out war on John the Fearless and his loyal Burgundians.

The French Civil War didn't just start, it erupted.

And although it would last well beyond the rule of Charles VI, the French Civil War came to a stand still in 1419 when it ended just like it started. It's instigator, John the Fearless, was assassinated on the bridge at Monterey-Fault-Yonne, whilst in the town for an interview with the Dauphin Charles. In the heated interview, Dauphin Charles accused John the Fearless of siding with the English in the now renewed Hundred Years' War. John the Fearless did not deny it, as he had no choice as he needed help to deal with the Armagnacs, led by Louis I's son, Charles of Orléans. One argument led to another and in the inevitable ensuing scuffle, John the Fearless was killed.

In the aftermath, John the Fearless' son and the new Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, turned his back completely on the Dauphin Charles and entered into a full alliance with England. This alliance would result in the infamous Treaty of Troyes in 1420, that would utterly cripple France.

 

CHILDHOOD
FAMILY HISTORY (1377 - 1412)
And that miracle first appeared in the Lorraine Valley of northeastern France. As a baby was born to two honest and humble, hard working peasants. First, there was the father, Jacques de Arc.

Born in Cheffonds around 1380, Jacques de Arc came know the horrors of the Hundred Years' War from an early childhoood. When he was around two, his family had moved from Cheffonds to the much smaller town of Arc-en-Barrois in the Grand Est region of northeastern France. Jacques had a very uneventful childhood until he was around ten years of age. It was around this time, he watched, with tears in his young innocent eyes, Arc-en-Barrois be razed to the ground by the rampaging English. It was during one of their many chevauchée or scorched earth campaigns that left much of France in such a terrible state. And as brutal and devastating as this policy was, it got the results that the English wanted. As it was very effective on weakening France's already unstable economy. As a result, Jacques de Arc, along with the rest of his family, fled their now destroyed hometown and came reside in Domremy, some fifty miles away.

And what can be said about this small isolated village? Not much that would interest the normal passer-by. Lying in the valley of the Meuse, where the river Vair enters into a large mile wide stream. It is here on the edges of rich green meadows, Domremy is found. And Domremy is small. About forty to fifty stone houses with thatched roofs small. Even still, Domremy had everything simple peasants could hope for. And with the feudal nature of the times, every little village including Domremy, had it's village officials, chosen from the most responsible and substantial adults. It had it's mayor. It had it's sheriff. It had it's priest. It also had it's doyen. Or it did until Sir Robert de Baudricourt decided to take a better position as captain of the French garrison at the fort in the neighboring city of Vaucouleurs, leaving the position vacant for some time.

That is until Jacques de Arc moved into town. And being the hard working practical man that Jacques already was, it didn't take long for him to be noticed and be fitted into position of being Domremy's new doyen.

And he fit that position like a tight glove. For the doyen had many responsibilities. Twice a year, he collected the village taxes for the nearby lord of Bourlemont, Sir Pierre. He also gathered the lord's harvest. And even though Sir Pierre de Bourlemont and his wife, Beatrice, ruled over the people of Domremy, they still lived among them. That said, it was still a much larger and much more fortified manor house on a high hill, aptly nicknamed the "Castle on the Hill" by the villagers of Domremy. And as the doyen, Jacques de Arc was also the captain of the local town watch. And this was the part of his job took the most pride and duty in performing.

For he respected Lord Pierre de Bourlemont. You could say he even loved the man. For it was the lord of Bourlemont that took in his fleeing family and allowed them to make a new home and new life in Domremy. And the feelings were mutual for Sir Pierre, as well. As Jacques de Arc did his duty and did it very well. Better than anyone before him.

And it was in doing his duty, Jacques de Arc met the woman he would later call his wife, Isabelle de Vouthon.

Isabelle was born in 1377 in Vouthon, a small village less than 20 miles from Domremy itself. But Isabelle was nothing but a humble maiden in the service of the lords of Bourlemont. But under this humble surface, lurked a deeper truth. As a devout follower of Christ and the Catholic Church, Isabelle, while still in her late teens, had made the pilgrimage to the holy center of Catholicism, Rome. This has had a profound effect on young Isabelle to say the very least. It also earned her a much more well known surname, Romee. It was an great honor to recieve such a titular last name in the Middle Ages. It is very much similar to a Muslim being granted the honorific title of Hajji for completing the sacred Hajj to the holy city of Mecca. And it was after this pilgrimage, the newly annointed Isabelle Romee would return home to Vouthon and find almost everything had change dramatically. Her small hometown of Vouthon had merged with it's near-by neighboring town, Bas. And as a result, it was now a growing and bustling city called Vouthon-Bas. And not only had the town changed, what upset Isabelle most of all, was that it's people had changed too. They seemed to be more stuck up and more arrogant. It was as if though they now felt like their city was now worth protecting more than some small remote village. And secretly, the humble Isabelle preferred a quiet life in some small remote village. So that's when she decided, with little tears in her eyes, to leave her hometown for good. And that is how she would wind up in Domremy. It was nothing too extraordinary for the times as people fled from village to village due to the War all the time.

And in the aftermath of one of the numerous raids on Domremy and it's surrounding area, Jacques de Arc met Isabelle Romee for the very first time. In the Church of St. Remi, the humble servant of God was tending to and praying for the severely wounded guards as the village doctors tended to them. One young man in his twenties had been shot in the neck with an arrow and now dying a slow and agonizing death. But Isabelle still stayed with the young man, held his hand, and prayed for him until he passed on. Jacques, as the doyen of the town guard, watched this all unfold before his eyes. He was immediately awe-struck by this young maiden too. Isabelle also seemed to like Jacques from the start, as well.

And as if it was written in the stars from the beginning, they fell deeply in love with each other. They were soon married shortly thereafter in 1397. Isabelle Romee remained known as such, as surnames were not universal in the early 15th century. And when one earns such a prestigious surname as Romee, one tends to keep it. Jacques de Arc did not mind either as Isabelle was greatly admired in Domremy for her devotion to Christ. In fact, that devotion in fact gave him a single ray of hope in the current dark times. And THAT was something desperately needed to say the least.

So it was during these dark times, that Jacques and Isabelle sired five offspring rather quickly in a short period of time.

First came their oldest, a son named after the father, but called Jacquemin for the very sake of distinction. Born in 1399, around the time Henry Bolingbroke was returning to England from France to reclaim his inheritance from England's tyrant king, Richard II. And Jacquemin is very much like his father in almost every way. In fact, even at thirteen, he was ready to follow in his father's footsteps as a junior recruit of the town watch. A duty which Jacques de Arc is hopeful that it leads his son to take over as captain of the town watch. This would greatly lighten the heavy burden of Jacques de Arc's many duties in his now advancing middle age of life.

Then came Catherine. Not much is known about Joan's only sister. Only the fact that she was born in 1402 and named after the famous St. Catherine of Alexandria. And much like her namesake, she is a very rebellious and free spirited ten year old. A teenage daughter is something Jacques now dreads and never had the time or patience for. Luckily, his wife does.

Next came Jean in 1405, whom very much like his older brother, already has a great sense of honorable duty. However that duty seems to be leading him to admiring the local French soldiers and eventually wanting to join the French Army himself and not the town watch, much to his father's dismay.

The third son, Pierre, came next in late 1407. Named after the very lord of Bourlemont his parents respected and admired so much. At three, Pierre is already a wild child and handful for his father and older brothers, when his mother is not around.

And finally, their last child was born in 1412. They did not expect this. It was, indeed, a miracle. And it all happened on one of the most important days of the year for any good Christian living in the Middle Ages, especially a Catholic, the day of Epiphany.

THE DAY OF EPIPHANY (6th of January 1412)
DOMREMY, FRANCE - Also known as the Twelfth-night, The day of Epiphany celebrates the revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ and part of the celebration commemorates the arrival of the three "Wise Men" who were led to the baby Jesus by a star in the sky above Bethlehem.

On that day, the 6th of January 1412, another baby was born to Jacques De Arc and his wife, Isabelle Romee. It was their fifth child, in fact. A girl. And while the girl's mother embraced her newborn child from the very start, her father rejected her.

"Jack, look at your new daughter." said the mother to her husband. All Jacques or Jack to those that knew him best, could was give a slight groan and mumble to himself as he left the room.

It's not to say that Jacques did not love his daughter. He did. However, he was secretly hoping for another son. Cause Jacques was a practical man of practical times. And he had many duties to attend to. Of which, the most important was being the doyen or captain of the town watch. And it was even more important at this very moment, for Domremy was now under attack, as well.

"Isabelle. Get to the church. Take the baby with you. Hurry." Jacques told his wife as he quickly took up his sword.

Isabelle, picking up her newborn baby and swaddling it in cloth blankets from the bed, asks her husband quickly... "Jack, do you even know who it is?"

"Unfortunately, I do. It's that damn Orly and his ruffians again." Jacques said with a irritated groan. "It never fails with that bastard."

It was that so-called soldier of fortune, Henry of Orly, and his rather ragtag band of freebooters. They came about forty miles west of Domremy from the castle of Doulevant across the Vair river, where it meets the much larger Meuse. And yes, Orly was a real bastard. He cared nothing for the English or even the French for that matter. He only cared about himself and how rich he could get. So in the middle of a war torn France, he looted and plundered both sides like a true villain. And now unfortunately, he had set his sights on poor Domremy.

So as the doyen, once Jacques got word that Orly was coming to raid Domremy, he had to prepare quickly with the rest of the capable fighting men of Domremy to fend off these freebooters led by Orly. One of these fighting men is Jacques' thirteen year old eldest son, Jacquemin, who now enters the family house. Jacques now turns to his son.

"Are your brothers safe, son?" Jacques now asks him.

"They are father. I led them both to the church, just like you had instructed." Jacquemin now tells his father.

"Good boy. Now follow me and stay close." Jacques told his son, who nodded his head in the affirmative.

Jacques now turns to his wife and tells her as he and their son, go towards the village center and towards the fighting. "Isabelle, go. Now." Isabelle just nods her head and watches as her husband and eldest son leave quickly.

Isabelle now takes a deep breath, says a silent prayer to God to watch over everybody, and retreats quickly behind the house and towards the Church of St. Remi, about a mile away. And it was in this retreat her newborn baby girl saw something different other than her parents for the first time in her life. And what she saw was mostly bright fire and dark smoke. And the first sounds the she heard besides her mother's loving voice was the loud screams from Domremy's terrified villagers. Isabelle now enters the church and joins up with her other two sons, Jean and Pierre. All four now huddle together in a quiet corner of the church, continuing to pray for God's protection.

After the brief fight with the freebooters had come to an end, Jacques and Jacquemin, returned to the Church of St. Remi to check on Isabelle and the newborn baby. "You fought well out there, son." Jacques told his son beamingly.

"You really think so, dad?" Jacquemin asked his father.

"I know so." Jacques said confidently, as he patted his son on the back. "You make me very proud." Jacques now walks over to his wife, Isabelle and newborn baby girl and asks....*

"How's the baby, Isabelle?" Jacques asked his wife.

"She's Fine, Jack." Isabelle now looks into the baby's eyes and says "Yes. Joan will be just fine." Isabelle told her husband confidently.

"Joan, huh?" Jacques said with confusion. This was the first time he heard that name. From anyone. Including his wife. In fact, he had never heard his wife use that name before until now.

"Yes, Jack. That is our daughter's name. Joan." Isabelle said with a smile.

"But why Joan? I've never heard that name before." Jacques said, his interest now fully peaked.

"Because that's what God told me." Isabelle said to her now bewildered husband.

"Oh, really? He told you just now?" Jacques asked his wife.

"No. Not just now. While you and Jacquemin were out fighting. I prayed to God to watch over our family. He told me He would. Especially little Joan." Isabelle now looks at baby Joan again, smiles, and says "So maybe God had plans for her."

"He has plans for all of us, Isabelle. If He did not, we would not have been able to fend off tonight's attack. So I would thank God for that, first and for most. It's the least we can do. " Jacques said sharply as he walks away from his wife, to go and check on the rest of the Domremy villagers.

Isabelle now just shakes her head at her husband's disbelief. She now tells the baby Joan.... "Don't my little Joan. Even if you father doesn't believe me. I will protect you. And I will make sure you are able to fulfill whatever God's plan is for you. When you are old enough, that is."  Isabelle now closes her eyes, as she slowly rocks little Joan to sleep while singing various hymns from the book of Psalms.

THE DAY AFTER  (7th of January 1412)
DOMREMY, FRANCE - The very next day, the people of Domremy, still distraught and in shock over what had happened the night before, went back to their miserable hard working lives. As if nothing had happened.

By mid-morning, a group of armored men on horses rode into the town's center. Leading them was a rather heavy set balding man. Jacques recognized the man almost immediately, even before he rode up to him.

"Late again, Sir Robert. As usual, you missed out on what matters, defending the people." Jacques said with a hint of distain in his voice.

But Sir Robert de Baudricourt decided to not even acknowledge this statement in the slightest. Why would he? He had just rode all the way out to Domremy from his fort at Vaucouleurs should have been good enough for them. They all should be grateful for that. Sir Robert now begins to trot his horse around the town square, while asking..."

"And where has Henry of Orly run off too?" Sir Robert now asks the populace of Domremy gathered in the town square. "Back to his castle at Doulevant across the Vair, I would imagine."

"It would appear so." Jacques now tells Sir Robert.

"Well then matter is done. Looks like he sense trouble was coming in the morning and I scared him off then. And he should be scare. If he was here right now, I would..."

"You would do nothing!" a voice now calls out to the arrogant Sir Robert.

Sir Robet now turns his horse around and looks around for whoever said that. "Who said that? Who dares mock the great Sir Robert de Baudricourt?"

Jacques' wife, Isabelle now appears at her husbands side, with baby Joan in her arms. She now tells Sir Robert, confidently "I did. Cause unlike my ignorant husband, I choose speak my mind when the time calls for it."

Sir Robert now trots his horse slowly up to where Isabelle and baby Joan are standing. He now tells her sternly...."Well I suggest you think before speaking out again, madam.  And Jack..." Sir Robert now turn Jacques and tells him....."I suggest you keep your wife in line and something bad may befall her and your newborn baby if your are not careful."

Jacques can just shakes his head and tells Sir Robert "Yes, sir. Please forgive my wife, she still suffers from post-childbirth sickness. The baby was just born last night in the middle of all this.....excitement."

This announcement shocked Sir Robert, as now tells says to both of them... "Really now? I had no idea it was due so soon. Congradulations. I am sure he will be a fine addition to the Arc family." Sir Robert said in a slight mocking manner.

"She, sir. It's a baby girl." Isabelle then said to Sir Robert, correcting him.

"My mistake. Let's all pray she doesn't end up like you. And what's the baby's name, I might ask?"

"Joan, sir. Her name is Joan." Isabelle said proudly, much to Jacques' chargrin.

Sir Robert now laughs a little at the name and tells her "Such a terrible name. Especially in these times. I wonder who in the world came up with that?"

"God did, sir. He has big plans for little Joan. He told me himself." Isabelle said without hesitation in voice.

Sir Robert could only shakes his head in disbelief at that statement. He now turns to leave Domremy with his men as he says himself out loud "God forbid that he does."

After the Arcs, along with baby Joan, watch as Sir Robert di Buadricourt and his men leave the Domremy town square and slowly make their exit from the village, Jacques turns to his wife and tells her sternly..."You should have never told Sir Robert that, Isabelle. You upset him greatly."

Isabelle just shakes her head and tells her husband "Then he should have done more, Jack. It is wrong tell a lie. And to be quite frank, that man is utterly worthless.  He has never done anything good to help this town out. And you, as it's doyen, know it's the truth."

Jacques just sighs and tells his wife "It is. You are right, Isabelle. But it would mind us better to acted like we care. Cause there may come a day when we really do need his help."

Isabelle now calmly tells her husband "God will protect this family, Jack. You just got to have faith."
"I do have faith, Isabelle." Jacques said grimly. "I am just not sure if the rest of France does anymore at this point."

Both Arcs now walk back together towards their small house behind the small church in the small village of Domremy. And much as Isabelle didn't like her husband's grim view of their existence. He was right. Henry of Orly would get away with it. And nothing would be done to stop it. But that is the way things were in France of 1412. And this were only about to get much worse in a very short period of time.

 

CATHOLIC UPBRINGING (1418)
DOMREMY, FRANCE - As Joan continued to grow older, her mother, Isabelle Romee, continued raised her daughter in the tradition proper way expected of a devout French Catholic. She taught Joan how to live her life through Christ. To love God and never question His will at all. To always say her prayers when she needed too.

"Living through Christ, little Joan...." Her mother told her young daughter "...is the best way to live of all. Do you understand?"

Joan nodded her agreement, telling her mother "Yes, mother."

"That's good. Cause God has big plans for you." Her mother said enthusiastically "I just know he does."

"That part I do not understand, mother. Joan said in a puzzled tone. "What are His plans for me anyways?"

Isabelle just laughed to herself and then told Joan seriously "Well that's for Him to know and you to find out."

Joan nodded her head in agreement, asking her mother curiously "But when will I find out?"

Isabelle then told her daughter sternly "Best not to question to will of God. I am sure when the time comes....."

"I will be ready to know." Joan then aswered. "I understand."

"Very good. Now back to the tasks at hand." Isabelle told her daughter, changing the subject quickly.

"Yes, mother." Joan said in agreement.

And as a result of this upbringing, Joan was already becoming a very devout and pious young girl before she even reached the age of ten. Even her closest friends, Hauviette and Mengette, could not help but noticed this change in Joan either.

"She was a good Christian girl. She loved the Church." recalled Mengette, much later in life after marrying a local labourer. "She almost too pious even for most of the other children. But I didn't mind at all."

"She was a good girl, simple and gentle. She went to Church and visited the other Holy places regularly. Almost daily even. I always admired her devotion to Christ." said the older Hauviette, after moving away from Domremy and now living in Neufchâteau.

"Cause she was still my friend." both said in statements. "And I loved her dearly."

But going to Church was not the only thing Joan liked to do with her time. She often would just lay the rich green meadows of the Muese and listen to the soothing sound of the nearby church-bells ringing out over the valley. This was pretty much her only escape from the dullness of her everyday life. Not to mention the boredom of spinning wool. She did it well too.

"She loved to spin wool. And she did it well. In fact, she did very well." said one of her neighbors, Catherine le Royer, later in life. "For she feared no other woman when came to these arts. She was one of the best."

And even though, she appeared to enjoy it. It was something she had no interest in either. None at all.

"What a waste of time." Joan thought to herself, as she lay in the grass of Muese, basking in the warm sun of the afternoon day. "This is not how I want to spend the rest of my life."

"In fact...." Joan now stands up and begins to dance around in the green grass as she sings..."I want adventure in the great wide open..."

"JOAN! " Her mother's call of her name interrupts her singing and out of her childhood trance. "COME BACK HOME!"

Joan just shakes her head and begins to head back towards her house as she yells back "I'M COMING, MOTHER!"

And it's not that young Joan minded the dullness either. In fact, she almost welcomed it at times. But unfortunately, that dullness was soon gonna turn to chaos due to the ravages of war.

THE SIEGE OF ROUEN (July 1418 - January 1419)
ROUEN, FRANCE - And it would come rather sooner than later. Cause after King Henry V had taken the city of Caen, he had already set his sights on much more important target. So in hoping that Normandy would become England's main base of operation for all his war efforts into France, Henry V began to lay siege to the city of Rouen on the 29th of July 1418.

It was a long and terrible siege that Henry V had hope he could end quickly with a brutal, but effective strategy. And since he did not want to waste the man power in trying to break through the city's defenses, he would simply starve the people of Rouen into surrender. And by setting up fortified camps and barricades in the Seine River, it cut off all supplies to Rouen.

However the people of Rouen were known for their steadfast resilience and refused to outright surrender. Even with John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy trying to keep Paris from falling into English control, he had to outright refuse to send aid to relieve the city of Rouen. So instead he basically told the people of Rouen they sadly were on their own. This was not the response that the people of Rouen wanted to hear. Not at all.

In fact, things turned grim and dark rather quickly. By December of 1418, the people of Rouen were almost to starved to death. There was no food sources. They had already eaten all the cats, dogs, horses in the city. Hell, even the rats and mice were eaten. It got to point where the Burgundian mayor of Rouen, Guy de Bouteiller, had to expel more than 12,000 of it's starving population, in order to try and save food. It did not work. And these 12,000 were not allowed to leave city siege lines. King Henry V's order. So all they could do was lay in the ditches surrounding the city for it's protection, and die slow and miserable deaths of starvation.

"Those poor starving bastards." said one English soldier, at the sight. "I pity them greatly."

"Indeed. Not even God would want this to happen." said another.

And it was true, the English did feel sorry for them. It was not pretty sight to watch on all accounts. And eventually it all did get to Henry V. One Christmas Day in 1418, he allowed to priests to distribute food to the starving people. If you could even call it food. Not even the already eaten rats and mice would call it that. But this was Henry V's so called charity for the people of Rouen. A few crumbs for already dying people. But the very next, the food was thrown away and Henry V just went back to watching them all starve in the ditch.

"At least it will be easier to bury them when it's over." the King coldly joked to his council. "What's done is done."

And it was done. By January 1418, Guy de Bouteiller decided enough was enough. And despite orders from the commander of the city defenses, Alain Blanchard, to never surrender, Guy entered negotiations with Henry V on the 10th of January 1418. Ten days later, on the 19th, they finally agreed to surrender since no help or relief had arrived.

And Henry V, wanting wipe away as much of the black stain on his reputation in France that the siege had created, agreed to let the people of Rouen keep their homes and property, if they paid him the sum of 300,000 gold crowns. They also had to turn over the man who caused much of the starvation and suffering during the siege, Alan Blanchard.  Blanchard had also incurred the wrath of Henry V with his public hangings of English soldier along the walls of Rouen in defiance during the siege. So without much thought or hesitation, the people of Rouen gladly did immediately. Henry then had Blanchard promptly executed by beheading. Nobody mourned his death either, as a result.

But despite all of this, Henry V's reputation was still stained in France. He was seen as merciless and ruthless conqueror and nothing more. Cause France was now suffering greatly and Henry V now seemed to relish in it for his own gain. And he would continue to gain more and more in France as he now decided to turn his eyes toward Paris and taking the crown he felt was rightfully his.

ASSASSINATION OF JOHN THE FEARLESS (September 1419)
PARIS, FRANCE - By August 1419, King Henry V and the English were at the fortified walls of Paris. They were well armed. They were prepared. They were ready. The French on the inside, however, were not. Cause for years now, they were in the middle of a long and bloody civil war between the patriotic Armagnacs and treacherous Burgundians. And ever since the Burgundians, led by John the Fearless had openly assassinated Louis I of Orléans in the streets of Paris, the Armagnacs were looking for some more deserved revenge.

They finally got it on the 10th of September 1419 during a meeting between the Dauphin Charles of Valois and John the Fearless. The two met with their associated men-at-arms on the bridge of Montereau in attempts to negotiated peace between the two factions. The meeting soon turned violent when John the Fearless knelt before the Dauphin Charles. In response, the Dauphin showed him a complete lack of respect and indifference. This startled the Duke, who in looking for support, put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

One the Dauphin's entourage, Lord Robert of Loire, took this as a sign of aggression shouting at the Duke "You dare put your hand on your sword in the presence of His Highness, the Dauphin?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" shouted the mayor of Paris, Tanneguy III du Châtel.

And the mayor didn't waste not a second thought and swung his battle axed wildly like a madmen at the now unsuspecting Duke. One of the wild swings managed to connect with a glancing blow to the Duke's unprotected face. This set off a chain reaction and violent brawl erupted between both sides. And as the Dauphin's men-at-arms continued to shout "KILL! KILL! KILL!", they repeatedly stabbed the now prone John the Fearless to death. It was the same fate that had befallen Louis I in his assassination. A fitting end in the eyes of his many enemies. The Dauphin Charles, on the otherhand, just stood back and looked on impassively as this all happened in front of him.

And it was about to get even worse for the Dauphin Charles as the aftermath of this very public assassination would cost him almost everything, including his claim to the French Throne. Cause even though he tried every excuse in the book, the Dauphin Charles' reputation was now ruined in not only Paris, but in the eyes of his own father, King Charles VI the Mad.

THE TREATY OF TROYES (May 1420)
BOURGES, FRANCE - And as a result of his ruined reputation in Paris, the Dauphin Charles was forced flee Paris in the middle of the night with the remainder of his loyal entourage. And in the southern city of Bourges, the now exiled Dauphin Charles attempted to rebuild his royal court. This led to him being referred to as the "King of Bourges", a nickname that Dauphin Charles hated. But there was nothing he could do about it, not anymore.


TROYES, FRANCE - Meanwhile, the son of the assassinated John the Fearless, Philip the Good, became the new Duke of Burgundy. And in retaliation for the Dauphin Charles' part in his father's murder, he decided to make a powerful alliance with his mortal enemy, King Henry V and the English.

The resulted in, after six months of negotiations, the infamous Treaty of Troyes on the 21st of May 1420. It stated many things. The most important of which was that now Henry V was now the only legit heir to the French Throne once King Charles VI had died. This effectively disinherited Dauphin Charles from all claims. Dauphin Charles, of course, refused to accept this and continued to rule from his own loyal court in Bourges.

It also stated that the daughter of Charles VI, Catherine of Valois, was to wed Henry V in the very near future. It was something Henry V had wanted for a long while now. Not just to cement his claim to the French Throne, but because he has become completely enamored by her beauty after he met her at Meulan years earlier. He swore she would be his after that day in 1415, and now he had the power to take what he wanted as the new legit heir of France.

And to make matters worse, once their son, Henry VI, was born a year later in December 1421, he would then claim both crowns of England and France. This would effectively unify both kingdoms and France would effectively be no more.

This is France's darkest hour. It needs a guiding light. It needs a savior. And that savior would come in the form of an ancient but well known prophecy known as the Maid of Lorraine.

THE MAID OF LORRAINE (June 1420)
TROYES, FRANCE - At the Troyes Cathedral, King Henry V and Catherine of Valois were married on the 2nd of June 1420. Catherine's mother, the Queen of France, Isabeau of Bavaria, looked on with complete approval.

The people, however, did not approve of her at all. Not anymore. Cause in the public eyes, she was long thought of as a spendthrift and irresponsible adulteress, due her not-so-secret love affair with Louis I of Orléans. And since her husband was sick with mental illness, she had basically arranged the entire thing herself. So it was effectively her, not her husband, who had sold France out to England in most people's eyes.

So in effect, she was considered to be the perfect counterpart to the well known Maid of Lorraine prophecy.


DOMREMY, FRANCE - By the time King Henry V and his new wife, Catherine of Valois, went back to England to have her officially crowned Queen of England and to consummate their new marriage, the news of the marriage had already reached most of France, including Domremy. This news was taken as best as it could be.

"FRANCE IS DOOMED!" shouted one man in town.

"WE ARE LOST!" cried another. "THANKS TO A WOMAN!"

"WORSE! WE NOW BELONG TO THE DAMN ENGLISH!" cried a third man. "AND I'D RATHER BE DEAD THAN FUCKING ENGLISH!" the man shouted out in defiance.

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" shouted Jacques de Arc in a stern but gruff tone. "I mean, how dare you use profanity. You are in a house of worship now!"

The doyen of Domremy was right, as everybody in town was now entering the Church of St. Remi for the weekly Sunday Mass, including eight year old Joan of Arc.

"Sorry Jack. It won't happen again. My apologies." the man now bows to Jacques and leaves to take his seat in the church. The other man now follows him over to his seat, and both begin argue and gossip more. Joan now continues to try and listen to their conversation and overhears one of them say....

"We need the Maid of Lorraine!" the man told the other man "The prophecy is true."

"Oh, the prophecy is all poppy cock. Cooked up by some so-called wizard." the other man said "A Wizard? BAH! We don't need a wizard or his stupid prophecies!" laughed the man. "We need a miracle. And between you and me, we are not ever getting one. Cause even God has abandoned France!"

"You are wrong." the now irritated man told the man "And I can wait tell you that. The Maid of Lorraine is real. And she will save France. You will see."

"YOU WILL ALL SEE!" the man now shouts at everyone around him before storming out of the Church in anger. Joan now turns head away from the man as he does, while holding her breath. After he leaves, she exhales quickly.

"Father. What was all that shouting about?" Joan now asks her father.

"It was none of your concern, Joan." Jacques now tells his daughter sternly. "Just forget about it."

"But I heard one of those men say France was doomed. Is it true?" Joan continued to ask her father.

"No. Of course not." Jacques tells her daughter quickly. "France will be just fine."

"Because of the Maid of Lorraine?" Joan now asks her father.

"That is a bunch of nonsense.

"I SAID FORGET ABOUT IT!" Jacques now shouts at her, causing many in the Church to turn at stare at him. Jacques now shakes his head and mutters to himself "It's always the fault of women. Damn it all."

Joan now just shakes her head and goes back to praying during the Sunday Mass. She tried to forget about the conversation she had overheard, but she could not. It would not leave her head. That or what her father had said. She had to know the truth. And she had to know it now.

So after the Sunday Mass was over, everybody left the Church of St. Remi. Everybody except Joan. And Father Georges Monnet, of course.

Now Father Monnet had slowly  become something of surrogate father figure that Joan desperately needed in her life. This was because her own father never had the time of day for her. He was always busy with his duties as the Doyen of Domremy, after all. And ever since the incident with the churchwarden, Guillaume Fronte, about the Children of the Tree, he felt a connection to Joan. It was strange to him. It felt like their fates were now intertwined and the Heavens were directing their paths together now. But he didn't mind it at all. In fact, he welcomed it. Especially on this day.

Now Father Monnet had already retired to his personal study in the church, when Joan came knocking on his door.

"Father? Father Monnet?" Joan asked "Are you in there?"

"Who is it?" the voice from inside the study said. "I have no time for confessions today. I am very busy."

"It's Joan, Father. Joan of Arc." Joan answered back "I need to talk to you."

"Oh, it's just you, Joan." the voice called back. "I am sorry, but I don't have time today. Not even for you."

"But father, it's...." Joan now tries to explain.

"Joan, please go back home now." the voice called out, more agitated now.

"I just wanted to ask about the Maid of Lorraine!" Joan now says, almost beginning to cry. "I need to know the truth about it."

Joan now begins to cry, as she sits down on the floor outside the study door, refusing to leave. After a few minutes pass, the door to the study suddenly unlocks and opens and the voice tells Joan "Please come in, Joan."

"What do you mean, Father?" Joan asked, wiping her eyes as she stands up "I thought you said to go home?"

"You are home, my child." the voice said "The time has come to tell you at last."

"I don't understand." Joan now says curiously "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"You are ready." the voice answered back

"Ready? Ready for what?" Joan asked even more curiously than ever.

"To know the truth." the voice tells her "Now enter, quickly."

"Okay." Joan now slowly enters the study of Father Monnet.

After closing the door behind her, she walks over to a corner of the room, where she see Father Monnet at his desk, writing in some ornate looking manuscript with a quill and ink. Joan now walks up to desk and watches the Father continue to write some fancy words down on the manuscript. A few moments pass, and finally Father Monnet finishes.

Joan now asks the Father "What are you writing, Father?"

"Just some notes. Nothing of interest to a little girl." Father Monnet now tells Joan "Besides you still can't read what I am writing, can you Joan?"

"No, Father. Not at all. I can't read or write." Joan now lowers her head in shame "I never learned how."

"That's fine, Joan. Not many people in Domremy can. Most of them tend to lead simple hard working lives." the Father now tells Joan.

"Like my family?" Joan now tells the Father.

"Correct. Besides your father, of course." The Father tells Joan.

"Right." Joan now says "I knew you would say that."

"Well he is the town doyen after all." the Father tells Joan "And imagine he learned how to before he came to Domremy. Your father wasn't born here like you were. Did you know that, Joan?"

"Yes. My mother has told me that." Joan now says "But my father never did. He never tells me anything like that."

"I imagine not. It's not that he didn't want to either." the Father tell Joan, as he now begins to look for a book on one of his shelves in his study. "He means well enough. But it is a very sensitive subject for him."

"What do you mean, Father?" Joan now asks "What happened?"

"Well as you already know, France is at war." The Father now finds the dusty old book he is looking for and begins to dust it off. "And because of that war, his village was burned to ground."

"At war the English, right?" Joan now tells the Father. "And we are losing, I hear."

"Yes. And how did you hear that?" the Father now asks.

"The people in town talk all the time, Father. And you can't, but help hear things. Terrible things. France is suffering, isn't she, Father?" Joan answers back.

"Yes, Joan. France was suffering. But now I am afraid, she is dying." the Father now tells Joan glumly.

"DYING?!" Joan now exclaims to the Father. "But that is just not fair at all."

"Life's is not fair, my child." The Father now tells Joan, who now has tears in her eyes. "But don't weep for France just yet, my child. Cause there is still hope."

"You mean?" Joan now asks the Father "The Maid of Lorraine?"

"Yes, my child." the Father now tells Joan as opens the old book. He know shows Joan the various pictures of the prophecy as he tells her "But it is just an old prophecy."

"That was first revealed by wizard?" Joan now asks the Father.

"Not just any wizard, Joan. THE wizard. Merlin." the Father now tells her.

"From the Arthurian legends?" Joan now asks

"Yep. The same. But now many people are gonna believe the ramblings of some English folk legend." the Father now remarks.

"Right." Joan now says "But why did people begin to believe it then, father?"

"Well it wasn't until around the time of the Holy Roman Empire and the coming of  St. Bede the Venerable that prophecy was mentioned again. And this time it was believe to be true." The Father now explains. "And do you know what the prophecy states, Joan?"

"No, Father?" Joan now tells him "I do not."

"I figured as much. It's not something your parents, especially your father, would want to mention."

"Of course, he wouldn't" Joan said confirming the Father's suspicions "He doesn't believe in any of that nonsense as he calls it."

"I imagine not." the Father says with a laugh. "But then again, I bet your mother secretly believes it to be true though. She's been to Rome after all."

"Right. The beating heart of the world." Joan now says proudly "But what does the prophecy say, Father?"

"Well it states that France will be destroyed because of the actions of a woman. And will be saved by a virgin maid from the borders of the Lorraine." the father now states.

"And we now know of the woman that will destroy France, Father?" Joan now asks

"Yes. We do, unfortunately." the Father now says with a sigh. "It is the Queen of France herself."

"THE QUEEN?!" Joan now exclaims in shock.

"Yes. Isabeau of Bavaria. She has sold France to the English and it's King."

"Henry the Fifth." Joan now tells the Father.

"Right. Great Warrior. Terrible King." the Father say shaking his head "France is now dying because of him."

"But that is why we need the Maid of Lorraine to save us all, Father." Joan tells the Father.

"Yes. We need her now more than ever." the Father now tells Joan.

"And where is she, Father?" Joan now asks

"I do not know the answer to that, Joan." the Father now tells her. "Only one person does."

"Who, Father?" Joan now asks "Who knows where she is?"

"God, my child." the Father tells her confidently "And in time, she will come to us."

"And what makes you think that, Father?" Joan now asks

"Faith, my child." the Father now tells her "You've got to have faith in God's plan."

"I understand, Father. And I will." Joan now begins to leave the study.

"Take care, my child. And go with God." The Father now tells her.

Joan now leaves the study and begins to head home as Father Monnet goes back to his studies. He now says to himself after she leaves "You must have patience, Joan. In time, God will reveal his plans to you. And when He does, I am counting on you. And now all of France is counting you too."

 

VOICES AND VISIONS
THE FUNERAL OF HENRY V (7th of November 1422)
LONDON, ENGLAND - At Westminster Abbey in London, the funeral of King Henry V was just ending, with most of the mourners beginning to leave the church.

However two men still remain standing in the front of the church, near the altar and marble effigy of Henry V's coffin. They are Henry V's younger brothers...

John, Duke of Bedford and Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester.

The two men are now in heated discussion over what to do with England and France, since their older brother and King of England, Henry V, died so unexpectedly in the prime of his life. It's obvious from the start, the two brothers can not agree on certain situations at all.

"What to do." laments the Duke of Bedford. "The situation in France grows more tumultuous as the days grow long."

"The situation in England is no better off, either." the Duke of Gloucester tells his brother. "Our brother, the King, sure picked the wrong time to leave this world."

"Indeed." the Duke of Bedford says "He was such a strong young man. Cut down in the prime of his life. Such a shame."

"A prolonged siege will do that, my brother." laments the Duke of Gloucester. "He should have pulled out when started feeling sick."

"Yes. But we both know our brother was as stubborn as he was brave in battle." says the Duke of Bedford. "It got the better of him."

"That because things like bravery only take you so far in wars. Especially in one as prolonged as this one." the Duke of Gloucester tells his brother "He should have known better."

"But he did not. And now he is dead because of his choices." the Duke of Bedford says coldly. "And we must now clean up the mess he has left behind."

"France is your mess, brother." the Duke of Gloucester now tells his brother. "Henry has left you as it's new Regent, remember?"

"And you are now England's Lord Protector, brother." the Duke of Bedford snaps back. "We must see to it that both France AND England are well maintained."

"Of course. Until Henry VI come of age." the Duke of Gloucester remarks. "Then it will be his problem."

"Oh please, don't remind me, brother. Cause I doubt that boy will ever be ready for those tasks." the Duke of Bedford tells him.

"But that's why we must educate our young nephew in those matters, brother." the Duke of Gloucester. "For the sake of both Kingdoms."

"Indeed. But there is just one small problem with that, brother." the Duke of Bedford now tells his brother. "Others, as you already know, will interfere with that."

The Duke of Bedford now glances over at Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter standing in the corner of the church, who is talking with a group of mourners, including King Henry V's young wife, Queen Catherine of Valois.

"Our uncle, for starters." the Duke of Bedford now tells the Duke of Gloucester "We both know he was named our infant king's primary caregiver."

"Yes, that will be problem." the Duke of Gloucester now says "One that must be carefully removed."

"Indeed." the Duke of Bedford now tells his brother. "Sooner rather than later."

"Leave that to me, brother." the Duke of Gloucester. "It is my job as Lord Protector after all. To protect England from all threats."

"And I shall worry about this so called Dauphin of France, Charles of Valois." the Duke of Bedford says. "He will bend the knee to England one way or another."

"He is of no concern now, brother. He has no real power in France." the Duke of Gloucester now says confidently. "In fact, I heard the Dauphin is now on the run. Had to flee Paris like a whipped dog."

"You heard correctly, brother. He is rumored to be hiding Bourges, begging for what little support he has left in this world." the Duke of Bedford now tells his brother.

"Then let him be the King of Bourges, I say." the Duke of Gloucester. "For he will never be King of France."

"Quite right, brother." the Duke of Bedford "But for now, let us mingle with the other mourners. The time for war will come soon enough."

"Right you are, brother." the Duke of Gloucester says "Lead the way."

The two brothers now walk towards their uncle the Duke of Exeter and the Queen, continuing to go about discussing the life of King Henry V with the other mourners.

THE BATTLE OF CRAVANT (31st of July 1423)
But this is where the brothers had made a tactical mistake. For the Dauphin Charles was not just hiding in Bourges. He was also rallying the still loyal people of France behind his cause.

And by the summer of 1423, the Dauphin Charles had mustered a large army to strike back at England's treacherous French allies, the Burgundians. This French army also contained a large number of Scotsmen under the command of Sir John Stewart of Darnley. In fact, he was commanding the entire mixed force of man-at-arms, knights, and archers, as well as Spanish and Lombard mercenaries.

And with this mighty army, the Dauphin Charles decides to lay siege to the city of Cravant, deep in Burgundy territory. The Dauphin was sending his message of no surrender, loud and clear.

As a result, the garrison of Cravant requested help from the Dowager Duchess of Burgundy, Margaret of Bavaria, who then raised Burgundy's troops and in turn sought support from their English allies, which was forthcoming. The two allied armies, one English led by Thomas Montagu, Earl of Salisbury and one Burgundian led by Robert Willoughby, rendezvoused at Auxerre on 29th of July 1423. And during the war council at Auxerre Cathedral later that same evening, the armies drafted of an order of battle, covering a mixture of tactical and disciplinary matters. The army was clearly intending to fight a dismounted action, with horses taken to the rear, and archers were to prepare anti-cavalry stakes. That night the army was ordered to pray for victory by the Dowager Duchess herself. After this, the march to battle began at 10 o'clock the following morning on the 30th of July 1423.

The allied army marched throughout 30th of July 1423 and that evening to about four miles short of Cravant and sighted the French Army. The following day, having assessed the enemy position as too strong, they crossed the river Yonne and attempted to reach Cravant by another route. Approaching the city from across the river, the allies saw that the French army had changed position and was now waiting for them on the other bank. For three hours the forces watched each other, neither willing to attempt an opposed river crossing. Eventually, the Scots archers began shooting into the allied ranks. The allied artillery replied, supported by their own archers and crossbowmen.

Seeing the Dauphinists were suffering casualties and becoming disordered, the Earl of  Salisbury took the initiative and his army began to cross the waist-high river, some fifty meters wide, under a covering barrage of arrows from the English archers. Meanwhile, another force under Willoughby attacked the Scots across the narrow bridge and divided the Dauphin's army. The French began to withdraw, but the Scots refused to flee and fought on, to be cut down by the hundreds. It was said thousands of them fell at the bridgehead or along the riverbanks, and nearly two thousand prisoners were taken, including Darnley, who also lost an eye, and the Comte de Vendôme. As a result of this crushing defeat, the Dauphin's forces retreated back to the Loire.

And finally, on 2nd of August 1423, the English and Burgundian armies withdrew separately from Cravant, the Burgundians marching to Dijon, the English to Montaiguillon. That being said, the success at Cravant was considered the first for a joint English and Burgundian army. And despite of all this success, the allies would rarely fight together again, usually operating separately from one another.

THE BATTLE OF LA BROSSINIÉRE (26th of September 1423)
And it would end up costing the English dearly in the very near future. For the French were down, but they were not out of the War. Not by a long shot.

In September of 1423, Sir John de la Pole, brother of William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk left Normandy with an rather large army to go on a chevauchée, raiding through the French provinces of Maine and Anjou. It was very similar to the one of Thomas, Duke of Clarence in early 1421. He also seized the city of Segré, mustering a huge collection of loot and a massive herd of bulls and cows, before setting off to return to Normandy, taking hostages as he went.

Queen Yolande of Aragon, mother-in-law to the Dauphin Charles, who was in her town of Angers, had the first thought of avenging the affront and the damage to her county, and gave orders for such a mission to the most valiant of the Dauphin's loyal partisans, Ambroise de Loré, who had been commander of Sainte-Suzanne since 1422. Knowing that John VIII of Harcourt, count of Aumale and governor of Touraine, Anjou and Maine, was then in Tours and preparing an expedition into Normandy, Amboise dispatched a message to Aumale by letter. The governor came in haste to Laval, bringing the troops he had already gathered and summoning men from all the lands he passed through.

Aumale then took counsel from the bastard of Alençon, the sire de Mont-Jean, Louis of Trémigon and Ambroise of Loré. He appraised them that the English were three leagues off and that they would pass La Brossinière, following the main road from Brittany, the following Sunday morning.

This all led to the inevitable battle on thr 26th of September 1422, which was fought on the famous Chemin du Roy, a renowned ancient road built to speed up the journey time for carriages between Anjou and Normandy.

So a mere two hours after the troops had been drawn up in battle order, the English scouts who were giving chase and met the French skirmishers. The scouts ran them down and forced them to withdraw into the line of battle, where they stood their ground. The English could no longer pursue them, since a massed body of cavalry was in front of them, withdrawing towards the count of Aumale; they were only a bowshot away when the troops revealed themselves.

The English, with a long baggage train but marching in good order, emplaced great stakes, behind which they could retire in case of cavalry attack. The infantry moved to the front and the convoy of carts and troops closed the route to the rear. Trémigon, Loré and Coulonges wanted to make an attempt on the defenses, but they were too strong; they turned and attacked the English in the flank, who were broken and cornered against a large ditch, losing their order. The foot soldiers then advanced and fought hand-to-hand. The English were unable to withstand attack for long.

The result was a butchery in which most of the English forces perished on the field, with even more killed in the pursuit afterwards. Others, including Sir John de la Pole, Thomas Aubourg, and Thomas Cliffeton, surrendered with only a few managing to the escape. On the French side, only a single knight was lost, John Le Roux, and a few other peu d'autres or knights of no title. The 16-year-old André of Lohéac, the successor to the famous French commander, Bertrand du Guesclin, was knighted with several of his companions. The dame of Laval also had the dead buried.

Afterwards, Aumale moved into Normandy, laid siege to the city of Avranches and looted the suburbs of Saint-Lô. But English relief army advanced on his position and forced him to abandon the siege.