Joan of Arc
France and England had an unstable history with one another and in 1337, King Edward III of England decided to lay claim to the French throne based on a relation on his mother's side (Walker 219). This led to the Hundred Years' War, which would consume the people's lives from 1337 to 1453 (Walker 220). During this time there was a great plague sweeping Europe, the "Black Death" which was the cause of millions of people's unseemly demise. Joan was a young peasant girl born in 1412, whose strong faith and belief in God led her to fight in his name for her country (Walker 221). Why English political leaders wanted Joan of Arc discredited and burned as a witch. English political leaders used the Roman Catholic Church to have Joan of Arc discredited and burned as a witch because they feared she had supernatural powers, was being used as a symbol by the French Nationalists and that she might become a martyr in the event of her death. English political leaders believed Joan of Arc possessed supernatural powers of some sort and they feared what kind of advantage this could bring to the French armies. The English political leaders didn't like that the French Nationalists, particularly King Charles VII and the Duke of Alenco
Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1998. English political leaders believed Joan of Arc possessed some sort of supernatural powers and they feared what kind of advantage this could bring to the French armies (Nardo 42). Desperate to change the course of the war to their advantage, English political leaders tried to have Joan of Arc declared a heretic and burned as a witch because they feared her strength and power over the French people would lead France to victory. English political leaders feared that if Joan were to die in the heat of battle, then the French people would make her a martyr. Today she is regarded as a saint after the Catholic Church made it official in 1920 (Moritz). World Civilizations: A Comparative Study. " Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. This frightened the English into believing Joan might be able to use her "powers" to defeat their armies on the battlefield, especially after her stunning success at Orleans (Moritz).
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