In 1066 William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, defeated the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings and became the ruler of England. At that time, nothing indicated what a high price France would have to pay for this territorial acquisition. Indeed, once again the famous formula worked: "A people that oppresses other peoples cannot be free." Although, of course, no one was interested in the opinion of ordinary Frenchmen.

Separated from the continent by a strait, England developed somewhat apart. The capture of England by William created a painful tension between the Anglo-Saxon majority and the Norman minority. The latter were the Frenchized descendants of the Danish Vikings who settled in Normandy in the early tenth century under a treaty with the French king and under his formal suzerainty. This contradiction was brilliantly shown by Walter Scott in the novel "Ivanhoe" - let's remember how much attention his characters pay to issues of nationality.

Of course, in England, as in all countries, there were the usual social contradictions - between nobles and commoners, rich and poor. However, in England they were aggravated, acquiring also the character of interethnic hatred. This circumstance led to the accelerated political development of England, in comparison with other European countries, including France. In order to avoid the loss of power and the collapse of the state, the rulers of England had to make unprecedented political concessions. The result was the Magna Carta, which King John (John) was forced to accept in 1215. Although the charter primarily protected the rights of the English barons and, to a much lesser extent, the common people, it served as an impetus for the development of legal awareness and freedom of the entire population. From that moment on, the political system of England became the germ of the future European democracy.

The geographic isolation of England also saved her from having to spend excessive money on defense against aggressive neighbors. It is not difficult to guess that the underdeveloped, strife-torn and disunited Scotland, Wales and Ireland could not pose any serious threat to England. This circumstance, which allowed the British not to spend excessively on defense against enemies, contributed a lot economic development country and improve the living standards of the population. The economic strengthening of England made it possible to create a small, but superbly trained and equipped mercenary army, which brilliantly showed itself in the Hundred Years War.

As the differences between the Normans and the Anglo-Saxons were overcome and the English nation was created, England became the most developed and powerful part of Europe. The future British Empire was increasingly crowded on the island, and the power of the French crown over the mainland possessions of the British did not suit them. One result of this was wars of conquest against Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Increasingly there were skirmishes in France with the suzerain. Unlike the Scots and Irish, the French at first acted quite successfully and at the beginning of the 14th century they conquered most of the English possessions on the mainland.

Unfortunately, having won the Magna Carta for themselves, the British did not think that their neighbors should also have rights. The film "Braveheart" perfectly shows how cruelly and brazenly the British behaved towards the defenseless civilian population in Scotland they captured. Something similar happened in other countries. The French had no advantage over the Irish or the Scots. At the same time, one should not condemn the English mentality too much: the French did not go too far when they got the opportunity to mock defenseless people from the enemy camp.

If main reason The Hundred Years War was the rapid economic and political development of England, the reason was, as often happened in the Middle Ages, the issue of succession to the throne. In 1314, the French king Philip IV the Handsome died, leaving three sons. Then it was impossible to assume that all three of them would die young and, most importantly, without direct heirs - sons. However, that is exactly what happened. Within 14 years, the sons of Philip IV - Kings Louis X the Grumpy, Philip V the Long and Charles IV the Handsome - succeeded each other on the paternal throne and died without leaving sons. Three months after the death of the youngest of them, his widow gave birth to a girl. Thus the Capetian dynasty, which had ruled France for more than three centuries, came to an end.

How to relate to such a strange set of circumstances - the death of three heirs to the French throne at once in a short time? The first thing that comes to mind is conspiracy. Some of the pretenders to the throne could arrange the murder of all three monarchs in a row. Alas! The assumption is very doubtful. After all, the rights of the pretender to the throne should have been undeniable, otherwise he simply presented a gift to his opponent. The rights of both pretenders to the French throne after Charles IV were too doubtful for them to be worth trying. And what would the conspirator do if the widow of Charles IV had a boy?

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Charles IV killed his brothers, and then, for some reason that had nothing to do with succession to the throne, he also left this world. However, his wife could give birth to a boy. In this case, the reason for the Hundred Years' War would be eliminated, at least for a while. So there is another mystery of the Hundred Years War: a more than strange, mysterious combination of circumstances that caused its start.

So, the situation in France after the death of Charles IV. The rights to the French throne were contested by two. The first was the young King of England Edward III, grandson of Philip the Handsome (his mother Isabella was a French princess, the sister of the last Capetians). The second contender was the French Count Philippe of Valois, grandson of King Philip III and nephew of Philip the Handsome (son of his brother). Thus, Edward was the heir of the Capetians through his mother, and Philippe of Valois through his father. On the side of Edward, there was a closer relationship with the extinct dynasty, and on the side of Philip of Valois, there was the Salic law (Le Salica), borrowed from the Franks and forbidding a woman to inherit the royal throne. In England, this law did not apply. If not for the Salic law, then the main contender for the throne would be the little princess, the daughter of the late Charles IV.

Looking ahead, I note that the problem of succession to the throne was the reason for another terrible massacre - the War of the Roses in England. There, too, passions flared up that had to do with the Salic law.

However, let us return to the events that gave impetus to the Hundred Years War. In April 1328, Philip of Valois was elected to the throne by the Royal Council and began to rule as Philip VI. Edward seemed to resign himself. In the summer of 1328, he took the oath of vassal to Philip VI for English possessions in France - the duchy of Guienne in the southwestern part and the county of Pontier in the north of the country.

In the autumn of 1337, the conflict flared up again: France announced the confiscation of Guienne. The pretext for this was the granting of asylum by Edward III to Robert of Artois, a criminal in the eyes of the king of France. Subsequent events showed that His Majesty the King of France greatly overestimated his strength. The piece he tried to grab was too tough for him.

The first major battle took place at Kadsan (Zeeland) and ended with the victory of the British. In 1338 England declared war on France. Edward reiterated his claim to the French crown. In 1340 he assumed the title of King of England and France. In his coat of arms, next to the English leopard, an image of golden lilies on a blue background was inscribed - the heraldic sign of the French monarchy.

The claims of the English monarchs to the French crown remained in force even when, at the end of the 14th century, a dynastic upheaval took place in England itself and the kings from the Plantagenet family were replaced by Lancasters. Of course, this was not logical, but what was logic worth against the backdrop of the appetites of those who aspired to power?

And yet, if not for the greed of Philip VI, perhaps the war could have been avoided - if not for good, but at least at that time. It is wrong to assume that only England was the culprit of the Hundred Years War. But it was she who initiated the violence; France, for its part, did a great deal to prevent war from being avoided.

The dynastic feud between the rulers of England and France marked the beginning of a long, bloody war in which the main victims were civilians on both sides, mainly the French. We call it Centenary, but in fact it included several periods of active hostilities, punctuated by unstable truces. Clashes between England and France began much earlier than 1337, and ended only in the 19th century.

Contrary to popular belief, the start of the war was not at all very successful for the British. After the victory at Kadsan, the British had a number of serious setbacks. The French fleet attacked the English ships, causing significant damage. Then the fighting continued with varying success until the Battle of Crecy (1346). During this battle, as a result of unsatisfactory coordination of actions and unsuccessful maneuvers of the French units, the infantry (Genoese crossbowmen) came under fire from the English archers, turned to flight and made it difficult for their cavalry to attack. The knightly cavalry of the French, crushing their infantry, made a series of attacks, but suffered a complete defeat.

fighting lost intensity due to the plague (1348). People in Europe were dying by the millions. In Avignon alone, the population halved in a few months, 62 thousand people died (for comparison: about 3 thousand French died at Crecy). In the face of a deadly disease, few had the desire to shed someone else's blood.

Soon, however, the British resumed their offensive. In 1356, thanks to a military stratagem - a surprise raid by a small cavalry detachment behind enemy lines during a French attack on the English, who occupied fortified positions on a hill - they won a victory at Poitiers. The main result of this battle, apparently, should be considered the capture of the French king John II. The losses of the British in manpower were relatively large, given the size of their small army. The victory at Crécy gave England dominance in the north of France, the success at Poitiers made them masters of the southwestern part of the country.

In subsequent times, the scales gradually leaned towards France. If not for the unrest in Paris (1357-1358) and peasant uprising Jacquerie (1358), which was caused by the hardships of the war and the arbitrariness of the feudal lords and their troops, perhaps the French would have been able to achieve very significant success even before 1360. The English offensive fizzled out, running into stubborn resistance from the French fortresses. During the defense of Rennes, Bertrand du Guesclin distinguished himself.

In 1360, a peace treaty was concluded at Brétigny. Under this treaty, France transferred to England territories in the south-west (about a third of the entire country) - Gascony, Guyenne, Perigord, Limousin, Saintonge, Poitou, March, etc., as well as in the north - Calais and Ponthieu. At the same time, England renounced claims to the French crown and Normandy. King John was released on the promise of an unprecedented ransom.

The peace treaty of Bretigny was valid until 1369, but there were still several clashes with the British both inside and outside France, especially in Castile. The Anglo-French antagonism moved beyond the Pyrenees for a time. Thanks to French support, Enrique II became king of Castile. France and Castile made an alliance. In June 1369, France, supported by Castile, resumed hostilities. In the course of several battles on land and at sea, the French, with the support of the Castilians, defeated the British and occupied most of the previously lost territories. The position of the British was aggravated by internal strife - the struggle for the throne and popular uprisings, among which the most significant was the uprising of Wat Tyler (1381).

By 1375, a new truce was concluded, it lasted only two years. The ensuing exchange of blows brought little success to either side. The British prevented the landing of the French and Castilians in the British Isles, but the defeat of the Scottish allies of France forced London to a new truce (1389).

In 1392, a fatal event occurred in France that gave impetus to a new round of massacres. As if history decided to play with the fate of millions of people: King Charles VI was found to be insane. The rivalry of the Dukes of Orleans and Burgundy - the brothers of the king - for the right of regency began.

In 1393 Duke Louis of Orléans became regent. This led to antagonism between Orléans and Burgundy. Three years later, a truce was concluded with England for 28 years, and Richard II (English) received Princess Isabella of France as his wife. However, in 1399 Richard II was deposed. Power in England passed to Henry IV of Lancaster (Bolinbroke).

In 1402 the French and Scots invaded England, but the latter were defeated at Homildon Hill. A year later, the French fleet defeated the British at Saint-Mathieu. Most of the prisoners were thrown overboard. The British responded by devastating the French lands.

Thus, at the beginning of the 15th century, a pendulum situation developed in which neither side had a decisive advantage. Military operations were carried out not so much to protect their civilian population, but to ruin and exterminate the enemy. This was the custom in those days, it seemed to be the rule, from which only once a convincing exception was made, as we will discuss in the following chapters.

Sometimes the devastated, abused and abused civilian population of France and England tried to rise up in defense of their rights, and then their own army brutally cracked down on them. Both the English and French rulers demonstrated treachery and inhumanity towards civilians and prisoners.

Soon, however, the pendulum swung strongly in favor of England. In 1411, the enmity between Burgundy (Bourguignons) and Orleans (Armagnacs, led by the Count of Armagnac) grew into civil war. The British took the side of Burgundy, ruining the French civilian population. In 1413, an uprising of cabochins took place in Paris, which was ruthlessly suppressed by the Armagnacs. In the same year, Henry IV died and Henry V (of Lancaster) came to power in England. In 1415, his army landed in Normandy and soon defeated the French at Agincourt, using both the traditional methods of fighting infantry (archers) against knightly cavalry and the tactics of quick maneuvers. The British killed thousands of prisoners - they burned them alive, as they feared an attack from the rear during one of the French attacks.

By 1419, the English had captured the northwest of France and made an alliance with Burgundy, which had by then taken possession of Paris. The general course of hostilities was favorable for the British and their allies.

In 1420, Henry V became engaged to the French princess Catherine. On May 21 of the same year, a peace treaty was signed in Troyes. It was initiated from the French side by Queen Isabella of Bavaria and Duke Philip the Good (of Burgundy). A significant role in the preparation of this treaty was played by Bishop Pierre Cauchon, who later went down in history as chief executioner Maid of Orleans. Theologians and lawyers of the University of Paris also participated in the preparation of this document, and they theoretically substantiated the project of creating a "dual" Anglo-French monarchy. They found in it a kind of "God's city" that does not know national boundaries and state borders.

Under the terms of the treaty, the Dauphin Charles, heir to the French throne, was deprived of his rights to the crown. After the death of Charles VI, Henry V of England, married to the French princess Catherine, was to become king, followed by his son, born from this marriage. A special article gave the English king the authority to bring into obedience the cities and provinces that remained loyal to the "self-proclaimed" Dauphin. For the British, this provision of the treaty freed their hands for the most cruel reprisals against anyone who seemed to them insufficiently loyal.

Having celebrated his wedding with Princess Catherine, Henry V solemnly entered conquered Paris. Before becoming the French king, he considered France as his property. On his orders, a mass expulsion of the inhabitants of Garfleur, who refused to swear allegiance to him, was carried out, and the city was settled by the British.

By the thousands, the British executed the French - who were suspected of resisting and lacking loyalty. The hostage system was introduced:

if the invaders could not find those who committed this or that sabotage against them, then people who had nothing to do with the resistance were executed. In Rouen's Market Square, where Joan was later burnt, the bodies of the hanged swayed on the gallows, and severed heads stuck on poles above the city gates. In the autumn of 1431, in one day, the invaders executed 400 Frenchmen on the Old Market Square - not even partisans. In Normandy alone, up to 10,000 people were executed every year. Given the then population, it is difficult to resist the assumption that the invaders simply set out to completely destroy the local residents.

In the territory occupied by the British, taxes increased monstrously. The proceeds from them went to the maintenance of the British troops and handouts to French collaborators. The British received estates on French soil. The Duke of Burgundy, formally recognizing the authority of England, actually pursued his own policy. Gradually, village by village, he took over the regions of northern France, primarily Champagne and Picardy.

The conclusion of the treaty at Troyes and the introduction of systematic brutal repression against French population changed the nature of the Hundred Years War. It became fair on the part of France, liberating for the French. From now on, they fought not for the sake of enslaving England, but to save themselves and their loved ones.

Dauphin Charles refused to recognize the treaty at Troyes. He came into conflict with his mother - Isabella of Bavaria - and fortified south of the Loire, in Bourges. French patriots saw him as a symbol of their country's independence. It was too hard to admit that he was nothing more than an ordinary feudal lord, little better than Henry V and the Duke of Burgundy.

We have already noted the mystical nature of some of the key events associated with the Hundred Years' War. Such was the cessation of the Capetian family, which prompted the start of the war. The madness of Charles VI, which led France to the tragic civil strife between the supporters of Orleans and Burgundy, was also mysterious. In August 1422, another mysterious event took place, this time favorable for the French patriots: Henry V suddenly died in the prime of his life (he was only 35 years old then). The cause of his death was gas gangrene, which was then called "Antonov's fire." Two months later, Charles VI also died. Had he died before his son-in-law, Henry V would have become King of France. Now the ten-month-old Henry VI became the monarch of both states, but in order to crown him, it was necessary to wait until he was 10 years old. During this time, events occurred that made his coronation pointless.

The uncles of the infant king, the dukes of Bedford and Gloucester, divided the regency among themselves: the first began to rule in France in the name of the king, and the second in England. The kingdom was considered united, according to the treaty at Troyes, and the title of high regent was held by Bedford. His closest aide was Henry Beaufort, Cardinal of Winchester, relative of the king. With his help, John Bedford strengthened ties with the French Church.

The British strengthened their ties with France not only by military and legal measures, but also by matrimonial means. King Henry V set an example for them, and after his death, in 1423, Bedford married Anna, the younger sister of Duke Philip of Burgundy.

The small number of invaders did not allow them to act without broad support from local collaborators, who received a considerable share of the loot by the British. The British themselves contemptuously called them "false French". Among these collaborators were many French churchmen. (I have already mentioned the role played by Bishop Pierre Cauchon in the preparation and signing of the treaty at Troyes.) Also serving the English were the theologians and lawyers of the University of Paris, the most influential institution in the French Church, which at that time was the unquestioned authority in the field of theology and ecclesiastical law.

At the beginning of the 15th century, the University of Paris was an autonomous corporation and was protected from the encroachments of secular power by a system of privileges. When the time for civil strife came, the university sided with the Burgundians.

Having established himself in France, Bedford surrounded himself with collaborating clerics. The prelates were part of the government council under the regent, they held important posts - the chancellor of the kingdom, state secretaries-ministers, rapporteurs of the regency council, etc. They carried out responsible diplomatic missions. Their service was rewarded with high salaries, generous pensions and rich land grants, paid for by the suffering and blood of their compatriots.

Significant privileges were enjoyed by residents of territories whose population had already managed to prove their loyalty to the British. First of all, it concerned trade with the island. Thus, the inhabitants of Guyenne were so interested in trade with England that the arrival of French troops in the 1450s was perceived extremely negatively and tried to revolt against Charles VII.

The cruelty of the authorities did not lead to general obedience, but, on the contrary, to growing resistance. It manifested itself immediately after the British invasion of Normandy. At that time, it still had the character of a spontaneous defense of the population from soldiers' robberies and was limited to isolated protests by peasants and townspeople, outraged by the atrocities of the invaders. In the early 1420s, when an occupation regime was established in the conquered areas, this resistance turned into a mass popular liberation movement. Its participants were aware of a common political goal - the expulsion of the British. It was assumed that the place of the invaders would be taken by people loyal to the Dauphin Charles. In him, the French, muzzled by the interventionists, saw their future liberator. The fighters against the invaders tried not to notice the vices of the future king - not only because of their naivety, but rather from hopelessness.

Among the participants in the resistance were different people, including nobles whose confiscated lands fell to the English feudal lords, merchants robbed by heavy taxes and indemnities, artisans who lost their earnings in plundered and depopulated cities, and even poor priests who stood close to the people and shared their suffering. And yet the main force of this people's war was the peasantry, which was plundered both by robber bands of soldiers and tax officials, as well as by the new English lords.

In the forests of Normandy, hundreds of detachments of partisans - "forest shooters" operated. They were few, mobile, elusive. They kept the British in constant alarm. Their tactics were common in a people's war behind enemy lines: ambushes on the roads, interception of couriers, attacks on financial officials and carts, raids on garrisons in small towns and weakly fortified castles. In many of these units, the fighters swore that they would fight the British to the last. The story of Robin Hood was repeated on an enlarged scale, only now the English and the Franco-Normans switched places.

The British authorities organized punitive expeditions, combed the forests and carried out mass executions of resistance members. A reward was set for the heads of the partisans and the people who helped them. However, the unbearable conditions of the occupation regime brought more and more fighters to the forests.

In addition to direct military and economic damage to the British, the partisans of the French North also pulled back part of the British forces, which otherwise could operate against areas that had not yet submitted to Bedford. The occupying authorities were forced to keep numerous garrisons in the rear fortresses, especially in major cities, guard communications. The pace of the advance of the British to the south slowed down more and more, and in 1425 there was a lull in the fighting.

In the autumn of 1428, the British occupied Normandy, the Ile-de-France (a district of Paris) and the lands in the southwest, between the coast of the Bay of Biscay and the Garonne. The alliance with the Duke of Burgundy transferred the eastern and northeastern regions of the country under their indirect control. The zone of Anglo-Burgundian occupation was not continuous; small islands of free territories remained inside it, the inhabitants of which did not yet recognize the power of the invaders. One of these islands was the fortress of Vaucouleurs with nearby villages, located in Champagne, on the left bank of the Meuse. This area was the small home of the Orleans maiden.

Although there was a large territory in the hands of the Dauphin Charles, almost all of it was fragmented, and local power was controlled by the feudal lords, who purely nominally recognized the power of the Dauphin over themselves - it was not profitable for them to submit to the British. In reality, the power of the Dauphin extended to several areas near Orleans and Poitiers, but even there it was unstable.

In order to completely subjugate the country, the English from Northern France needed to cross the Loire, occupy the western provinces and link up with that part of their forces that was in Guyenne. That was the strategic plan of Bedford; the occupiers began to implement it in the autumn of 1428. A key place in this regard was occupied by the future operation against Orleans.

Located on the right bank of the Loire, in the center of its smooth bend towards Paris, Orleans occupied the most important strategic position - controlled the roads that connected Northern France with Poitou and Guienne. In the event of its capture, the British had the opportunity to deliver the final blow, since the French did not have fortresses south of this city that could stop the enemy’s advance. Thus, the fate of France depended on the outcome of the battle on the banks of the Loire.

At the end of June 1428, Sir Thomas Montagu, Earl of Salisbury, landed at Calais with an army of up to 6,000 men and strong artillery. During August, his army was transferred to the Loire, and a performance began in the Orleans region. At the first stage, fortresses on the right bank of the Loire were captured - Rochefort-en-Yvelines, Nogent-le-Roi, etc. By the end of August, Chartres and four nearby cities were taken, after which Salisbury captured Janville and several other small settlements. On reaching the Loire, Salisbury marched west from Orléans, took Meng on 8 September, and then, after five days of siege, also Beaugency (26 September). Leaving the garrisons, he sent William de La Pole upstream to attack Jargeau. This fortress fell after only three days of siege. Both armies joined in the town of Olivier, a southern suburb of Orleans, on October 12, 1428.

The English forces by that time numbered from 4 to 5 thousand soldiers. The reduction in the size of the English army was caused not so much by losses as by the need to leave garrisons in numerous captured cities.

The defense of Orleans was commanded by an experienced veteran, Captain Roald de Gaucourt. Although there were no more than 500 people in the garrison, the townspeople put up 34 police detachments, according to the number of towers that they had to hold. They made large stocks of food and ammunition, placed heavy artillery near the walls. Before the arrival of the British, the suburbs of the city were burned; all the inhabitants took refuge behind the walls. The city was well prepared for the coming siege. However, the Orleans were opposed by a strong and experienced enemy.

The first attack was made by the British from the south, against the fortress of Tourelles, which covered the bridge and the gate. After three days of continuous shelling, the French were forced to leave the fortress. This happened on October 23, 1428.

The next day, while inspecting the captured fortress of Salisbury, he was seriously wounded in the head. According to some reports, he was hit by a stray shell fired by one of the cannons on the fortress wall of Orleans. According to other sources, the shell hit the wall next to the earl and beat off a piece from it, which hit Salisbury in the head. One way or another, this commander, who brilliantly conducted several campaigns, died. If this had not happened, it is quite possible that the British would have already taken Orleans, and then occupied the southern regions of France. Here is another mystical event that greatly influenced the course of the Hundred Years War.

Not wanting to suffer any more losses, the British abandoned new assault attempts. Instead, they created a system of fortifications around the city, which made it possible to block the supply of food and even fire on those inhabitants who were fishing in the Loire. Orleans was doomed to starvation, which would inevitably lead to capitulation. Similar tactics were often used earlier by the British, for example, during the siege of Rouen. Then they won, but killed many thousands of citizens - both the poor who died of starvation, and those who were killed by the brutal invaders when the gates were opened in front of them. Of course, the dastardly tactic must have worked at Orleans as well.

However, at some point a doubt arose. Not only the besieged, but also the besiegers needed food. The British command could not afford to send soldiers to fish and plunder the surrounding villages - both because of the threat to discipline, and because the area was already devastated. Instead, large detachments with food were periodically sent to Orleans. One such detachment, commanded by Sir John Fastolf, was intercepted by the French on February 12, 1429. The battle that went down in history as the "herring battle" followed. The French were defeated. They suffered heavy losses. From that moment on, the fall of Orleans seemed to be a matter of the near future.

So, the history of the Hundred Years' War was full of amazing mysteries even before the Maid of Orleans intervened in it. But perhaps the most surprising of them was a mystery that we have not yet mentioned.

After Queen Isabella of Bavaria and Duke Philip of Burgundy imposed an ominous treaty on France (the one that was concluded in Troyes), a certain prophecy spread, which was attributed to the legendary British magician and sage Merlin, friend and patron of King Arthur, the ruler of Camelot, and his knights round table. Versions of this prophecy are different, but the essence is this: France will be destroyed by an evil queen, and a simple, pure, innocent girl who came from the oak forests of Lorraine will save.

As soon as the treaty at Troyes was signed, the French were convinced that the first part of the prophecy had come true, which means that the second was about to come true. From day to day, a mysterious girl will come from Lorraine, who will correct the accomplished evil and save France from the enslavers. Therefore, when Jeanne announced that she was entrusted with the mission of expelling the British from Orleans and coronating the Dauphin Charles, many supporters of the latter believed that she was the girl from the “Prophecy of Merlin”.

The "Prophecy of Merlin" played a significant role in the success of the mission of the Maid of Orleans. It not only attracted the sympathy of the people to the girl, but also prompted many noble Armagnacs to forget about the simple origin of Jeanne: after all, the great Merlin pointed to him! It is very possible that Jeanne herself was inspired by the magician's prediction.

The fact that everything was allegedly prophesied was also said at the Rouen trial, which condemned Jeanne: the judges, they are also accusers, tried to prove that the girl’s arrival to help the dying French was planned by witchcraft, demonic forces.

It is difficult to say what the origin of this prophecy is. It is easiest to assume that the Armagnacs came up with it when Jeanne was already preparing on her way to the Dauphin Charles, or even earlier. Approximately this version is adhered to by the revisionists of the biography of the Maid of Orleans. However, this explanation has a fatal flaw that makes this assumption meaningless. I have repeatedly come across the most amazing predictions that came true in an absolutely incredible way. I will mention one - much more impressive than the "prophecy of Merlin."

A few years before the Titanic disaster, this event was almost exactly predicted by science fiction writer Morgan Robinson. He not only described the collision of the giant steamer with an iceberg, but also gave its technical data, the number of passengers and the time of the event, which coincided with high accuracy with what subsequently happened. Even the ship's name was "Titan". And this prediction did not have the character of "oral folk art", but was published in the form of an adventure novel. As a result, the writer had to make excuses, to prove that he had not croaked a catastrophe.

However, it will be objected to me, Robinson's forecast still contained some inaccuracies, albeit unprincipled ones. Whereas "Merlin's prophecy"...

And "Merlin's prophecy" turned out to be no more accurate than Robinson's prediction. Because the simple, pure, innocent girl who saved France from foreign aggressors did not come from Lorraine at all, but from Champagne. From that region of Champagne, which borders on Lorraine, it is there that Jeanne's small homeland, the village of Domremy, is located. Yes, very close to Lorraine, very close, and yet not Lorraine. And Jeanne did not come from the forest. Small as the village of Domremy was, it was not a forest.

Maybe it doesn't matter where Jeanne came from? Let not Lorraine and not the forest, but the “innocent girl” saved France. Then the "prophecy of Merlin" should sound like this: "France will be destroyed by an evil queen, and a simple, pure, innocent girl will save." Of course, this removes the problem of the origin of the heroine. However, the wording becomes vague and applicable not only to Joan, but also to some other women who had a significant impact on the events of the Hundred Years War, such as Agnes Sorel.

In addition, it was not the evil queen who ruined France. Is it? And Isabella of Bavaria? - objections will be heard. But popular rumor blamed the queen primarily because she was of foreign origin. It would be much more correct to blame not the evil queen, but the greedy and short-sighted French men, the dukes from the Orleans and Burgundy houses, who started a feud at a difficult time for the country. And you can also remember the greedy King Philip VI, who coveted Guyenne. Then from the "prophecy of Merlin" there are horns and legs.

For Jeanne herself, who was illiterate and did not know geography and history, it is quite excusable to make such a mistake. For most of her contemporaries, this also did not matter. But the great, wise, omniscient Merlin hardly had the right to make such a mistake - to confuse Champagne and Lorraine, an oak forest and a village, a queen and men from the royal family.

More than strange is also something else: why did the enemies of the Armagnacs - the British and Burgundians - not use this important detail to discredit Jeanne when she was just starting her journey? They tried to capture the girl, ambushed the roads where her detachment was expected, accused of all mortal sins, but at the same time they forgot the ace of trumps: “Lords of the Armagnacs, your Virgin Jeanne cannot be the one that Merlin predicted. She is not from the forests of Lorraine, but from a village in Champagne. It was as if the future miracle that went along with Jeanne deprived everyone who was ready to interfere with her ability to think soberly.

The fact that Jeanne fulfilled, in fact, the "prophecy of Merlin" speaks only of her ardent desire to help her people, using her every opportunity to achieve this goal. The merit in this of the author of the prediction, whoever he may be, is rather doubtful.

And now let's assume that the "prophecy of Merlin" was invented by the Armagnacs precisely in order to arouse popular confidence in Jeanne. But these inventors, like the illiterate Jeanne, did not know the geography of their native country, and the difference between the forest and the village.

However, is it worth reproaching Jeanne's contemporaries? Indeed, much later researchers of the period of the Hundred Years War, who repeatedly touched on the “Prophecy of Merlin”, ignored its formally erroneous nature. Especially those highly educated, knowledgeable gentlemen who made a thoughtful conclusion from the “Prophecy of Merlin”: “Eh, everything was captured there, this very Jeanne was prepared in advance for the role of a liberator.” Poorly cooked, if so carelessly made up the prophecy. And it is even more likely that no one prepared Jeanne for anything.

After Jeanne defeated the British at Orleans, the "prophecy of Merlin" receded into the background for the French patriots. It no longer mattered where the savior of France came from. Infinitely more important was the fact that the liberation of France had begun.

More than half a millennium has passed since the time when this woman walked the earth, however, to this day, legends circulate around her life and death, and...

More than half a millennium has passed since this woman walked the earth, but to this day there are legends around her life and death, and the very image of Joan of Arc is shrouded in mystery. There are many theories about what her origin, role in history and intentions were, but now, after more than one hundred years, we can confidently judge that, probably, all the secrets that still surround the figure of Joan of Arc, unlikely to ever be revealed...

On May 30, 1431, in Rouen, one of the main commanders of the French troops in the Hundred Years War, Joan of Arc, who later became the national heroine of France, was burned at the stake as a heretic.

However, whoever Joan of Arc is - a saint, a martyr, a witch, a blessed woman, a heroine, a criminal or a pawn in the hands of those in power - she will forever remain one of the most mysterious women in history, worthy of memory and embodiment in art.

Joan of Arc. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1863

In May 1429, she liberated the city of Orleans, for which she was dubbed the Maid of Orleans. According to legend, Jeanne brought to life an ancient prophecy that France would be saved by a young virgin. However, there is still a lot of mystery in this story.

From the collection of the Musee Archeologique Thomas Dobree in Nantes, France, miniature of the second half of the 15th century.

The scientist and researcher Robert Ambelain, in his book Dramas and Secrets of History, questions many facts about the biography of the famous Frenchwoman. So, he believes that by origin Jeanne was not a peasant woman, but the illegitimate daughter of Queen Isabella of Bavaria of France. It is precisely such a high origin that, according to the scientist, explains the success and the honors that Jeanne was showered with during her lifetime.

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1854

But Ambelain does not deny her gift of clairvoyance, which passed to the girl from her father, Louis of Orleans. The idea of ​​Joan of Arc's paranormal abilities is also supported by another researcher, the American parapsychologist J. Walker. Eyewitnesses describe how a certain horseman swore at the sight of the Virgin in armor, to which Jeanne predicted a quick death for him. This prediction soon came true.

Before one of the battles, d'Arc warned her colleague not to stand to her left, otherwise he would be hit by a cannonball. The knight did just that, stayed away from the leader, but another took his place, and he was immediately killed.

The only lifetime portrait of Joan of Arc, dated May 10, 1429; illustration from Les Vigiles de la mort du roi Charles VII, late 15th century.

We are increasingly talking and thinking to ourselves even more about the possibility of the existence of parallel (parallel) spaces and time, in each of which, at the same pace of time, variants of events similar to ours proceed, not repeating them completely, but lying in the general context of the development of civilization. In which of these time continuums we are not known to us and whether it is so important for us. They say that sentient beings there were not so many on Earth until now - up to 120 billion people, and since there are no feedbacks between us and parallel worlds seemingly not observed, then all 120 billion individual concepts of the universe (or so) remain not even hypotheses, but a breath of wind - "the wind is careless, in the eternal book of life it could even move the wrong page."
But the question of time interests us more and more, and now we have more and more philosophical observations and neologisms, which are slowly bringing us closer to the area experimental studies Problems. And this is already important.
If our local internal Time is really controllable, even if only in a small range and degree, we should at times observe the results of such control. It is from this point of view that we assess the degree of existence of Mind in the Universe, and therefore we must also evaluate the impact on our time from outside or from within. The mosaic of time, the web of time, is perhaps observable. for example, in October 1993, during the October storming of the White House, it would seem that one could physically feel the boundaries of time cells, within which events proceeded at the same usual pace, and at the cell boundary there was a sudden qualitative transition that dramatically changed the pace of life and its quantitative indicators. At the same time, the control center can be assumed to be very close to us, but not in space but in time - literally hours and minutes before the event that marks the transition. They say that this is foresight, logic, the ability to look ahead ....
In the war of 1914, which claimed 20 million lives and seriously threatened the existence of mankind, no foresight and ability to look into the future helped, the war was unstoppable. It was not possible to stop the war of 39-45. The entire population of Japan, in unison, knelt down and prayed for the prevention of an attack by an armada of American aircraft on the country, failed to do so. So why was the Hundred Years' War stopped by the young girl Zhanna, and she, as if carried out by an invisible hand, fulfilled the mission of peace unknown to her? It seems to me that everything that happened then is a noticeable rough patch on the fabric of Time, the seams of the patch come up over the years and become more visible - maybe this is an experimental confirmation of the possibility of intervention in Time from the outside, followed by retouching of scars from the inside?

The first portrait of Jeanne was created during her lifetime. unfortunately, it has not been preserved, but subsequent ones, created in the 15th-16th centuries, apparently relied on that disappeared prototype.

http://www.newacropol.ru/Alexandria/history/Darc/biogr/
“We know more about Joan of Arc than about any other of her contemporaries, and at the same time it is difficult to find another person among the people of the 15th century whose image would seem so mysterious to posterity.”
“... She was born in the village of Domremy in Lorraine in 1412. It is known that she was born from honest and fair parents. On the night of Christmas, when peoples are accustomed to honor the works of Christ in great bliss, she entered the mortal world. And the roosters, like heralds of a new joy, then cried with an unusual cry, hitherto unheard of. We saw how they flapped their wings for more than two hours, predicting what was destined for this little one.
This fact is reported by Perceval de Boulainvilliers, adviser and chamberlain of the king, in a letter to the Duke of Milon, which can be called her first biography. But most likely this description is a legend, because not a single chronicle mentions this, and the birth of Jeanne did not leave the slightest trace in the memory of fellow villagers - residents of Domremy, who acted as witnesses in the rehabilitation process.
She lived in Domremy with her father, mother and two brothers, Jean and Pierre. Jacques d'Arc and Isabella were, according to local concepts, "not very rich." “Not far from the village where Jeanne grew up, there was a very beautiful tree,“ beautiful as a lily, ”as one witness noted; village boys and girls gathered near the tree on Sundays, they danced around it and washed themselves with water from a nearby source. The tree was called the fairy tree, it was said that in ancient times wonderful creatures, fairies, danced around it. Jeanne also often went there, but she never saw a single fairy.

“When she was 12 years old, the first revelation came to her. Suddenly, a radiant cloud appeared before her eyes, from which a voice rang out: “Joan, it is fitting for you to go the other way and perform miraculous deeds, for you are the one whom the King of Heaven has chosen to protect King Charles ..” “At first I was very scared. I heard the voice during the day, it was in the summer in my father's garden. The day before, I fasted. The voice came to me from the right side, from where the church was, and from the same side came great holiness. This voice has always guided me. “ Later, the voice began to appear to Jeanne every day and insisted that it was necessary to “go and lift the siege from the city of Orleans.” The voices called her "Jeanne de Pucelle, daughter of God" - in addition to the first voice, which, as I think, belonged to Jeanne, the Archangel Michael, the voices of St. Margaret and St. Catherine soon joined. To all those who tried to block her path, Jeanne was reminiscent of an ancient prophecy that said that "France will be destroyed by a woman, and a virgin will save." (The first part of the prophecy came true when Isabella of Bavaria forced her husband, King Charles VI of France, to declare her son Charles VII illegitimate, with the result that, by the time of Joanna, Charles VII was not a king, but only a dauphin.)”

Three times she had to turn to Robert de Baudricourt. After the first time, she was sent home, and her parents decided to marry her off. But Jeanne herself terminated the engagement through the court. “Time for her dragged on slowly,“ like for a woman expecting a child, ”she said, and so slowly that she could not stand it, and one fine morning, accompanied by her uncle, the devoted Duran Laxar, a resident of Vaucouleurs named Jacques Alain, set off ; her companions bought a horse for her, which cost them twelve francs. But they did not go far: having arrived at Saint-Nicolas-de-Saint-Fonds, which was on the road to Sovrois, Jeanne declared: “It is not so befitting for us to leave,” and the travelers returned to Vaucouleurs.

Already in Vaucouleurs, she puts on a man's suit and goes across the country to the Dauphin Charles. Testing continues. In Chinon, under the name of Dauphin, another is introduced to her, but Jeanne unmistakably finds Charles from 300 knights and greets him. During this meeting, Jeanne tells the Dauphin something or shows some kind of sign, after which Karl begins to believe her.
“The story of Jeanne herself to Jean Pasquerel, her confessor:“ When the king saw her, he asked Jeanne her name, and she answered: “Dear Dauphin, I am called Jeanne the Virgin, and the King of Heaven speaks to you through my lips and says that you will accept Chrismation and you will be crowned at Reims and become the vicar of the King of Heaven, the true King of France.” After other questions asked by the king, Jeanne said to him again: “I tell you on behalf of the Almighty that you are the true heir of France and the son of the king, and He sent me to you in order to lead you to Reims so that you could be crowned and anointed there. if you want it." Hearing this, the king informed those present that Jeanne had initiated him into a certain secret, which no one except God knew and could not know; that's why he trusts her completely. All this, concludes Brother Pasquerel, I heard from the lips of Jeanne, since I myself was not present at this.
Hundred Years War


During this period, she acquires a sword and a banner. (See chapter "Sword. Banner.")

“In all likelihood, giving Jeanne the right to have a personal banner, the Dauphin equated her with the so-called“ banner knights ”, who commanded detachments of their people.

Jeanne had a small detachment under her command, which consisted of a retinue, several soldiers and servants. The retinue included a squire, a confessor, two pages, two heralds, as well as Jean of Metz and Bertrand de Poulangy and Jeanne's brothers, Jacques and Pierre, who joined her at Tours. Even in Poitiers, the Dauphin entrusted the protection of the Virgin to an experienced warrior Jean d'Olonne, who became her squire. In this brave and noble man, Jeanne found a mentor and friend. He taught her military affairs, she spent all her campaigns with him, he was next to her in all battles, assaults and sorties. Together they were captured by the Burgundians, but she was sold to the British, and he ransomed to freedom, and a quarter of a century later, already a knight, a royal adviser and, holding a prominent position as seneschal of one of the southern French provinces, wrote very interesting memoirs at the request of the rehabilitation commission , in which he spoke about many important episodes in the history of Joan of Arc. The testimony of one of Jeanne's pages, Louis de Coote, has also come down to us; about the second - Raymond - we know nothing. Jeanne's confessor was the Augustinian monk Jean Pasquerel; he owns very detailed testimonies, but, obviously, not everything is reliable in them. (*2) p.130

“In Tours, a military retinue was assembled for Jeanne, as it was supposed to be for a military leader; they appointed quartermaster Jean d'Olonne, who testifies: "For her protection and escort, I was placed at her disposal by the king, our lord"; she also has two pages, Louis de Cotes and Raymond. In her submission were also two heralds - Ambleville and Guillenne; heralds are messengers dressed in livery, allowing them to be identified. Heralds were inviolable.
Since Jeanne was given two messengers, it means that the king began to treat her like any other high-ranking warrior, vested with authority and bearing personal responsibility for his actions.

The royal troops were to gather in Blois ... It was in Blois, while the army was there, that Jeanne ordered a banner ... Jeanne's confessor was touched by the almost religious appearance of the advancing army: “When Jeanne set out from Blois to go to Orleans, she asked to gather everyone priests around this banner, and the priests went ahead of the army ... and sang antiphons ... it was the same the next day. And on the third day they came to Orleans. Carl hesitates. Jeanne hurries him. The liberation of France begins with the lifting of the siege of Orleans. This is the first military victory of the troops loyal to Charles under the leadership of Joan, which is at the same time a sign of her divine mission.

It took Jeanne 9 days to liberate Orleans.

“The sun was already declining to the west, and the French were still unsuccessfully fighting for the ditch of the advanced fortification. Jeanne jumped on her horse and went to the fields. Far from sight... Jeanne plunged into prayer between vines. The unheard-of endurance and will of a seventeen-year-old girl allowed her at this decisive moment to escape from her own tension, from the despondency and exhaustion that gripped everyone, now she has found inner and outer silence - when only inspiration can arise ... "

“...But then the unseen happened: the arrows fell out of their hands, the confused people looked at the sky. Saint Michael, surrounded by the whole host of angels, beaming, appeared in the shimmering sky of Orleans. The archangel fought on the side of the French." (*1) p. 86

“... the British, seven months after the start of the siege and nine days after the Virgin occupied the city, retreated without a fight to the last, and this happened on May 8 (1429), the day when many centuries ago St. appeared in distant Italy on Monte Gargano and on the island of Ischia ...
The magistrate wrote in the city book that the liberation of Orleans was the greatest miracle of the Christian era. Since then, throughout the centuries, the valiant city has solemnly dedicated this day to the Virgin, the day of May 8, designated in the calendar as the feast of the Appearance of the Archangel Michael.

Many modern critics argue that the victory at Orleans can only be attributed to chance or the inexplicable refusal of the British to fight. And yet Napoleon, who thoroughly studied Joan's campaigns, declared that she was a genius in military affairs, and no one would dare say that he did not understand strategy.
The English biographer of Joan of Arc, W. Sanquill West, writes today that the whole mode of action of her fellow countrymen who participated in those events seems to her so strange and slow that this can only be explained by supernatural reasons: “The reasons for which are we in the light of our twentieth century science - or perhaps in the darkness of our twentieth century science? - we don't know anything. (*1) P.92-94

“To meet with the king after the lifting of the siege, Jeanne and the Orleans Bastard went to Loches: “She rode out to meet the king, holding her banner in her hand, and she met,” says the German chronicle of that time, which brought us a lot of information. When the girl bowed her head before the king as low as she could, the king immediately ordered her to rise, and it was thought that he almost kissed her from the joy that seized him. It was May 11, 1429.

Verbal portrait of Jeanne
“... The girl has an attractive appearance and a masculine posture, she speaks little and shows a wonderful mind; she speaks in a pleasant high voice, as befits a woman. In food she is moderate, she is even more moderate in wine-drinking. She finds pleasure in beautiful horses and weapons. Many meetings and conversations are unpleasant for Virgo. Often her eyes fill with tears, she loves fun. He endures unheard-of hard work, and when he carries weapons, he shows such stubbornness that day and night for six days he can continuously remain fully armed. She says that the English have no right to own France, and for this, she says, the Lord sent her to drive them out and overcome them ... "

“Guy de Laval, a young nobleman who joined the royal army, describes her with admiration: “I saw her, in armor and in full combat equipment, with a small ax in her hand, sit down at the exit of the house on her huge black war horse who was in great impatience and did not allow himself to be saddled; then she said: “Take him to the cross,” which was in front of the church on the road. Then she jumped into the saddle, and he did not move, as if he was tied. And then she turned to the church gates, which were very close to her: “And you, priests, arrange a procession and pray to God.” And then she set off on her way, saying: "Hurry forward, hurry forward." A pretty page carried her unfurled banner, and she held an ax in her hand. (*3) p.89

Gilles de Re: “She is a child. She never harmed an enemy, no one saw her ever hit anyone with a sword. After each battle, she mourns the fallen, before each battle she takes communion of the Body of the Lord - most of the warriors do this with her - and at the same time she does not say anything. Not a single thoughtless word comes out of her mouth - in this she is as mature as many men. Around her, no one ever swears, and people like it, although all their wives stayed at home. Needless to say, she never takes off her armor if she sleeps next to us, and then, despite all her good looks, not a single man feels carnal desire for her. (*1) p.109

“Jean Alencon, who in those days was the commander-in-chief, many years later recalled:“ She understood everything that had to do with the war: she could thrust a pike and conduct a review of the troops, line up the army in battle order and place guns. Everyone was surprised that she was so circumspect in her affairs, as a military commander with twenty or thirty years of experience.“ (*1) p.118

“Jeanne was a beautiful and charming girl, and all the men who met her felt it. But this feeling was the most genuine, that is, the highest, transfigured, virginal, returned to that state of “God's love”, which Nuyonpon noted in himself.” (*4) p.306

"- This is very strange, and we can all testify to this: when she rides with us, birds from the forest flock and sit on her shoulders. In battle, it happens that doves begin to flutter around her." (*1) p.108

“I recall that in the protocol drawn up by my colleagues about her life, it was written that in her homeland in Domremy, birds of prey flocked to her when she was tending cows in the meadow, and, sitting on her knees, pecked the crumbs that she nibbled on bread. Her flock was never attacked by a wolf, and on the night when she was born - on Epiphany - various unusual things were noticed with animals ... And why not? After all, animals are also God's creatures... (*1) page 108

“It seems that in the presence of Jeanne the air became transparent for those people whose minds had not yet been clouded by the cruel night, and in those years there were more such people than is commonly believed now.” (*1) p.66

Her ecstasies flowed, as it were, outside of time, in ordinary activity, but without disconnecting from the latter. She heard her Voices in the midst of the fighting, but continued to command the troops; heard during interrogations, but continued to answer the theologians. This can also be evidenced by her tin, when, under the Turelles, she pulled out an arrow from the wound, ceasing to feel physical pain during ecstasy. And I must add that she was perfectly able to determine her Voices in time: at such and such an hour when the bells rang. (*4) p.307

“Rupertus Geyer, that “anonymous” cleric,” understood Joan’s personality correctly: if you can find some historical analogy for her, then it is best to compare Jeanne with the sibyls, these prophetesses of the pagan era, whose mouths the gods spoke. But there was a huge difference between them and Jeanne. The sibyls were affected by the forces of nature: sulfuric fumes, intoxicating smells, murmuring streams. In a state of ecstasy, they said things that they immediately forgot about as soon as they came to their senses. IN Everyday life they had no lofty insights, they were blank slates on which powers uncontrollable were written. “For the prophetic gift inherent in them is like a board on which nothing is written, it is unreasonable and indefinite,” wrote Plutarch.

The lips of Joan also spoke spheres whose boundaries no one knew; she could fall into ecstasy at prayer, at the ringing of bells, in a quiet field or in a forest, but it was such an ecstasy, such an exit beyond ordinary feelings, which she controlled and from which she could come out with a sober mind and awareness of her own "I", then to translate what he saw and heard into the language of earthly words and earthly deeds. What was available to pagan priestesses in an eclipse of feelings detached from the world, Jeanne perceived in a clear consciousness and reasonable moderation. With men she rode and fought, with women and children she slept, and like all of them, Jeanne could laugh. Simply and clearly, without omissions and secrets, she told about what was to happen: “Wait, three more days, then we will take the city”; "Be patient, in an hour you will be winners." Virgo deliberately removed the veil of mystery from her life and actions; only she remained a mystery. Since the coming disaster was foretold to her, she closed her mouth, and no one knew about the gloomy news. Always, even before her death at the stake, Zhanna was aware of what she could say and what she could not.

From the days of the Apostle Paul, women "speaking in tongues" in Christian communities had to be silent, for "the spirit that gives inspiration is responsible for speaking in tongues, and for an intelligent prophetic word - talking man". The spiritual language must be translated into the language of people, so that a person can accompany the speech of the spirit with his mind; and only that which a man can understand and assimilate with his own understanding, he must express in words.

Monument to Jeanne at the wall of the church built on the site of her burning

The life of the national heroine, the savior of France, was short and beautiful! She was born on January 6, 1412 in the small village of Domremy between Lorraine and Champagne. In 1429, standing at the head of the French army, she liberated Orleans from the siege of a large army of the British, receiving the name of the Maid of Orleans. Freeing the regions and cities of France, she reached Reims, where on July 17, 1429 she crowned Charles VII. In 1430, while liberating Compiègne, she was captured by the Burgundians, who handed her over to the British. Joan of Arc was slandered and sentenced to be burned at the stake in Rouen on May 30, 1431.

According to the descriptions of ancient chronicles, she was tall, strong, beautiful, slender, with luxurious black hair, with deep, thoughtful eyes. Pure and sublime, simple, cordial and kind - she loved solitude, prayed often and fervently. Jeanne believed that Saints Catherine, Margaret and the Archangel Michael were talking to her. The voices informed her that it was she who would help to establish the peace of France, with the help of the heir to the throne, the Dauphin Charles. With a special gift of predictions, holiness, she won the hearts of people ...

Despite the young age of 18, Zhanna steadfastly and courageously endured all the hardships of military and camp life, inspired the troops by her own example, but she herself never used weapons. Confident in her calling from above to save the country from death and foreign yoke, she led the soldiers forward. From victory to victory! Her power over the army was deeply moral - divine services were constantly held in the camp, she banished drunkenness and debauchery, restored discipline, and raised the morale of the soldiers.

The very campaign to Orleans was a spiritual and solemn procession - the troops were carrying sacred banners in front, the clergy were singing psalms. In view of the enemy, Joan of Arc entered the city and was greeted by its population with unusual enthusiasm and delight, as a messenger of Heaven and a miraculous deliverer. After the liberation of Orleans and the brilliant victories over the British and Burgundians at Jarge, Beaugency and Pathé, the sovereign Reims opened its gates for the coronation of Charles VII. During the coronation celebrations, Joan of Arc in military armor, with a sacred banner in her hands, stood near the throne. At the end of the ceremony, deeply moved, she threw herself on her knees before the king - “The will of God has been fulfilled! Orleans is liberated and you, sovereign, are anointed to the kingdom! cherished dream it has come true. Crowning Charles VII with the crown of France, Joan reached the pinnacle of her fame. Her mottos began to decorate the banners and weapons of the knights, the people admired and idolized her, calling her the Virgin of Orleans and the Savior of France.

The bright noble image of the national heroine, who saved the country from destruction, laid down her life "for her friends" - has been living for several centuries in world history. The Virgin of Orleans has been sung by many generations of artists and sculptors, composers, writers and poets. Memorial museums and centers, thousands of volumes of historical and artistic books, dozens of television and feature films are dedicated to her blessed memory. Streets and squares of large cities are named after Joan of Arc in France and abroad, on which horse and foot monuments are installed.

In 1912, the whole of France - with military parades, festive processions and fireworks - solemnly celebrated the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Virgin of Orleans, and in 1920 in Rome, in St. Peter's Cathedral, the long-awaited ceremony of canonization of the "blessed Jeanne" took place. The French honor their national heroine with sacred awe and adoration, celebrating Jeanne d'Arc Day on May 8 every year. Under the banner of the Virgin of Orleans, French warriors fought and died heroically in the 15th century. They fought with her name during the years of the Franco-Prussian (1870-1871), World War I (1914-1918) and in the ranks of the French resistance. The name of Joan of Arc in 1940-1944 was carried by several partisan detachments. IN hard years bloody wars and great upheavals, battle banners bowed to the foot of its monuments.

In the past year, Joan of Arc in different cities of France was dedicated to solemn services, conferences, seminars, theatrical performances.

In Russia, where courage, selflessness and heroism have always been valued, the memory of Joan of Arc is alive. The great Pushkin admired the national heroine. Vasily Zhukovsky, Vladimir Soloukhin and many other poets dedicated their inspired poetic lines to her. Composer P.I. Tchaikovsky created the opera The Maid of Orleans, which was staged with great success in St. Petersburg. The role of Joan of Arc was played by the great M.N. Yermolova, who collected materials about her heroine.

The outgoing year 2012 can rightfully be called not only the Year of Russian History, but also the Year of the Saviors of the Fatherland. It is symbolic that it was held under the sign of the 600th anniversary of the birth of the Savior of France, Joan of Arc (1412), the 400th anniversary of the feat of the militia of Minin and Pozharsky (1612) and the 200th anniversary of the deliverance and salvation of Russia from the Napoleonic invasion (1812).

Every nation fighting for the liberation of the Motherland has its own Joan of Arc

Helena Konstantinidis in Greece during the Greco-Turkish war of the late 19th century repeatedly inspired the discouraged Greek army with her courage and fearlessness. Dressed like a man, with hair long to the waist and with a weapon in her hands, she boldly walked at the head of the army, more than once putting her life in danger.

Macedonian Jeanne d'Arc - Jordanian Pankavicharova. The brave Bulgarian "voivodships" - Katerina Arnautova, Katerina Arivandova, Ioanna Markova and Ioanna Stanchova, who were awarded the gold medal "For Courage" for their exploits. Together with their husbands and fathers, they fought bravely with the Turkish troops for the freedom and independence of their homeland in the Balkan warriors of the early 20th century.

One of the volunteer heroines of the Balkan war was the Russian folk teacher Pletneva, who died a heroic death on November 12, 1912 near Adrionopol.

16-year-old Patracena Vazquez, nicknamed "Mexican Joan of Arc", fought in 1913 for the freedom of Mexico. With a banner in her hands, she went into battle, inspiring the soldiers, stopping the retreating.

18-year-old Serbian Joan of Arc - Slavka Tomic from the very beginning of the First World War, taking up arms, vowed to fight against the Germans. Seriously wounded in one of the battles, she endured all the hardships of the retreat, received the rank of sergeant and, after treatment in the hospital, returned to the front again.

21-year-old sister of mercy Rimma Mikhailovna Ivanova in the First world war took out more than 600 wounded soldiers from the battlefield. For her exploits and courage in rescuing the wounded, she was awarded the St. George Cross IV degree, two St. George medals "For Courage" and the officer order of St. George IV degree. She accomplished her last feat Western front September 9, 1915 in the battle near the Belarusian village of Mokraya Dubrova (north of the city of Pinsk). In her 10th company, all the officers were killed, the confused soldiers faltered and began to retreat. Gathering around her everyone who could hold a weapon, the sister of mercy led them to the attack. The battle was won and the enemy was knocked out of his trenches. In this battle, Rima Ivanova was mortally wounded and died in the arms of the soldiers surrounding her. At the last minute, she whispered - "God save Russia!" and baptized everyone. The whole regiment mourned her. The whole city came to meet the coffin with the body of the deceased sister of mercy at the Stavropol Nikolaevsky railway station. The folk heroine was buried near the church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. In a farewell speech, Archpriest Semyon Nikolsky said: “France had the Virgin of Orleans - Joan of Arc. Russia has a Stavropol maiden - Rimma Ivanova. And her name will henceforth live forever in the kingdoms of the world. The coffin was lowered into the ground to the sound of a gun salute.

Subsequently, the local clergy even raised the issue of canonizing Rimma as a saint. In Stavropol, scholarships named after Rimma Ivanova were established at the medical assistant's school. Olginskaya female gymnasium and zemstvo school in the village of Petrovsky. It was decided to erect a monument in her honor in Stavropol, but it never materialized: the revolution broke out, then the Civil War ...

Today, the memory of Rimma Ivanova is being revived. At the site of her grave in the fence of the Stavropol Church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, a tombstone was installed on the building of the former Olginskaya gymnasium, which she graduated from - Memorial plaque. The award of the Stavropol and Vladikavkaz diocese was established - the award of the Knight of St. George Knight of Mercy Rimma Ivanova "For Sacrifice and Mercy".

JOAN OF ARC

The greatest heroine of the French people. Orleans Maiden.

The Hundred Years War was between France and England. The fighting was carried out on land mainly in French territory, on which the English crown had extensive possessions, including Normandy. In one of the most difficult periods of that war for France, a star suddenly lit up in its firmament, granting several important victories. And most importantly, it raised the morale of the royal troops and the people themselves. The name of this star is the legendary Maid of Orleans named Joan of Arc.

She was born into a peasant family, distinguished by great religiosity, in the village of Domremy near the town of Vaucouleurs, which stood on the border of Lorraine and Champagne. At the age of thirteen, the girl began to hear some mysterious voices. Angels and saints soon appeared in her imagination, calling to go to the king and free Orleans from the British.

Summer 1428 home village Jeanne was attacked by the British and Burgundians and was looted. Then the peasant girl decided to follow the instructions of prophetic voices. She appeared before the commandant of the city of Vaucouleurs and managed to convince him to send her to the king. He, seeing her determination and some exceptional conviction, gave her a letter to Charles VII, a sword and a riding horse, an escort of four soldiers.

Jeanne d "Arc, accompanied by one of the brothers, traveled 600 miles in eleven days across the war-torn country. In early March 1429, she arrived in the city of Chinon, in which the royal court was located. Charles VII, albeit not immediately In the presence of the courtiers, the peasant girl announced to him that she had been sent by the king of heaven to liberate Orleans, crown the king and expel the English from France.For this, she asked the monarch to give her a military detachment.

The king granted her request. Joan of Arc expelled all women from the military camp, forbade the soldiers to engage in robberies and swearing, imposed strict discipline among them. They began to obey her implicitly, seeing in her actions the manifestation of God's will.

The peasant girl turned into a "chivalrous maiden". Now she was dressed like a real knight. According to the chronicler Vann Chartier, Joan of Arc "had full equipment, was armed like a knight of an army formed at the court of the king." The clerk of the town hall of Albi noted: "Joan was chained in white iron from head to toe."

At her request, an artist named Ov Pulnuar made a battle banner with which she went into battle. The drawing on the banner of the "chivalrous maiden" was prompted by mysterious voices:

"... They told her to take the banner of their Lord (God); and therefore Jeanne ordered her banner, with the image of Our Savior, sitting at the court in the darkness of heaven: it also depicted an angel holding a lily flower in his hands, which blessed the image ( Lord)".

On April 27, 1429, with the singing of church hymns, led by the clergy, followed by Joan of Arc on horseback in knightly vestments, the French army set out on a campaign against Orleans, which was besieged by the British. On the way, she sent three messages to the enemy. In the last letter said:

"You Englishmen have no right to the French kingdom. The King of Heaven commands you and demands through my mouth - Jeanne the Virgin - to leave your fortresses and return to your country, if you do not do this, I will arrange for you such a battle, about which you will remember forever.This is what I am writing to you for the third and last time, and I will not write again.

Signed: Jesus Mary, Jeanne the Virgin."

On April 29, Joan of Arc entered Orleans at the head of her detachment. On behalf of the besieged, she was greeted by the head of the garrison, Jean Orleans. She promised the residents to lift the siege from the city in the coming days.

The English troops besieging Orleans surrounded it with a ring of bastides (forts). On May 4, the "chivalrous maiden" led the soldiers to storm the bastide of Saint-Loup, which was taken by storm. Augustine's bastide fell on May 6. On May 8, Joan of Arc led the French to attack the main siege fortification: Fort Tourelle controlled the bridge over the Loire River. In that battle, she was wounded in the shoulder by an arrow. The fragment of the arrow was taken out, and the bleeding wound was smeared with olive oil. The virgin returned to her soldiers again who stormed the bastide.

The British, having lost the most powerful forts to the east and south of the city, left the rest of the bastides (without taking food and patients from them) and retreated from Orleans. The siege of the fortress lasted more than six months, and was lifted in nine days.

Jean d'Arc became known as the "Maid of Orleans". The victory allowed King Charles VII to be crowned in Reims on July 16. This was done at the insistence of the liberator of the fortress city of Orleans.

With the detachment of the Duke of Alencon, Jeanne d "Arc set out on a new campaign. The British suffer severe defeats at Georges, Beaugency and Pathe and flee from the battlefield. They are struck by the fury and swiftness of the enemy's attacks, which had not been noticed before. J. Falstaff, commander of the English reserve laid down his arms without even engaging in battle.Several prominent military leaders are captured, including the famous Talbot.

Joan of Arc tried to convince the king to go to Paris, which was in the hands of the enemy. But Charles VII did not dare to go on a campaign to liberate the capital of France. At the end of August, the Maid of Orleans was able to persuade the Duke of Alencon to go to Paris without the permission of the king. was not successful, and Joan of Arc herself, while in the moat, was wounded by a crossbow arrow in the thigh.

Six months later, the British, having received reinforcements, began the siege of Compiègne. This fortress was important because it connected Paris with Burgundy. On May 23, 1430, Joan of Arc covered the retreat of her soldiers across the bridge to Compiègne with a handful of knights. Here an act of betrayal was committed against her, described as follows:

"... The captain of the city, seeing a huge number of Burgundians and English at the entrance to this bridge, out of fear of losing the city, ordered the city bridge to be raised and the city gates to be closed. And thus, the Virgin remained outside the city and a few people with her." The “chivalrous maiden” fought back with a sword until one of the enemy archers managed to grab her by the cape and pull her off the horse. So she was captured. Subsequently, it was proved that the captain (commandant) Guillaume de Flavy was bribed with English gold. For this bribe, he had to give Joan of Arc into the hands of the enemy in any way.

The Burgundians brought the captive to the fortress of Beaurevoir, which belonged to Jean of Luxembourg. He sold it to the British for 10 thousand ecu. Under strong escort, she was taken to Rouen, where, shackled and imprisoned in an iron cage, she awaited a court verdict for about a year.

The court, composed of representatives of the highest French clergy and the University of Paris, found Jeanne d "Arc guilty of witchcraft, heresy, blasphemy and rebellion and sentenced to be burned at the stake. The Orleans maiden was burned on Rouen Square on May 30, 1431.

A quarter of a century later, King Charles VII established a special commission to review the Rouen process. The commission called the indictment "deceitful and biased." The family of Joan of Arc was elevated to the dignity of nobility. Later, the Catholic Church canonized her as a saint.