Few characters are as iconic in history as Joana D’arc. Burned alive at the stake, she was beatified and canonized by the Vatican five centuries later after being used by Catholics as a symbol against Protestants.
Declared the national symbol of France by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, she is a popular personality about whom many facts are still unknown. We tell you some of them in this article. Cash.
1. Used men’s clothing as a defense mechanism
(Source: Jules Eugène Lenepveu/Wikimedia Commons)
When she was tried and sentenced to death, one of the allegations against her was that she wore men’s clothing. Historians defend the thesis that Joana made this decision in order to prevent or avoid being raped in the camps.
Medieval scholar Adrien Harmand, in Jeanne d’Arc, Son Costume, Son Armure: Essai de Reconstitution (Joan d’Arc, her costume, her Armor: Experimental Reconstruction, freely translated), explains that the choice would be linked to her desire for chastity.
Another element put forward by scholars is that wearing male clothing while in detention would have made her undesirable to the guards and would have protected her from sexual assault.
2. Joan of Arc was a precursor to the “bob” haircut
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Before the “bob”, a cut that leaves hair close to the jaw, usually with bangs, was worn by warriors before it made fashion history as a haircut for 20thcentury French women.
somewhat random, Joana D’arc cut his hair this way, and it was the inspiration for Monsieur Antoine, the most famous Parisian barber of the early 20th century. World War I helped popularize the cut, which was used in search of better hygiene.
3. It was burned in two stages
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Cremation of a body takes time, but Joana wasn’t just any person. After motivating an army and a nation not to give up the fight, his character was admired by parts of the population.
In order not to leave any suspicion about his end, his body was removed from the fire and displayed in a public square for some time. The goal is that no one should doubt his end. Afterwards, his charred body burst into flames again until it completely disintegrated.
4. The crime that led to his death was not witchcraft
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Among the crimes she was accused of was witchcraft. However, this was not the effective reason for being sentenced to death and burned alive. From the original 70 charges, his alleged crimes were reduced to 12 within months of his capture by the British.
Historians say the charges would be dropped or reduced so he could serve a lighter sentence. However, when visited by judges, she resumed wearing men’s clothing and claimed to hear voices. She was sentenced to be burned at the stake as a “relapsed heretic”.
5. Never been to the battlefield
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Despite the stories immortalized through literature and cinema, Joana never got around to taking up arms and fighting enemies during the Hundred Years’ War. His role was much greater in boosting the morale of the French troops.
Although he escorted troops and devised strategies, his role on the battlefield was previously limited to holding the flag. Though not a Warlord, she was wounded in two situations, with an arrow in the shoulder and a crossbow in the leg.
6. It was known by different names
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
She went down in history and was sanctified with the name Joana D’arc, but it wasn’t the only way it became known. In her hometown of Domrémy in northeastern France, the townspeople knew her as Jehanette.
Other nicknames found in records from this period show the name Jehanne accompanied by various surnames: d’Arc, Tarc, Romée and Vouthon. Shortly before his first trial, he signed documents such as “Jehanne la Pucelle” or “Joana the maid”.
Historians believe that even the d’Arc we know may not be an official surname, but rather a hunch by the young woman about her father’s nickname.