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Witnesses to Joan of Arc and The Hundred Years' War
Introduction
Joan of Arc is likely one of France's most famous historical figures, and has been mythologized in popular lore, literature, and film. She is also an exceptionally well-documented historical figure. Available online through EDSITEment resources and links are transcripts of two of her trials and other archival records such as letters Joan dictated. Through such firsthand accounts students can trace Joan's history from childhood, through her death, and on to her nullification trial. Reading the words of laborers, pages, knights, and clerics provides some authentic historical context for a charismatic and complicated figure. Students completing the lesson will better understand Joan's place in the history of the Hundred Years' War: what motivated her, enabled her successes, and brought about her demise and posthumous vindication.
Guiding Question
How do firsthand accounts reflect on Joan of Arc's role in the Hundred Years' War and her posthumous rehabilitation?
Learning Objectives
Students completing this lesson should be able to:
- Use the key events of the Hundred Years' War in France as the context for a discussion of Joan of Arc.
- Use evidence from firsthand accounts to delve into Joan of Arc's life and the historical milieu in which she lived.
Background Information for the Teacher
- Visit the History
of The Hundred Years War (15th Century) and the History of Joan of Arc
accessible through a link from EDSITEment resource The
Internet Public Library for background information on Joan of Arc and
the Hundred Years War.
- For background information on Joan's three trials in the essay visit The
Condemnation and Rehabilitation Trials of Joan of Arc (accessible through
a link from the EDSITEment reviewed The
Labyrinth). It is important to note the following:
- No transcript survives from Joan's first trial. We do know that, in the
end, no reasons were found at the trial to dispute Joan's claims or to refuse
her help.
- Joan's second trial (the so-called Condemnation Trial) was technically an
official trial of the Inquisition though it was never officially sanctioned
by the Pope. Joan's imprisonment and the conduct of the trial violated ecclesiastical
court procedures in a number of ways.
- Though Joan's Nullification Trial was sanctioned by the Pope, it
was not a purely objective procedure. Most of the witnesses called were supporters
of Joan.
Preparing to Teach this Lesson
- Review the online lesson, interactives, and other materials you will use
with your class.
- In Activity #3, in which students read first-hand testimony
about Joan, decide which selections the students will use. Prepare them for
distribution. Nine sets of suggested excerpts are provided, divided into two
groups. Excerpts from Joan's Condemnation Trial are shown first as that trial
came first chronologically.
In classes without time to explore all of the excerpts, the testimony from
the Nullification Trial—excerpts 5-10—trace Joan's story (albeit
from the point of view of friends or supporters) from her childhood to her
death. The excerpts from the Condemnation Trial, on the other hand, offer
insight into the English attitude toward Joan. Another possible approach using
some excerpts from both trials would be to assign the first three from each
as companion pieces for comparing and contrasting.
- In this lesson, students use first- and secondhand accounts about Joan of
Arc. Students need to be aware of the effect of point of view and the potential
for bias in such sources. EDSITEment resources offer some useful materials
designed to help students and teachers work with primary sources.
The following materials from EDSITEment resources may be useful to teachers
and/or seeking expert advice on the use of primary documents:
Suggested Activities
1. Background on The Hundred Years' War:
The Treaty of Troye
In order to best understand the story of Joan of
Arc you may wish to begin by discussing the historical context in which she lived,
and the Hundred Years War in which she took part. From the class text or other
source, give the students some background on the rather confusing relations between
England and France and how they affected conditions in France. You might begin
by sharing with the class the brief excerpt from The Treaty of Troye from Hundred
Years War, from the EDSITEment resource Internet
Medieval Sourcebook.
- What claim to the French throne does the treaty give Henry?
- What does the treaty state about how the two countries should be ruled in
the future?
- What attitude toward Charles VII does it express?
Then share the excerpt on the same page about conditions in France.
- What were the conditions facing Charles VII?
2. The Life of Joan of Arc in Brief
In this activity students will be reading two brief biographies of Joan of
Arc. The goal is to raise important questions the biographies leave unanswered.
While students are reading the biographies you may also find it useful to share
with students the Interactive
Maps accessible through a link from EDSITEment resource The
Labyrinth, which will allow students to follow along with Joan's movements.
Depending on the size of your class, have students work independently, in small
groups, or in the whole class setting as they read two brief biographies of
Joan of Arc. Two biographies of Joan of Arc accessible through links from EDSITEment
sources are:
Neither of these biographies is comprehensive and each has a point of view that
intrudes on the text. As each biography is read, the students should
- Keep a sharp eye out for loaded language or statements of opinion;
- Identify any particular point of view expressed in the biography and any
ways in which that point of view affects its content;
- Raise questions about important aspects of Joan's history with an emphasis
on Joan's successes, her demise, and the motivations of those who supported
and opposed her, such as:
- What military strategies did Joan use? Why were they successful?
- What political strategies did Joan use? In what ways was she successful?
In what ways was she unsuccessful?
- Joan's so-called Condemnation Trial was officially an Inquisition trial
questioning Joan's claim to have been guided by the voices of saints.
Did Joan's questioners at this trial have a reason to want a specific
outcome? What can be inferred about the motivations of her questioners
based on the questions that they asked?
- What can be discerned about the motivations behind Joan's Nullification
Trial based on the testimony and the choice of witnesses?
- Is there sufficient evidence to understand why Charles failed to support
Joan during her Condemnation Trial?
Review the basic facts of Joan's life that are common to all of the biographies.
Then, compile a list of the questions students have raised. In the whole class
setting, take one or two student generated questions and discuss the kind of
evidence a historian might look for in an attempt to answer the question. For
example, to understand how a peasant girl could rally the French forces, it
would be useful to have the testimony of someone in the French army speaking
about his view of Joan. Reading Joan's words about her military and political
strategies would be instructive. If one could find the account of an Englishman
defending Orleans, it would be invaluable.
3. Joan of Arc's Trials: The Testimony
of the Witnesses
You will be assigning excerpts from the trial transcripts to small groups of
students. Allow time in class, or at home, for students to read their assigned
excerpts and to prepare members of the group to role-play the person or persons
in the excerpt and then, no longer role-playing, to answer questions and/or lead
discussion reflecting on the excerpt. Begin by sharing the following brief excerpt
with the class: Jean
D'aulon: 1456 (Joan's Steward), from the words, "Moreover, that, the next
day…" to "from the hands of the enemy…". Note: The "Deponent" is the steward
who is giving the testimony. Discuss the information the steward provides:
- What strategy did they employ? (They decide to take control of a road in
front of the fort first. They attack it from all sides.)
- What indication is there that Joan's military strategies are not all divine
revelations? (She consults with her "lords and captains.")
- How does the steward characterize his own actions during the battle? What
potential for bias is present? (He claims that as they were retreating-unable
to take the boulevard-he convinced La Basque to carry the standard of the
French troops back into the boulevard. Joan eventually got hold of it there.
She began waving it, inspiring her troops.)
- What evidence is given of Joan's bravery? (She takes hold of the standard
herself. She receives wounds during the battle.)
- Ultimately, what does D'aulon indicate caused the final retreat of the English?
(Demoralization and confusion)
- The students will be presenting abridged versions of testimony from the
trial in the voices of the witnesses. If D'aulon were to briefly run through
the key points in his testimony in modern English, what would he say? If you
were directing a movie of the trial, what actor would you hire to play D'aulon?
What would you advise the actor about playing the character?
Now, assign the excerpts you want the students to use.
NOTE: The excerpt titles
in the LaunchPads link directly to the page in the transcript on which the excerpt begins.
Often, more than one excerpt may be found on that page. Scroll down the page as
necessary to find the specific title.
The excerpts from the trial for each group
are available here as Student Launchpads. Students should access the links to
the testimony for their group, either Group
One or Group
Two. All of the testimony is available from Saint
Joan of Arc's Trials accessible through a link from EDSITEment resource The
Labyrinth. Once they have read the excerpts assigned to their group, students
should begin by creating a list of questions similar to those given in the example
of Jean D'aulon above. Students should be encouraged to seek out both what information
is in the excerpt, as well as telling omissions. Students should revisit the questions
raised in the previous activity and seek to answer them.
- What does this excerpt tell us about the events that the speaker witnessed?
- What does it tell us about Joan's actions and behavior during these events?
- What does the testimony tell us about the person giving the evidence?
- What does the excerpt convey about the speaker's point of view and motivations?
Is this person a supporter or an opponent of Joan?
- If you did not know which trial this evidence came from, would you think
this came from Joan's trial for heresy or the subsequent nullification trial?
Why?
They should also seek to answer more general questions about what these excerpts
from the trials tell us about Joan of Arc.
- What does this excerpt tell us about Joan's motivations?
- What can we learn from this excerpt about her goals?
- What does this testimony tell us about her strengths? Weaknesses?
After each account is offered, the group leads the class in briefly discussing
the excerpt. Class members point to and discuss testimony they believe reflects
on any of the questions students raised. After all of the accounts have been
discussed, ask volunteers to suggest one or two exemplary theses they believe
answer key questions raised previously. Students should compare and contrast
the testimony of the two trials and discuss theses explaining what underlies
the differences in their tone and content.
- What evidence from the excerpts tends to support the thesis?
- What potential bias in the excerpt should be noted?
- For which questions did no evidence surface, pointing toward the need
for further research?
Now each student should develop a thesis in answer to one of the student-raised
questions. In the assessment phase of this lesson, this thesis will become the
basis of an essay.
Assessment
Ask the students to complete essays supporting the theses they developed using
at least some evidence from the firsthand accounts as support. Pose the following
questions as guidance:
- Does the essay focus on supporting a clearly stated thesis?
- Does the thesis address an important issue concerning Joan's role in the
Hundred Years' War, her posthumous rehabilitation, or the motivations of those
who supported or opposed her?
- What evidence from the primary sources supports the thesis?
- What evidence from other sources supports the thesis?
- What consideration have you given to potential bias in the sources you use
for support? It is suggested that, as they develop their essays, students
be allowed to use the online transcripts of Saint
Joan of Arc's Trials accessible through a link from EDSITEment resource
The Labyrinth, as well as teacher-approved
secondary sources.
Extending the Lesson
- For students interested in reading the complete transcripts of Saint
Joan of Arc's Trials (Condemnation Trial and Nullification Trial), they
are accessible online through a link from EDSITEment resource The
Labyrinth.
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards
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