Joan of Arc

by Kelly DeVries

Book Overview

Where previous works have concentrated on the religious and feminist aspects of Joan's career, this title addresses the vital issue of what it was that made her the heroine she became. Why did the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0750918055
• ISBN13: 9780750918053
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 1.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.0" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Joan of Arc: A Military Leader

DeVries, Kelly. Joan of Arc: A Military Leader. Phoenix Mill: Sutton Publishing, 2003, 244 pages. Kelly DeVries, author and professor of history at Loyola University in Maryland, has written a strong case that scholars have incorrectly analyzed Joan of Arc through virtually every lens save for a military one. She "was a soldier, plain and simple" is how he sums up Joan at the beginning of Joan of Arc: A Military Leader. The need of another scholarly study on Joan comes into question right away as DeVries points out, "No person in the Middle Ages, male or female, has been the subject of more historical studies than Joan of Arc" (pg 2). Yet, he sees a massive void in the scholarship concerning Joan's military capabilities, contributions, and soldiering. The common themes of feminism in her leadership and theology in her trial have dominated the story of Joan for far too long and DeVries offers a unique perspective on her life. He believes all other focuses are pointless if scholars ignore or even downplay her military aptitude in the process. Joan of Arc: A Military Leader successfully brings to light the military aspect of Joan and puts her soldiering at the forefront of her story. Early in the book, DeVries sets the stage of the Hundred Years War in 1429 explaining how the French remained split between the Burgundians and those who were still loyal to Dauphin Charles VII while the English seized this advantage and conquered most of the land north of Loire River. Yet, as DeVries points out, the French still maintained a strong numerical advantage over the English (pg 8). The English successfully mitigated this advantage by winning several key battles while outnumbered (e.g., Crécy, Agincourt). Using defensive positions and longbowmen, the English in 1429 gave off an air of invincibility (pg 26). Since the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French were unsuccessful in curbing the English conquest of France. It was because of this that DeVries believes Joan "may have been just what the French military needed to regain its own confidence and composure and to realize the advantages that it had over its English enemies" (pg 28). Throughout the rest of the book, DeVries filters everything concerning Joan through a military lens. Her "voices" that she claimed to hear are only mentioned if they gave military instructions. He devotes a chapter to establishing that Joan's entire mission was a military one that she could only achieve through a force of arms: Lift the siege of Orléans, crown Charles VII as the King of France in English-controlled Reims, retrieve the Duke of Orléans from captivity, and kick the English out of France. Once Joan convinced the Dauphin that she was on a mission from God, he supplied her with a suit of armor, equipment, and troops, which DeVries points out is the final, obvious indicator that she was on a military mission (pg 48). The author's expertise in this time in history is strong. Along with his BA, MA, and PhD in Medieval

not enough sources for what other reviewers want

I have been reading over several sources for a research paper on Joan for a graduate seminar class. Some of the complaints on this book strike me as odd. The title of the book seems somewhat...well false. After reading several documents (Craig Taylor Compilation) it is clear that Joan was little more than a mascot for the French army. While she claims to give orders, she is always positioned away from the battle (excluding a few times where she joined the fight). None of the sources give exact details on how the French attacked or if Joan really directed the attacks. Where the French leaders may have listened to Joan because of her spiritual claim, the period makes it less likely that Joan actually led a battle. The title of the book is attractive, but probably further from the truth.

An Overdue Perspective

Kelly deVries sets out to correct a serious oversight in modern historical analysis of Joan of Arc. Other twentieth century writers have downplayed her role as a war hero and general, often in contradiction to the original source material. I am what you could call a serious aficionado of Joan of Arc: I have read most of the leading modern biographies and plays, perused a good part of the original documents, and once spent three weeks in France following her campaigns. Ms. deVries's book deserves a place on the shelf of any Joan of Arc devotee. Historical records about Joan of Arc are unusually abundant. She led what was probably the best documented life of her era. We have far more reliable information about her career than, say, of William Wallace. In fairness to Ms. deVries, these original documents are sometimes frustrating. They say so much that they tempt the reader to demand more. The captains who fought alongside Joan of Arc have high praise for her military skill yet are sketchy about her tactics. Where the scholar wants to deduce an artillery arrangement the records instead report which color horse she rode that day. Many of the fortresses where Joan of Arc fought still stand, at least in ruin. The surrounding earthworks are largely unrecoverable. At a distance of six centuries we cannot reconstruct these scenes with the detail of the American civil war. This well-researched work corrects and amplifies the subject. That said, I have a few bones to pick. The topic deserves a discussion of weapons technology. Ms. deVries overplays the importance of gunpowder to the point where I suspect she misunderstands the fifteenth century meaning of "artillery." Medical scholarship might have illuminated some issues, particularly the instances when Joan of Arc overcame battle wounds and returned to combat. Finally Ms. deVries omits all mention of Joan of Arc's escape attempts as a prisoner of war. As examples of good soldiering they deserve attention: Joan actually leaped from a seventy foot tower and survived with no broken bones. With minor reservations, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader is a welcome addition to my collection.