Notes on Joan of Arc: A Military Leader (by Kelly DeVries) - Part 1

Chapters 1 - Introduction

Mr. DeVries' thesis for this book is very straight-forward: "Joan of Arc was a soldier, plain and simple." He elaborates on this thesis in the introduction,

"... by her confident and direct military tactics, combined with her willingness to risk everything, including an extraordinarily large number of her own countrymen, Joan put military aggressiveness back into an army that had been forced into a psychology of defeat."

DeVries draws heavily of four sources: The 'Chronique de la Pucelle,' and the 'Journal du siège d'Orléans,' as well as the transcripts for Joan's trial by the English, and the Nullification trial held by the French after her death.

Devries also points out that "...some French military officers wrote histories praising Joan's strategies and tactics...[but] ...they are not frequently read by Joan of Arc scholars." Devries concludes the introduction with the observation that "We should not denigrate that legacy [of Joan wanting to be a French soldier]; instead we should study it."

By the way, the day before I started this blog "Women and War", January 6th, is often regarded as Joan of Arc's Birthday, making it 600 years since she was born. Check out this CBC webpage:

Joan of Arc turns 600

Next Post: Notes on Joan of Arc: A Military Leader - Part 2.