Introduction
Joan of Arc was just a young girl when she took command of the French army against the English in the Hundred Years War. In the 15th century it was unheard of for a woman, much less a teenage girl, to lead men—let alone lead them into battle. Joan donned the attire of the soldiers and led them courageously not because she wanted to be a man or because she wanted to fight but rather because she had beheld a heavenly vision in which she was commanded to come to the aid of the French king, who remained uncrowned because of the English invasion. The French people were demoralized and in danger of losing their nation. God apparently preferred the French to win, so he sent His messengers to Joan—Sts. Michael, Margaret and Catherine—to tell her to lead the French against the English for the sake of Charles VII, waiting to be crowned. This paper will describe how leadership and culture intersected to bring Joan and the French people glory in the 15th century.

The Conflict

As Galbraith has noted, leaders are those who are able to help their people confront a terrible anxiety. This is what Joan did when she helped Charles confront the internal divisions and external threats facing his kingdom. In 1415, Henry V had left England and invaded France to lay claim to what he believed was his. The young Dauphin (king in waiting) Charles VII had lost a father and four brothers and now stood to be crowned. However, the Duke of Burgundy betrayed Charles and formed an alliance with the English and together they fought their way to power. The Queen of France signed over the throne to Henry V and his heirs. When Henry V died, his infant son Henry VI was the English ruler of both Britain and France, his uncle acting as Regent. The English controlled Paris and the House of Burgundy controlled Reims. French kings had always been crowned at Reims going all the way back to the early 9th century. Since the infant English king was not yet crowned and the French Charles VII still claimed to have the right to the throne for France, the war continued—especially as other parts of France remained loyal to Charles VII though Burgundy had not.

The Prophecy

So the English marched to Orleans, which was a strategically important city for its position on the Loire River and because the people there were supporters of Charles VII: and it was at this time that Joan rose to prominence. No one expected Orleans to be able to hold out against the siege the British had laid. However, the loyal French were hopeful as they had preserved the memory of a prophecy regarding their betrayal by a woman and their salvation from a virgin from Lorraine (Fraioli, 2005). Because of the Catholic culture of the country, this prophecy was believed widely. The culture of France, of all medieval Europe for that matter, was based on the Catholic influence that had been present for centuries. Essentially since the time of Charlemagne, who was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 AD by the Pope in Rome on Christmas Day after saving Rome from being sacked, Europe had been united at least in terms of the Christian faith. The people—whether they were in France or Spain or Germany or England or Italy all believed in the same God and held fast to the same tenets. Sects appeared constantly to challenge those beliefs but was not until the Protestant Reformation that they gained any substantial footing across the board—and they only did then because of internal divisions among the rulers of the kingdoms of Christendom. In early 15th century France, that time had not yet come—though it would be there within the century. The battle between Charles VII and Henry V and heir was a seemingly final straw. The two Catholic monarchs were at war over who had the title to rule. The French...…vision of what to do and how to do it; a reason to achieve it (God was on their side and wanted the French to crown their King at Reims); and she provide the personal support to make it all happen. She led from the trenches, waving her banner and even getting wounded on more than one occasion. She led them in battle down the Loire to Reims and then continued to lead until she was captured by the English. Her leadership helped to reinvigorate the French and they were able to at least secure the throne for the next generation of the king’s family.

Conclusion

Joan of Arc was a simple peasant girl in the East of France whose village had been attacked by the betrayers of France, the House of Burgundy. She was a fervent Catholic with intense conviction. When she had a vision of God calling her to lead the French so the king could be crowned in Reims, she responded immediately in spite of the ludicrous way that the message came across: a girl in medieval Europe leading soldiers against the English. However, when Joan showed that she was no ordinary girl but had the gift of prophecy, the French began to suspect that she was sent from God to fulfill an earlier prophecy about being saved by a virgin that the people of France had long known and respected. Thus, Joan fit right in with the culture of France: she shared with them the same spirit, faith, and sense of religious zeal. Her honor and integrity helped to plead her case and the victory she inspired at Orleans helped to turn the tide of the battle. Joan’s army was able to lead the king to his coronation at Reims and the French throne was once more protected. That was how Joan managed to serve the French people, and how her leadership was born out of an anxious time for the French and out of the cultural background and beliefs of…