Joan of Arc Through an Intersectional Lens: Gender and Mysticism

Introduction

Medieval Europe provides a significant number of examples of women who rose to become leaders at a time when women were increasingly oppressed. The conventional self-image of women during this period was characterized by low self-esteem, shaped by widespread oppression that systematically disadvantaged them. Nevertheless, the rise of certain women to positions of influence demonstrates their capacity to challenge and break the conventional female self-image through visionary experience.

Joan of Arc is one of the most compelling examples of a woman who became an influential leader in medieval Europe through visionary experience and by defying the conventional female self-image. Her development into a prominent leader was driven by her prophetic calling for a king and her ability to place herself at the center of her own vision. Joan of Arc can be understood as a unique character in comparison with other female mystics through intersectional analysis.

Brief Background of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was born around 1412 in Domremy in Eastern France at a time when the Hundred Years' War had been ongoing for over 70 years (Sowards, 1994, p. 201). During this period, France had been severely affected by civil war and foreign invasion. The region of Joan's birth was characterized by marauding bands of soldiers who caused significant damage by burning and looting towns and killing the vulnerable peasantry. Under the leadership of Dauphin Charles, the French royal cause had been weakened, which did little to stabilize conditions in the country.

At the age of 16, Joan of Arc believed that her village's patron saints were urging her to approach the Dauphin and secure his coronation. She traveled to a nearby castle, where she won over Robert de Baudricourt, who provided her with an escort of six men-at-arms. She then proceeded to Chinon to meet the Dauphin, traveling across enemy-held territory on an 11-day journey. Joan found the Dauphin living in diminished circumstances, having been bullied and robbed by the nobles around him. She informed him that she intended to fight the English and would have him crowned at Rheims. Being a superstitious and religious man, Charles believed Joan and gave her a modest military staff of a few hundred soldiers, weapons, and a banner bearing Jesus' name. Using this small force, Joan inspired the seemingly discouraged French army and succeeded in capturing Orleans, which had been besieged by the English. After a series of further military successes, Joan secured the coronation of the Dauphin and the crowning of Charles at Rheims, as she had promised.

However, Joan of Arc was soon captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English, and she was subsequently imprisoned and persistently questioned. She was found guilty of witchcraft, as her faith and simplicity could not protect her from English authority. Joan of Arc was executed in the Old Marketplace of Rouen, an English-held town (Sowards, 1994, p. 202).

How Women and Men Lived Their Lives in Medieval Times

The lives of men and women during the medieval period — particularly during the time of Joan of Arc — differed greatly from contemporary gender ideals and stereotypes (O'Pry-Reynolds, 2013, p. 37). Medieval literature offers several examples of gender equality portrayed through highly idealized perspectives on society, morality, and manners. During Joan's time, men displayed knightly personalities characterized by masculinity, aggressiveness, and at times violence. Women, by contrast, were regarded as vessels of goodness, purity, and chastity, valued primarily for their roles in maintaining the home and family. However, unlike common stereotypes found in novels, women of this period were not necessarily helpless figures awaiting rescue by men or knights. Men were defined by who they were, their pursuits, and their victories, whereas women were defined by the roles assigned to them by society. Accordingly, the lives of men in medieval times revolved around occupying main roles in public life, while women were predominantly assigned supporting roles.

Unlike their male counterparts, the roles of women in the medieval society were increasingly restricted. These roles were not static, however; they were repeatedly reinforced through cycles of constraint and freedom, passivity and agency, and submission and authority. While men displayed masculinity and aggressiveness, women were often regarded simultaneously as objects of worship and as their male counterparts' downfall, serving as symbols of sexual desire, beauty, love, purity, kindness, motherhood, and conquest.

Another important dimension of life during Joan's era was that both men and women were confined by societal norms, though in different ways. Men were represented as heroic warriors engaged in battles, whereas women were depicted as daughters of Eve — that is, as the source of original sin and instruments of the devil (O'Pry-Reynolds, 2013, p. 38). Despite this characterization, women played a crucial social role, primarily by acknowledging the brave and heroic deeds of men and by mourning the dead, since men were not expected to grieve openly.

The principal role of women during Joan's time was to care for the family and manage the household, with responsibilities including cooking and domestic work ("Femininity during Medieval Times," n.d.). Men, in contrast, were expected to provide for the family through pursuits that generated income. While women's domestic roles were considered important, very few women during this period took on work or responsibilities regarded as masculine. In cases where women did perform such roles, they did not receive comparable incentives, wages, or recognition for their labor alongside men.

Conclusion

Joan of Arc rose to become an enduring image and symbol of female heroism through exceptional attributes that enabled her to develop and assert influence in a world dominated by men. In doing so, she overcame the constraints of poverty, class, and gender that confined most women of the medieval period. Her success is attributable to the strength of her personality, which contributed to widespread perceptions that she was unlike conventional women of her time — and it was precisely this difference that allowed her legacy to endure across centuries.

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