European historical figure (3) Youth can not be lost - Joan of Arc rescued Orléans

In the chaotic European Middle Ages, in the brutal Hundred Years' War between England and France, a young girl claimed to be by God's will to save France, for independence, for dignity, for freedom... So she resolutely changed into men's clothes and threw herself into the campaign against the British invasion, she is the national hero Joan of Arc, known as the "Daughter of Orléans" in French history.

Joan of Arc was born on 6 January 1412 in the village of Durremy on the border of Champagne and Lorraine in northern France and began her as a shepherd from an early age. The hard life made her gradually become a strong character, not afraid of difficulties, dare to fight the girl. As a teenager, she coincided with the Hundred Years' War between England and France, which began with the struggle between Britain and France for the right to inherit the French throne.

The long-term marriage between the British and French royal families complicates the issue of succession to the throne. In 1328, King Charles IV (1322-1328) died, and the Gape dynasty died. The French Council of the Third Estate elected Charles's cousin, the Son of the Count of Valoa, as king, philip VI (1328-1350), and began the Valoan dynasty (1328-1589). King Edward III's mother was the sister of Philip IV, the former king of the Gappe dynasty, who asked to inherit the French throne on the grounds that he was the grandson of the King of France, but France refused on the grounds that women had no right to inherit in the Salic Code (a compilation of customary laws of the Frankish Salic tribes and promulgated by Clovis at the end of the 5th century). Edward III was not willing to be defeated, but still insisted on the claim to the French throne, and in 1337 Edward III was proclaimed King of France, and Philip VI announced that he would take back all of England's territory in France, send troops to occupy Jennes, and the war began.

In addition, in addition to the reasons for the succession to the throne, the war was also for the rich Flandre and Aquitaine regions in France. The region has close economic ties to the UK. The French occupied the area in 1328, and King Edward III of England ordered a ban on the export of wool to the area. In order to maintain the source of raw materials, the Flandres region turned to support the British anti-French policy, and recognized Edward III as the King of France and the supreme lord of Flanders, which further deepened the contradictions between Britain and France.

War broke out in November 1337. The English navy was the first to inflict heavy damage on the French army, and the French army was defeated at the Subsequent Battle of Clécy (August 1346) and the Battle of Poitiers (1356), and with the internal Revolt of Paris (1357-1358) and the Zacre Revolt (1358), the French government was forced to sign a peace treaty at Bretiny in 1360, ceding all the territory from the Loire to the south of the Pyrenees to England. In 1364, king Charles V of France (reigned 1364-1380) came to the throne, and he worked hard to reorganize the army, rectify the tax system, and establish field artillery and a new fleet. He appointed de Gesklin as his commander to implement raids and guerrilla tactics of defending the fortress and avoiding a frontal decisive battle with the British army, eliminating the effective forces of the British army and greatly improving the situation of the war. By 1380, the French had regained almost all of their lost territory, and the British retained only a few coastal strongholds. However, during the reign of charles VI (reigned 1380-1422), which succeeded him, these victories were wiped out due to infighting between two feudal main groups in France (the Burgundians and the Amanekites).

In 1415, King Henry V of England (reigned 1413-1422) led an army that defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt. In April 1420, the British conquered Normandy, and near Paris, France was forced to accept the Treaty of Troyes on May 31. The treaty stipulated that Charles VI's daughter Catherine would marry King Henry V of England, and after Charles VI's death, Henry V and his descendants would inherit the French throne, effectively recognizing King Henry V as the heir to the French throne. In 1422, King Henry V of England and Charles VI of France died. The English crown proclaimed Henry VI (reigned 1422-1461), who was under the age of Henry V and Catherine, to be king of France. Charles VI, the son of Charles VI, although still in control of the central and southern regions of France, did not officially inherit the throne.

From August to October 1428, Charlispo and counts of Savourk led the English army to attack the city of Orléans on the Loire River, a strategic French destination to the south. Under the stubborn resistance of the French soldiers and civilians defending the city, the British army repeatedly failed to attack, and count Charlesbow was killed. Subsequently, the Count of Savork adopted a long siege strategy, building forts around the city of Orléans, digging trenches between the fortresses, cutting off the connection between the city and the outside, and increasing the siege force. By the beginning of 1429, the defenders of orléans were almost exhausted and in danger. Once the city of Orléans is lost, the southern gateway to France is opened, and the whole of France will fall into the hands of The British. Prince Charles prepares to abandon France and flee to Spain.

Just as France was facing a crisis of life and death, Joan of Arc stepped forward and asked the prince three times to ask Charles for war. She said that God had sent her to save France. Charles then appointed her commander-in-chief of the Relief Army, and led 4,000 French troops on 27 April 1429 to relieve the siege of Orléans. The rescue army, led by monks, sang praises as they walked. Joan of Arc wears armor, rides a white warhorse, wears a Sword and a small axe around her waist, holds a short spear in her right hand, and holds aloft a large flag in her left hand, which reads "Jesus, Mary" and paints a portrait of Christ, symbolizing that she is an angel of salvation sent by God, followed by cavalry and archers, and finally a heavy team. Joan of Arc took advantage of the British army's lack of vigilance on the night of the thunderstorm to cross the Loire river and enter the city of Orléans. On May 4, Joan of Arc led his army out of the city to conquer the British fortress of St. Love, which greatly boosted the morale of the French soldiers and civilians.

Joan of Arc's appearance shocked the British. May 5 is The Ascension Day of Jesus, and Joan of Arc ordered a one-day truce. On the 6th, Joan of Arc led his army to fight again, and Several British forts such as Luke Augustus were launched. Morale in the French army was unprecedentedly high. On the 7th, Joan of Arc led an army of 5,000 men to attack the Fortress of Torres, where the British garrison was located on the south bank of the river. The fortifications were strong and the surrounding trenches were so deep that it was necessary to climb a ladder to climb it. Joan of Arc was unfortunately shot in the attack, fell from the ladder into the trench, and was almost captured by the British. But after she bandaged her wounds, she continued to engage in the battle. The British army saw Joan of Arc come back in front of the battle, thinking that she really had magical powers, and many people were stunned. After fierce fighting, the French finally captured the Fortress of Torres and captured all the fortresses on the south bank. The British army saw that the trend was gone and was forced to withdraw. The city of Orléans, which had been besieged by the British for 7 months, was lifted, and people sang hymns praising Joan of Arc's military exploits, calling her "Daughter of Orleans".

The Battle of Orléans was a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between England and France, and since then the war has moved in favor of France. On 16 July, Joan of Arc led an army to liberate the city of Reims, northeast of Paris, and the next day at the Reims Cathedral, he was crowned Prince Charles, officially becoming King of France (i.e. Charles VII). Joan of Arc then led his army to recover many of the northern territories and continued to fight the British army to complete the liberation of France.

However, the court nobles and the generals of Charles VII were not satisfied with the expansion of the peasant woman's influence, and they deliberately murdered Joan of Arc, fearing that the people were more powerful than the English. On 30 May 1430, during a battle near the city of Cambrian, when Joan of Arc and his troops were forced by the British to retreat back to the city, they fell into the hands of the Burgundian army because they could not get cover. On 14 July, the Duke of Burgundy, who had secretly negotiated peace with the King, sold Joan of Arc to the English for 40,000 francs. Charles VII, however, was unable to save himself, and under the auspices of Pierre Cosson, Bishop of Beauvais, Joan of Henri VI, John of Bedford, tried Joan of Arc for witchcraft and heresy. Joan of Arc was unyielding, she said: "For the sake of France, I regard death as a homecoming!" On 30 May 1431, Joan of Arc was tortured and burned alive under the city of Rouen, and her ashes were thrown into the Seine. At the time of her death, Joan of Arc was not yet 20 years old. Joan of Arc's death aroused great indignation and patriotic fervor among the French people, and under the pressure of the popular movement, the French authorities reorganized the army. In 1437 the French captured Paris, in 1441 champagne, in 1450 mann and Normandy, and in 1453 kean. On October 19, 1453, the British surrendered at Bordeaux, and this was the end of the pretense.

The Hundred Years' War lasted for 116 years from 1337 to 1453, bringing deep disasters to the French people, and at the same time, the Hundred Years' War also awakened the French nation, promoted the awakening of the French national consciousness, and created favorable conditions for the formation of the French nation and the completion of political unity. By the time of louis XI (reigned 1461-1483) and his successors, France finally established an absolute monarchy. The defeat of the Hundred Years' War exacerbated the social contradictions in Britain, and internal evidence occurred within the ruling clique, and finally the protracted War of the Roses broke out, which accelerated the disintegration of the British feudal system and cleared the way for the establishment of a centralized monarchical state.

Although the smoke of war has dissipated, people's reverence and nostalgia for Joan of Arc have endured for a long time. Now, every year on a weekend in early June, in the French city of Reims, people hold a grand festival "Joan of Arc", to commemorate this great national hero. At the festival, people dress up as Gauls, Romans, Franks, Burgundians, Goths, Vandals, etc. who lived in the land of France in the Middle Ages to remember this hero in history.