Saint Joan of Arc (Jeanne la Pucelle): Difference between revisions

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Obviously, had England conquered France, Henry VIII may never have married Catherine of Aragon, or have demanded papal nullification of the marriage to her. Or, maybe he would have and the Pope more vehemently would have denied the annulment Henry demanded. Lots of contingencies here, but to assume that Henry VIII's establishment of the Church of England was over the papal denial of that annulment is naive, at best. Even if given the annulment from Catherine, Henry would have dissolved the Catholic Church, which, if the English had conquered France, would have included its dominion over France.

The variables here are infinite, and counter-factual history can only inform, not prove anything, but with an eye to larger events that we do know, we can understand much of Saint Joan's instructions to "go to France." A France ruled by Henry VIII would no longer be a Catholic France. Certainly, events may have prevented that, but we can imagine a straight line from the Church of England to the Church of ~~England/~~France.

The variables here are infinite, and counter-factual history can only inform, not prove anything, but with an eye to larger events that we do know, we can understand much of Saint Joan's instructions to "go to France." A France ruled by Henry VIII would no longer be a Catholic France. Certainly, events may have prevented that, but we can imagine a straight line from the Church of England to the Church of France.

~~>>here~~

Whatever the value of my theory that God meant to keep France Catholic, I am intrigued by this excerpt from Mark Twain's account of the trial of St. Joan: <blockquote>And now, by order of Cauchon, an ecclesiastic named Nicholas Midi preached a sermon, wherein he explained that when a branch of the vine — which is the Church — becomes diseased and corrupt, it must be cut away or it will corrupt and destroy the whole vine.</blockquote>Whereas the English partisan, Father Midi, saw the destruction of Joan the pruning of a dead branch of the Church (the vine, as Twain correctly explains), by cutting her off, he and Bishop Cauchon were instead pruning themselves from the vine of France. The dead vine cut off was England.

~~There is an additional~~

~~> Henry VIII~~

~~> to save France -- from what, the English who were French?~~

~~> podcast dreams of united UK/France~~

=== Vive La France ===

During and since Joan's time, French patriots have looked to Joan for glory of France. Until the French Revolution~~, however~~, she was a mark of glory for both the French monarchy and the Catholic Church. During the Revolution, the Jacobins suppressed any Catholic or monarchical associations, including her annual festival in Orléans that had centered around the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, where Joan celebrated a Vespers Mass during the siege. Joan nevertheless remained useful for the Revolution as a symbol of the common people and "independence."<ref>There is much irony in the Revolution's relationship to Saint Joan. It's like Christmas: a great holiday, but all that religious stuff keeps getting in the way.

During and since Joan's time, French patriots have looked to Joan for glory of France. Until the French Revolution, she was a mark of glory for both the French monarchy and the Catholic Church. During the Revolution, the Jacobins suppressed any Catholic or monarchical associations, including her annual festival in Orléans that had centered around the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, where Joan celebrated a Vespers Mass during the siege. Joan nevertheless remained useful for the Revolution as a symbol of the common people and "independence."<ref>There is much irony in the Revolution's relationship to Saint Joan. It's like Christmas: a great holiday, but all that religious stuff keeps getting in the way.

Here for a short essay on the hostility of the Jacobins towards the Church: [https://www.iwp.edu/articles/2018/01/12/the-dechristianization-of-france-during-the-french-revolution/ The Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution - The Institute of World Politics]</ref>

Napoléon renewed the celebrations that the Jacobins had halted and also restored her birthplace at Domrémy as a national monument.<ref>For use of Joan's image before and after the French Revolution, see SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> His embrace of Joan met several needs: French nationalism, especially anti-British French nationalism, reinforcement of the Concordat of 1801 between the French government and the Vatican that officially restored the Church in France, and legitimization of his own mission to glorify France and himself as her savior.

Napoléon renewed the celebrations that the Jacobins had halted and also restored her birthplace at Domrémy as a national monument.<ref>For use of Joan's image before and after the French Revolution, see SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> His embrace of Joan met several needs: French nationalism, especially anti-British French nationalism, reinforcement of the Concordat of 1801 between the French government and the Vatican that officially restored the Church in France, and legitimization of his own mission to glorify France and himself as her savior. Interest in Joan grew from there, leading to the publication of her Trials by Quicherat in 1840 << todo. [[File:Panthéon_-_La_vie_de_Jeanne_d'Arc_(hlw16_0311).jpg|thumb|La vie de Jeanne d'Arc, Panthéon, Paris (wikicommons)]]

We see Joan's popularity arise during times of crisis or national pride, such as the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, both World Wars, and French post-War nationalism under Charles de Gaulle.<ref>Even the Vichy government, used Joan for anti-British propaganda (see "Joan of Arc: Her Story", from the Preface by the translator, Jeremy Duquesnay Adams, p. XIX)</ref> While modern academics have co-opted Joan for various agenda, from feminism and anti-patriarchy, to cross-dressing and "gender fluidity",<ref>Of all the claims upon Joan, one of the most ludicrously absorbed in a fleeting historical moment, this from the 1980s, is that "Joan's mission now seems ... something of a model for modern movements of popular resistance to anti-colonialism" (Pernoud, p. 4)</ref> seeing in Joan everything but French nationalism and the Catholic faith, which, in turn, they deplore when Joan's image is adopted by "far right" monarchists<ref>Who knew! Seems that the 3,000 members of the ''Action Française'', a remnant of a late 19th, early 20th century nationalist movement still has them scared and appalled at their use of Joan of Arc's memory. On the Wikipedia page for the [[wikipedia:Action_Française#Action_Fran%C3%A7aise_today|Action Française - Wikipedia]] is a 1909 photo of a Action ''Française'' youth group being arrested on the Fête de Jeanne d'Arc (the caption incorrectly calls it the "Feast Day of Joan of Arc," as she was not canonized for another eleven years.</ref> and nationalists. Nevertheless, while seemingly all things to all people, Joan remains a dominant symbol of France, and correctly so.

Further along, we see Joan's popularity arise during times of crisis or national pride, such as the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, both World Wars, and French post-War nationalism under Charles de Gaulle.<ref>Even the Vichy government, used Joan for anti-British propaganda (see "Joan of Arc: Her Story", from the Preface by the translator, Jeremy Duquesnay Adams, p. XIX)</ref> While modern academics have co-opted Joan for various agenda, from feminism and anti-patriarchy, to cross-dressing and "gender fluidity",<ref>Of all the claims upon Joan, one of the most ludicrously absorbed in a fleeting historical moment, this from the 1980s, is that "Joan's mission now seems ... something of a model for modern movements of popular resistance to anti-colonialism" (Pernoud, p. 4)</ref> seeing in Joan everything but French nationalism and the Catholic faith, which, in turn, they deplore when Joan's image is adopted by "far right" monarchists<ref>Who knew! Seems that the 3,000 members of the ''Action Française'', a remnant of a late 19th, early 20th century nationalist movement still has them scared and appalled at their use of Joan of Arc's memory. On the Wikipedia page for the [[wikipedia:Action_Française#Action_Fran%C3%A7aise_today|Action Française - Wikipedia]] is a 1909 photo of a Action ''Française'' youth group being arrested on the Fête de Jeanne d'Arc (the caption incorrectly calls it the "Feast Day of Joan of Arc," as she was not canonized for another eleven years.</ref> and nationalists. Nevertheless, while seemingly all things to all people, Joan remains a dominant symbol of France, and correctly so. [[File:Panthéon_-_La_vie_de_Jeanne_d'Arc_(hlw16_0311).jpg|thumb|La vie de Jeanne d'Arc, Panthéon, Paris (wikicommons)]]

What goes missing is her Catholicity. Despite depictions of her visions and divine associations, such as that of a panel in ''La Vie de Jeanne d'Arc'' at the Panthéon in Paris of a Dove escaping Joan's mouth at her death, the secularization of Joan that started with Shakespeare's characterization of her as a fraud in his hagiographic ''Henry VI'' and in France in Voltaire's crude and demeaning 1730s play about her, the secular view of Joan persisted, Voltaire ridiculed Jean Chapelain's 1656 epic and Catholic poem about Joan that emphasized her divine mission, which, as one modern academic frames it, "is devoted entirely and equally to Church and monarchy" -- oh, and the poem itself is "turgid."<ref>SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> Voltaire's mockery was not just of Chapelain, but of the Maiden herself, and, of course, her virginity:<blockquote>That Joan of Arc had all a lion's rage; You'll tremble at the feats whereof you hear, And more than all the wars she used to wage, At how she kept her maidenhead — a year!<ref>[https://archive.org/details/lapucellemaidofo01voltiala/page/2/mode/1up?view=theater La Pucelle, the maid of Orleans: : Voltaire, 1694-1778 (archive.org)] It's always useful to recall that on his deathbed Voltaire begged the Lord for forgiveness, and when rewarded with extra time upon his recovery, he squandered it and ultimately renounced God on his final death. </ref></blockquote>He goes on to compare Joan to the Medusa and has her riding into battle naked. But no need to get into it any further here, as Voltaire's tantrum was more about his own anti-Catholic bigotry than Joan of Arc. She was merely a useful target.

What goes missing is her Catholicity ~~and sainthood~~. Despite depictions of her visions and divine associations such as that of a panel in ''La Vie de Jeanne d'Arc'' at the Panthéon in Paris of a Dove escaping Joan's mouth at her death, the secularization of Joan that started with Voltaire's crude and demeaning 1730s play about her ~~continues.~~ Voltaire ridiculed Jean Chapelain's 1656 epic poem about Joan that emphasized her divine mission, which, as one modern academic frames it, "is devoted entirely and equally to Church and monarchy." Oh, and the poem itself is "turgid."<ref>SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> Voltaire mockery not just Chapelain, but the Maiden herself, and, of course, her virginity:<blockquote>That Joan of Arc had all a lion's rage ; You'll tremble at the feats whereof you hear, And more than all the wars she used to wage, At how she kept her maidenhead — a year !<ref>[https://archive.org/details/lapucellemaidofo01voltiala/page/2/mode/1up?view=theater La Pucelle, the maid of Orleans: : Voltaire, 1694-1778 (archive.org)] It's always useful to recall that on his deathbed Voltaire begged the Lord for forgiveness, and when rewarded with extra time upon his recovery, he squandered it and ultimately renounced God on his final death. </ref></blockquote>He goes on to compare Joan to the Medusa and has her riding into battle naked. But no need to get into it any further here, as Voltaire's tantrum was more about his own anti-Catholic bigotry than Joan of Arc. She was merely a useful target.

On it goes through the progression of modernity, exemplified by the 1844 work of Jules Michelet, a 19th century anti-clerical French historian. Michelet is the originator of the term "Renaissance," meant to describe the end of an abysmal and backward Medieval period marked by superstition, oppression, and the Catholic Church (especially Jesuits), replaced by a "rebirth" of enlightened antiquity. Sadly, this socialist historian has deeply influenced the modern study of history.

@@ Line 703: / Line 703: @@
 Obviously, had England conquered France, Henry VIII may never have married Catherine of Aragon, or have demanded papal nullification of the marriage to her. Or, maybe he would have and the Pope more vehemently would have denied the annulment Henry demanded. Lots of contingencies here, but to assume that Henry VIII's establishment of the Church of England was over the papal denial of that annulment is naive, at best. Even if given the annulment from Catherine, Henry would have dissolved the Catholic Church, which, if the English had conquered France, would have included its dominion over France.
-The variables here are infinite, and counter-factual history can only inform, not prove anything, but with an eye to larger events that we do know, we can understand much of Saint Joan's instructions to "go to France." A France ruled by Henry VIII would no longer be a Catholic France. Certainly, events may have prevented that, but we can imagine a straight line from the Church of England to the Church of England/France.
+The variables here are infinite, and counter-factual history can only inform, not prove anything, but with an eye to larger events that we do know, we can understand much of Saint Joan's instructions to "go to France." A France ruled by Henry VIII would no longer be a Catholic France. Certainly, events may have prevented that, but we can imagine a straight line from the Church of England to the Church of France.
->>here
-Whatever the value of my theory that God meant to keep France Catholic, I am intrigued by this excerpt from Mark Twain's account of the trial of St. Joan: <blockquote>And now, by order of Cauchon, an ecclesiastic named Nicholas Midi preached a sermon, wherein he explained that when a branch of the vine — which is the Church — becomes diseased and corrupt, it must be cut away or it will corrupt and destroy the whole vine.</blockquote>Whereas the English partisan, Father Midi, saw the destruction of Joan the pruning of a dead branch of the Church (the vine, as Twain correctly explains), by cutting her off, he and Bishop Cauchon were instead pruning themselves from the vine of France. The dead vine cut off was England.
-There is an additional
-> Henry VIII
-> to save France -- from what, the English who were French?
-> podcast dreams of united UK/France
 === Vive La France ===
-During and since Joan's time, French patriots have looked to Joan for glory of France. Until the French Revolution, however, she was a mark of glory for both the French monarchy and the Catholic Church. During the Revolution, the Jacobins suppressed any Catholic or monarchical associations, including her annual festival in Orléans that had centered around the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, where Joan celebrated a Vespers Mass during the siege. Joan nevertheless remained useful for the Revolution as a symbol of the common people and "independence."<ref>There is much irony in the Revolution's relationship to Saint Joan. It's like Christmas: a great holiday, but all that religious stuff keeps getting in the way.
+During and since Joan's time, French patriots have looked to Joan for glory of France. Until the French Revolution, she was a mark of glory for both the French monarchy and the Catholic Church. During the Revolution, the Jacobins suppressed any Catholic or monarchical associations, including her annual festival in Orléans that had centered around the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, where Joan celebrated a Vespers Mass during the siege. Joan nevertheless remained useful for the Revolution as a symbol of the common people and "independence."<ref>There is much irony in the Revolution's relationship to Saint Joan. It's like Christmas: a great holiday, but all that religious stuff keeps getting in the way.
 Here for a short essay on the hostility of the Jacobins towards the Church: [https://www.iwp.edu/articles/2018/01/12/the-dechristianization-of-france-during-the-french-revolution/ The Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution - The Institute of World Politics]</ref>
-Napoléon renewed the celebrations that the Jacobins had halted and also restored her birthplace at Domrémy as a national monument.<ref>For use of Joan's image before and after the French Revolution, see SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> His embrace of Joan met several needs: French nationalism, especially anti-British French nationalism, reinforcement of the Concordat of 1801 between the French government and the Vatican that officially restored the Church in France, and legitimization of his own mission to glorify France and himself as her savior.
+Napoléon renewed the celebrations that the Jacobins had halted and also restored her birthplace at Domrémy as a national monument.<ref>For use of Joan's image before and after the French Revolution, see SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> His embrace of Joan met several needs: French nationalism, especially anti-British French nationalism, reinforcement of the Concordat of 1801 between the French government and the Vatican that officially restored the Church in France, and legitimization of his own mission to glorify France and himself as her savior. Interest in Joan grew from there, leading to the publication of her Trials by Quicherat in 1840 << todo.  [[File:Panthéon_-_La_vie_de_Jeanne_d'Arc_(hlw16_0311).jpg|thumb|La vie de Jeanne d'Arc, Panthéon, Paris (wikicommons)]]
+We see Joan's popularity arise during times of crisis or national pride, such as the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, both World Wars, and French post-War nationalism under Charles de Gaulle.<ref>Even the Vichy government, used Joan for anti-British propaganda (see "Joan of Arc: Her Story", from the Preface by the translator, Jeremy Duquesnay Adams, p. XIX)</ref> While modern academics have co-opted Joan for various agenda, from feminism and anti-patriarchy, to cross-dressing and "gender fluidity",<ref>Of all the claims upon Joan, one of the most ludicrously absorbed in a fleeting historical moment, this from the 1980s, is that "Joan's mission now seems ... something of a model for modern movements of popular resistance to anti-colonialism" (Pernoud, p. 4)</ref> seeing in Joan everything but French nationalism and the Catholic faith, which, in turn, they deplore when Joan's image is adopted by "far right" monarchists<ref>Who knew! Seems that the 3,000 members of the ''Action Française'', a remnant of a late 19th, early 20th century nationalist movement still has them scared and appalled at their use of Joan of Arc's memory. On the Wikipedia page for the [[wikipedia:Action_Française#Action_Fran%C3%A7aise_today|Action Française - Wikipedia]] is a 1909 photo of a Action ''Française'' youth group being arrested on the Fête de Jeanne d'Arc (the caption incorrectly calls it the "Feast Day of Joan of Arc," as she was not canonized for another eleven years.</ref> and nationalists. Nevertheless, while seemingly all things to all people, Joan remains a dominant symbol of France, and correctly so.
-Further along, we see Joan's popularity arise during times of crisis or national pride, such as the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, both World Wars, and French post-War nationalism under Charles de Gaulle.<ref>Even the Vichy government, used Joan for anti-British propaganda (see "Joan of Arc: Her Story", from the Preface by the translator, Jeremy Duquesnay Adams, p. XIX)</ref> While modern academics have co-opted Joan for various agenda, from feminism and anti-patriarchy, to cross-dressing and "gender fluidity",<ref>Of all the claims upon Joan, one of the most ludicrously absorbed in a fleeting historical moment, this from the 1980s, is that "Joan's mission now seems ... something of a model for modern movements of popular resistance to anti-colonialism" (Pernoud, p. 4)</ref> seeing in Joan everything but French nationalism and the Catholic faith, which, in turn, they deplore when Joan's image is adopted by "far right" monarchists<ref>Who knew! Seems that the 3,000 members of the ''Action Française'', a remnant of a late 19th, early 20th century nationalist movement still has them scared and appalled at their use of Joan of Arc's memory. On the Wikipedia page for the [[wikipedia:Action_Française#Action_Fran%C3%A7aise_today|Action Française - Wikipedia]] is a 1909 photo of a Action ''Française'' youth group being arrested on the Fête de Jeanne d'Arc (the caption incorrectly calls it the "Feast Day of Joan of Arc," as she was not canonized for another eleven years.</ref> and nationalists. Nevertheless, while seemingly all things to all people, Joan remains a dominant symbol of France, and correctly so.  [[File:Panthéon_-_La_vie_de_Jeanne_d'Arc_(hlw16_0311).jpg|thumb|La vie de Jeanne d'Arc, Panthéon, Paris (wikicommons)]]
+What goes missing is her Catholicity. Despite depictions of her visions and divine associations, such as that of a panel in ''La Vie de Jeanne d'Arc'' at the Panthéon in Paris of a Dove escaping Joan's mouth at her death, the secularization of Joan that started with Shakespeare's characterization of her as a fraud in his hagiographic ''Henry VI'' and in France in Voltaire's crude and demeaning 1730s play about her, the secular view of Joan persisted, Voltaire ridiculed Jean Chapelain's 1656 epic and Catholic poem about Joan that emphasized her divine mission, which, as one modern academic frames it, "is devoted entirely and equally to Church and monarchy" -- oh, and the poem itself is "turgid."<ref>SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> Voltaire's mockery was not just of Chapelain, but of the Maiden herself, and, of course, her virginity:<blockquote>That Joan of Arc had all a lion's rage; You'll tremble at the feats whereof you hear, And more than all the wars she used to wage,  At how she kept her maidenhead — a year!<ref>[https://archive.org/details/lapucellemaidofo01voltiala/page/2/mode/1up?view=theater La Pucelle, the maid of Orleans: : Voltaire, 1694-1778 (archive.org)]  It's always useful to recall that on his deathbed Voltaire begged the Lord for forgiveness, and when rewarded with extra time upon his recovery, he squandered it and ultimately renounced God on his final death. </ref></blockquote>He goes on to compare Joan to the Medusa and has her riding into battle naked. But no need to get into it any further here, as Voltaire's tantrum was more about his own anti-Catholic bigotry than Joan of Arc. She was merely a useful target.
-What goes missing is her Catholicity and sainthood. Despite depictions of her visions and divine associations such as that of a panel in ''La Vie de Jeanne d'Arc'' at the Panthéon in Paris of a Dove escaping Joan's mouth at her death, the secularization of Joan that started with Voltaire's crude and demeaning 1730s play about her continues. Voltaire ridiculed Jean Chapelain's 1656 epic poem about Joan that emphasized her divine mission, which, as one modern academic frames it, "is devoted entirely and equally to Church and monarchy." Oh, and the poem itself is "turgid."<ref>SEXSMITH, DENNIS. “The Radicalization of Joan of Arc Before and After the French Revolution.” ''RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review'' 17, no. 2 (1990): 125–99. <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630458</nowiki>.</ref> Voltaire mockery not just Chapelain, but the Maiden herself, and, of course, her virginity:<blockquote>That Joan of Arc had all a lion's rage ; You'll tremble at the feats whereof you hear, And more than all the wars she used to wage,  At how she kept her maidenhead — a year !<ref>[https://archive.org/details/lapucellemaidofo01voltiala/page/2/mode/1up?view=theater La Pucelle, the maid of Orleans: : Voltaire, 1694-1778 (archive.org)]  It's always useful to recall that on his deathbed Voltaire begged the Lord for forgiveness, and when rewarded with extra time upon his recovery, he squandered it and ultimately renounced God on his final death. </ref></blockquote>He goes on to compare Joan to the Medusa and has her riding into battle naked. But no need to get into it any further here, as Voltaire's tantrum was more about his own anti-Catholic bigotry than Joan of Arc. She was merely a useful target.
 On it goes through the progression of modernity, exemplified by the 1844 work of Jules Michelet, a 19th century anti-clerical French historian. Michelet is the originator of the term "Renaissance," meant to describe the end of an abysmal and backward Medieval period marked by superstition, oppression, and the Catholic Church (especially Jesuits), replaced by a "rebirth" of enlightened antiquity. Sadly, this socialist historian has deeply influenced the modern study of history.