Saint Joan of Arc glossary

Glossary of people, places, events and terms related to Saint Joan of Arc

Glossary of terms regarding Saint Joan of Arc (Jeanne la Pucelle)

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The Hundred Years War

  • Generally, a war between the English and the French
  • Generally, a war over control of various parts of France, and, ultimately, most of what is today modern France.
  • Variously, a ware between factions and regions in France

The French

The English's French Allies

The English

Places

People

La Hire

Étienne de Vignolles. His nicknam "La Hire" possibly came from the English "the Hire-God" for "wrath of God" and shortened by the French into "La Hire". Or the name was a reflection of his personality from the French for hedgehog, hérisson. Or, it meant direclty "the growler".

Étienne's titles were Sieur de Montmorillon and Chatelain de Longueville.

He was a significant ally of Joan of Arc and following her death in prosecution of the remainder of the Hundred Years War. His most notable battlefield victory was at the 1429 Battle of Patay, in which the English commander Lord John Talbot was captured.

Dynasties

Valois / House of Valois (1328-1589)

The line of French Kings starting with Philip VI who was the cousin (once removed) of Charles IV who died without a male heir. Since Philip VI's father, Charles, was of the "House of Valois," with the reign of Philip VI, the royal House changes from Capetian dynasty to Valois.

Terms

Salic Law

Laws declared by King of the Franks Clovis in 500 AD that, among things, barred female inheritance of property and royal lineage. "Salic" is from the homeland of the "Salic Franks" along the IJssel River in modern Netherlands. Clovis wrote the laws in Latin, although the document contains notations or fragments in either "Old Frankish" or "Old Dutch" words.

The tradition held in France that if a female was the only living successor, the royal line should be transferred to the nearest male relative, such as happened with Louis X, whose daughter inherited his throne of Navarre but not that of France.

Vassal