Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. XXIX · Unit 9: The end of the Middle Ages
37. Joan of Arc
Goal: Your child can tell the story of Joan of Arc: her voices, the relief of Orleans, the crowning at Rheims, and her capture and death.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map of Europe and the Mediterranean (a free online map or a globe)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter XXIX (1412-1431): Joan, a peasant girl of Domrémy, says she hears voices telling her to deliver France. Her parents and the village try to stop her. At Chinon she persuades King Charles VII to let her lead an army. In white armor, with a white banner, she relieves Orleans in 1429 and is called the Maid of Orleans. Charles is crowned at Rheims with Joan beside him. Captured by the Duke of Burgundy and sold to the English, she is tried for sorcery and burned at the stake in Rouen.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Domrémy in the east of France, then Chinon on the Loire, Orleans, Rheims (Reims) and Rouen. Say: When Joan was a girl, the English held much of France, and the French king had not even been crowned.
Read the chapter
Read Chapter XXIX aloud. It begins:
In the long wars between the French and English not even the Black Prince or King Henry V gained such fame as did a young French peasant girl, Joan of Arc.
Heads-up: the chapter ends with Joan burned at the stake. The book tells it simply and gently, but read ahead and decide what to read aloud. You can stop at her capture and tell the end in your own words.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- What did Joan's voices tell her, and what did her parents say?
- What did Joan carry when she rode out from Chinon?
- What happened when she was wounded at Orleans?
- What did she ask the king after his crowning?
Joan's voices
Read what Joan told her mother:
Mother, I would far rather sit and spin by your side than take part in war. My mission is no dream.
SayJoan said she heard the voices of saints and angels. Her friends believed her and her enemies said it was the work of the devil. People of different beliefs still think about her voices in different ways, but almost everyone admires her courage.
What happened later
SayAbout twenty-five years after Joan died, a new trial declared that she had been innocent. In 1920 the Catholic Church named her a saint. Today she is one of the heroes of France.
Talk it over
The book says it put Joan among the great men "although she was only a simple peasant girl." Ask: The book is called Famous Men, yet here is a girl. What does that tell you about Joan? What would you say to the authors about "only"?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "1429 Joan saves Orleans" and "1431 Joan dies at Rouen."
Afterwards
Ask your child to tell Joan's story in five parts: home, Chinon, Orleans, Rheims, Rouen.
Tip
Many children are deeply moved by Joan. Give time for questions, and focus on her courage and on the fact that she was later cleared.
Answers to the book's problems
They told her she could deliver France from the English and help King Charles; her father said it was only her fancy and she should marry. She carried an ancient sword found near a saint's tomb and a white banner embroidered with lilies, and wore white armor. Her soldiers began to retreat; she told them to rest, and came back, touched the fort with her banner, and they took it. She asked to go home to her parents, saying the will of God was done.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.