Name: _____________________________ Joan of Arc One of the most remarkable stories in the history of Europe was the tale of Joan of Arc. In an age when men held political power, this girl inspired a people. In a time when nobles determined the fate of kingdoms, this peasant changed the course of history. Spurred by faith, Joan of Arc rescued France from domination by England. Subjected to a harsh trial and abandoned by the king she restored to the throne, she was put to death for heresy. In the early 1400s, England was winning the bitter Hundred Years’ War against France. Henry V of England forced the French to accept him as the heir to the insane Charles VI, the king of France. Charles VI’s son was also named Charles and called the dauphin, the French title for the successor to the throne. He was disinherited, though, with the acceptance of Henry V as the heir. However, in 1422 both Charles VI and Henry V died. The dauphin was able to control southern France. The English held the north, and the powerful French duke of Burgundy, who was allied to the English, held much of eastern France. Joan’s hometown of Domrémy remained loyal to the dauphin, however. The English hoped to gain control of southern France by capturing the city of Orléans. They laid siege to the city, and French soldiers were barely able to defend it. Then Joan arrived. Born around 1412, she had led the life of a typical village girl until about 1425, when she began to have visions of saints who spoke to her. She said the saints “told me of the pitiful state of France and told me that I must go [help] the king of France.” After failing to gain an audience with the future ruler twice, she was finally accepted. She had to travel 11 days through enemy lines to reach the dauphin and was initially treated with suspicion. After being examined, she was found to be pious and sincere. Charles gave her the rank of captain, equipped her with a detachment of soldiers, and sent her to join the fighting at Orléans. Joan reached the city and began to inspire hope. She made the French soldiers renounce their sinful practices and dedicate themselves to a holy fight. Her arrival also brought needed supplies, and her accurate predictions of what would occur in the battle won the soldiers’ confidence in her. On May 7, 1429, the French were about to be overrun. Joan, injured, cried “In God’s name, charge boldly!” She led a counterattack that brought a French victory. The English ended the siege, and soon French forces had defeated the English in many nearby towns. 12/5/2013 World History
On Joan’s urging, Charles’ forces moved farther north. They won many cities, either in battle or simply because the towns began to recognize the dauphin’s authority. On July 17, the heir was crowned as King Charles VII in the city of Reims. In the fall, Joan was again wounded in a failed attack on the English army at Paris. During the following spring, she attacked the English again, this time against the wishes of Charles. He wanted to end the war through diplomacy. In May of 1430, she was surrounded and captured by the forces of the duke of Burgundy. He quickly gave her to the English, who put her on trial for heresy. Hearing the voices of saints, they charged, was a sign of witchcraft. Charles did nothing to gain her release. Joan stood firm through most of the long trial. French church officials under control of the English questioned her honesty. The church officials threatened her with torture and produced false evidence. Finally, weakened, she signed a paper renouncing the voices she heard and was sentenced to life in prison. Soon, though, the church said she had resumed her sorcery and condemned her to death. On May 30, 1431, she was burned at the stake. Directions: Answer questions 1‐3 in the space below. 1) Describe the political situation in France when Joan began to see visions. 2) Give two examples of Joan’s courage. 3) Find examples to support the idea that Joan was devoutly religious. Joan of Arc’s Trial In 1429, 17‐year‐old Joan of Arc led French troops to victory over England. A year later, she was captured by English allies and sent to Rouen, a city ruled by the English king. She was tried by a Church court for heresy. Although given a chance to take back her testimony and live, she chose death. necessary to abandon you and do abandon Therefore before us your competent judges, namely Pierre by divine mercy bishop of you to the secular justice as a limb of Satan, infected Beauvais and brother Jean Le Maistre, vicar in this with the leprosy of heresy, cut off from the city and diocese of the notable master Jean Church, in order to prevent the infection of the Graverent, Inquisitor of Heretical Error in the other members of Christ; praying this same power on this side of death and the mutilation of your kingdom of France, and especially appointed by limbs to moderate its judgment towards you, and if him to officiate in this cause, you, Jeanne, commonly called The Maid, have been arraigned to true signs of penance appear in you to permit the sacrament of penance to be administered to you.” account for many pernicious crimes and have been charged in a matter of the faith. And having seen and examined with diligence the course of from Norman F. Cantor, ed., The Medieval Reader your trial and all that occurred therein, principally (New York: Harper Perennial, 1994), 261–262. the answers, confessions and affirmations which you made, after having also considered the most Directions: Answer questions 1‐5 in the space below (and notable decision of the masters of the Faculties of likely on an additional sheet of paper). Theology and Decrees in the University of Paris, in 1) Define the underlined terms based on context. addition to that of the general assembly of the 2) OPVL (Origin – Purpose – Value – Limitation) 3) What “learned expert masters” examined Joan? University, and of the prelates, doctors and men 4) Why did the judges accuse Joan of being a witch and a learned in canon and civil law and in theology who blasphemer? were met together in a great multitude in this town 5) Based on your reading of this excerpt, was Joan of Rouen and elsewhere for the discussion and judgment of your statements, words and deeds; more political than religious? Explain your answer. having taken counsel and mature conference with those zealots of the Christian faith, and having seen and weighed all there is to see and weigh in this matter, all that we and any man of judgment and law could and should observe: We, having Christ and the honor of the orthodox faith before our eyes, so that our judgment may seem to emanate from the face of Our Lord, have said and decreed that in the simulation of your revelations and apparitions [ghosts] you have been pernicious, seductive, presumptuous, of light belief, rash, superstitious, a witch, a blasphemer of God and His saints, a despiser of Him in His sacraments, a prevaricator of the divine teaching and the ecclesiastical sanctions, seditious, cruel, apostate, schismatic, erring gravely in our faith, and that by these means you have rashly trespassed against God and the Holy Church. “Moreover, although you have very often, not by Us only but also by certain learned expert masters and doctors full of zeal for the salvation of your soul, been duly and sufficiently admonished to amend and reform yourself, and to submit to the disposition, decision and correction of Holy Mother Church, you would not, and cared not to do so, and even in the hardness of your heart stubbornly and obstinately declared that you would not, and on many occasions expressly refused to submit to Our Holy Father the Pope and the holy General Council. Therefore, we declare you of right excommunicate and heretic, being stubborn and obstinate in your crimes, excesses and errors; and we pronounce it Directions: Answer the question after reading each section. In 1300, the pope said he had supreme authority over King Philip IV of France. Philip would not obey him. He held the pope prisoner. Philip planned to put him on trial. The pope was rescued but died soon after. The king then forced the election of a French cardinal as pope. In 1305, the new pope moved to Avignon, a city in France. There, the new pope was to lead the Church. This action weakened the Church. In 1378, the French pope at that time died. An Italian was elected the next pope. But the French elected their own pope. Confusion resulted. Church officials had two popes, one in France and the other in Rome. This situation, called the Great Schism, lasted 39 years. At the same time, the pope’s authority was challenged. The English scholar John Wycliffe and the Bohemian John Huss argued that the Bible, not the pope, was the final authority for Christian teaching. What created the Great Schism? People of the late 1300s experienced an even greater shock than the schism in the Church. A deadly disease—the bubonic plague—struck. It swept across Europe. The plague started in 1347. It lasted for decades. Millions of people died. The disease wiped out about one‐third of Europe’s population. The plague affected Europe’s economy. Trade declined, and prices rose. Towns became smaller. Fewer people meant fewer workers. Peasants demanded wages or their freedom. When nobles resisted these demands, peasants often revolted. The Church lost prestige because it could not stop the plague. Jews were persecuted all over Europe. The plague helped bring an end to the Middle Ages. Name three effects of the plague. A century‐long war also helped bring the Middle Ages to an end. The last Capetian king of France died in 1328. He left no heirs. Edward III of England claimed the throne. In 1337, he began a war to win control of France. This conflict is known as the Hundred Years’ War. English forces won three important battles. At one, their archers used longbows. These weapons launched arrows that killed one‐third of the French troops—even armored knights. By 1429, France was desperate. The French army held the town of Orleans. But England was about to capture it. A teenage peasant girl named Joan of Arc arrived on the scene. She led the army of France to victory. Then the French crowned a new king, Charles VII. Later, Joan was captured in battle by allies of the English. She was turned over to Church authorities. She was tried as a witch and burned at the stake. The Hundred Years’ War finally ended in 1453. Most of the fighting took place in France. The war brought France much suffering. However, the war produced a strong national feeling in both England and France. It provided the sense that the king was not just a feudal lord. He was also the leader of a nation. What role did Joan of Arc play in the Hundred Years’ War? By 1235, a new kingdom began—Mali. It arose south of Ghana. Mali’s wealth and power were also based on the gold trade. Sundiata became Mali’s first emperor. He was a great military and political leader. Later Mali rulers adopted Islam. One of them was Mansa Musa. He made Mali twice the size of the old empire of Ghana. To rule this large empire, he named governors to head several provinces. Mansa Musa was a devoted Muslim. He built mosques in two cities. One was Timbuktu. It became a leading center of Muslim learning. Ibn Battuta was a later traveler to the area. He described how peaceful Mali was. Mali, though, declined in the 1400s. Mali was replaced by another empire that grew wealthy from gold. What did Mansa Musa achieve? In other parts of West Africa, city‐states developed. The Hausa people lived in the region that is now northern Nigeria. Their city‐states first arose between the years 1000 and 1200. The Hausa rulers depended on farmers’ crops. They also relied on trade goods. These included salt, grain, and cotton cloth. The Yoruba people also first lived in city‐states. These were located in what is now Benin and southwestern Nigeria. Over time, some of the small Yoruba communities joined together. Many Yoruba kingdoms were formed. Yoruba people believed their kings were gods. The kingdom of Benin arose in the 1200s. It was located near the delta of the Niger River. In the 1400s, a ruled named Ewuare led Benin. He made the kingdom more powerful. During his reign, Benin became a major West African state. He strengthened Benin City, his capital. High walls surrounded the city. The huge palace contained many works of art. In the 1480s, trading ships from Portugal came. They sailed into a major port of Benin. Their arrival was historic. It marked the start of a long period of European involvement in Africa. What was important about Benin? The Book of Roger by Al‐Idrisi The Zanj of the East African coast have no ships to voyage in, but use vessels from Oman and other countries which sail to the islands of Zanj which depend on the Indies. These foreigners sell their goods there, and buy the produce of the country. The people of the Djawaga islands go to Zanzibar in large and small ships, and use them for trading their goods, for they understand each others’ language. Opposite the Zanj coasts are the Djawaga islands; they are numerous and vast; their inhabitants are very dark in color, and everything that is cultivated there, fruit, sorghum, sugar‐cane and camphor trees, is black in color. Among the number of the islands is Sribuza . . . pearl fisheries and various kinds of aromatic plants and perfumes are to be found there, which attract the merchants. Among the islands of Djawaga included in the present section is Andjuba [Anjouan‐Johanna], whose principal town is called Unguja in the language of Zanzibar, and whose people, although mixed, are actually mostly Muslims. The distance from it to Banas on the Zanj coast is 100 miles. The island is 400 miles round; bananas are the chief food. . . . It is a healthy, sweet, and pleasant food. The island is traversed by a mountain called Wabra. The vagabonds who are expelled from the town flee there, and form a brave and numerous company. . . . They are courageous, and feared for their arms and their number. The island is very populous; there are many villages and cattle. They grow rice. There is a great trade in it, and each year various products and goods are brought for exchange and consumption. From Medouna [on the Somali coast] to Malindi, a town of the Zanj, one follows the coast for three days and three nights by sea. Malindi lies on the shore, at the mouth of a river of sweet water. It is a large town, whose people engage in hunting and fishing. On land they hunt the tiger and other wild beasts. They obtain various kinds of fish from the sea, which they cure and sell. They own and exploit iron mines; for them iron is an article of trade and the source of their largest profits. They pretend to know how to bewitch the most poisonous snakes so as to make them harmless to everyone except those for whom they wish evil or on whom they wish to take vengeance. They also pretend that by means of these enchantments the tigers and lions cannot hurt them. It is two days’ journey along the coast to Mombasa. This is a small place and a dependency of the Zanj. Its inhabitants work in the iron mines and hunt tigers. They have red colored dogs which fight every kind of wild beast and even lions. This town lies on the sea shore near a large gulf up which ships travel two days’ journey. . . . In this town lives the King of Zanzibar. His guards go on foot because they have no mounts: horses cannot live there. from Al‐Idrisi, The Book of Roger. Reprinted in Alvin M. Josephy, ed., The Horizon History of Africa (American Heritage, 1971), 159–160. Directions: complete OPVL (Origin – Purpose – Value – Limitation) is the space below.