The creativity expressed by Joan of Arc is not in the areas most people would expect. Joan was a very creative woman, but her creativity is not properly expressed in the popular stories about her today. This paper will not focus on the history of Joan's life, but rather on her original accomplishments, both perceived and actual.

When Joan of Arc is mentioned as an original person, most people think of her accomplishments as a woman. While it is true that most women at the time of Joan of Arc enjoyed less freedom and prestige then woman today do, much of Joan's originality was not a result of Joan breaking out of her gender role.

At the time of Joan's childhood the land of France was caught up in the Hundred Year's War. Joan's home town of Domremy was placed somewhat in between the forces of the English and the French. Although Joan had a relatively pleasant and simple childhood, occasionally she and her family had to flee from armies passing through their town.

Joan started hearing voices at the age of 13. These voices originally only exhorted her to pray often and attend church. After a year or two they started telling her that she must help the dauphin, or future king, of France be crowned. The dauphin, Charles VII, had to be coronated at Reims by tradition, but at that time Reims was held by the English, with their own hopes of crowning Henry VI, who was but a child, when he was old enough.

Joan left her home town without telling her parents and managed to get to the King and convince him of the sincerity of her mission. She was supplied with an army to raise the siege of Orleans, the first necessary step to reaching Reims. Despite the bumbling and lack of faith of her fellow commanders, the siege was lifted with full credit going to Joan. From there it seemed that Joan could do no wrong in battle until she reached Reims and the King was coronated. After this, Joan's successfulness started declining, mainly thanks to the lack of monetary support from King Charles VII. She was captured at Compiègne when the drawbridge was raised too hastily, resulting in Joan being left outside.

Joan was tried by an English inquisition court, found to be heretical, and burned at the stake.

Joan's creativity as a warrior is not to be found in the fact that she was a woman. It was not uncommon for women of her time to fight in battles. In poorer villages, women often fought alongside their husbands as a necessity. Even in the siege of Orleans, which Joan helped lift, women were of paramount importance in defending the city, pouring hot oil and ashes on attackers.

Despite her reputation as a warrior, Joan testified at her trial that she never killed a man. She preferred carrying her standard herself during attacks to avoid killing anyone. But Joan also knew that she had to do more than pray; she participated as well. Among other things, Joan led charges herself, and rallied the men during battle in person. She constantly reminded others that they would have to work hard in order to beat the English.

Joan of Arc's true creativity as a warrior came in her use of artillery, a new invention at her time. Alençon, a fellow commander and admirer, singled out Joan's grasp of artillery in his tribute to her military ability: "and especially in the placing of artillery, for in that she acquitted herself magnificently."

Once again, Joan's originality as a Military Commander did not lie in the fact that she was a woman. Throughout the Middle Ages queens and great ladies had, when necessity dictated, worn armor, ridden chargers, led armies, and defended castles and lands.

But Joan was not a leader out of necessity. Charles VII had many able military leaders, some of whom Joan worked with throughout her career. Joan was a leader because she was good at leading (of course, she credits her inspiration by the Lord for her success). Joan had the ability to get soldiers and captains to listen to her and do as she wanted them to do. She achieved this through her self-confidence, her determination, and her courage.

The ability to get the commanders to follow one leader was something sorely needed in the military of the Medieval period. Military tactics had declined quite a bit from the standards of the Old Roman Empire. Armies were lead by several generals, and tactical decisions were made by committee. Just Joan's ability to lead the committee was a valuable contribution to the French army.

Joan was also not a lady of any kind of noble birth. She was at best, a peasant. Yet at the height of her career she had the best generals of the land following her commands. Ironically, her peasant upbringing probably provided a better physical preparation for military life than an aristocratic one, particularly in the late medieval atmosphere of increasing luxury among the nobility.

Joan also required a professionally-acting army, something that was uncommon in medieval armies. By the time her force had reached Orleans, she had every soldier participating in mass and going to confessions. She had also chased away all of the prostitutes following the army. She considered the righteousness of her forces so important she didn't want to stay in Orleans upon arrival, but wanted to stay with her army, "since they were all well confessed and repentant and of good will," to make sure they didn't backslide.

Perhaps one of the most distinguished, and most often forgotten, creative contributions of Joan of Arc was Joan's patriotism. Before Joan, there was no sense of "France" or "English." To the people of her time, those words meant only the actual land of France and England, not the nations. Joan was the first leader to consider those two countries separate. Even the dauphin and future king of France, Charles VII, felt uneasy about his claim to be the King since Henry VI also claimed the same position. Until Joan, the possibility that there might be two kings was not seriously considered. Either Henry VI was the King of France and England, or Charles VII was. With Joan came the sense of nationalism for the French.

Joan drove home her viewpoint with the English during her trial. She was often asked whether God loved France more than England. Joan prudently responded that God wanted the English to stay in their own lands.

Above all, Joan was a devout catholic. The main reason she was unwilling to submit to church authority during her trial (which actually became the main accusation during her trial--her unwillingness to submit to the church) was because she was being held by the English, not the church. When asked if she would submit to her judges, who promoted themselves to be in authority from the church (but were really just English dupes), Joan replied, "I will answer you. On submission to the Church . . . I have said that all the works which I have said and done should be submitted to Rome to our lord the supreme pontiff, to whom, after God, I refer myself. And as for my words and deeds, I did them on behalf of God." On her way to be burned, she told her main prosecutor, Cauchon, "Alas! If you had put me in Church prisons and in the hands of competent and suitable Church guards, this would not have happened; that is why I appeal to God about you."

Joan's devotion to religion, despite her military career, were truly remarkable. As mentioned before, she required that her soldiers be "well confessed and repentant and of good will." Joan also stopped in every town she passed through, when it was possible, so she could attend mass.

Perhaps the most notable original characteristic of Joan was her practicality. In all matters she was as practical as would be expected of a woman of peasant upbringing. Practicality was something distinctly missing from much of the leadership during her medieval day.

Joan also had an exemplary memory. She often surprised her judges when, during questioning, she promptly told them that they had already asked her that question before, and even gave the day on which they asked it. She also referred them to her previous responses, if necessary, giving them the exact day of the response. Joan corrected the recorder several times, always proving to be right when the recorder referred to his logs.

Although she was far from perfect, Joan was of impeccable character. During the first days of the trial Cauchon tried to have a public trial, but Joan, by her responses, was gaining such favor in the sight of those not so fiercely loyal to England (which included most of the original Judges, jury, and audience) that Cauchon eventually had to hold the trial in private, with his own hand picked judges, to ensure that she would be found guilty. Many of the original charges against her (which included heresy, unchastity [Joan had committed herself to being a virgin when she was fourteen], and witchcraft) had to be dropped because her character and reputation proved them to be obviously false.

Joan of Arc's creativity comes not, as commonly thought, from her being a woman and accomplishing what she did, but from her accomplishments and character independent of her Gender.

Interestingly enough, a similar claim came from a young man out of the mountains of Gevaudan in south-central France, named Guallaume. Guallaume was supposed to have been commanded by god to "go with the king's people, and the English and Burgundians would be discomfited." Guallaume was given command of an army, similar to Joan's experience, but was soon captured, sown in a sack, and drowned.

As a warrior, Joan distinguished herself with her courage and her morals. As a military commander and leader Joan was above reproach, both in her ideals and in her abilities. Joan also rose to her positions of leadership from being a simple peasant, rather than from a background of nobility. As a patriot, Joan virtually defined the nation of France during a time when the word "France" referred to an area of land, rather than a country. As a Christian, Joan did not waver from her faith in God, or in the church as a whole. As a person Joan was a bright, prudent, practical, and humble peasant girl from a small town in Europe who rose up to lead the king to coronation and define the very nation of France.

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