The episode features historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examining the life of Joan of Arc through the lens of Christine de Pizan's 1429 poem celebrating the teenage warrior. Christine de Pizan, described by Tom Holland as one of medieval history's most remarkable women and the first professional female writer, composed the poem celebrating Joan's military victories against the English.

The discussion begins with the Hundred Years' War context, where England under Henry V had achieved seemingly decisive victories including Agincourt (1415) and the Treaty of Troyes (1420), which made the English king regent of France. The unexpected deaths of both Henry V and Charles VI in 1422 left an infant Henry VI as the designated king of both realms, with the Duke of Bedford serving as regent.

By 1429, the English siege of Orléans represented the critical moment when French resistance appeared doomed. The Dauphin Charles, disinherited by the Treaty of Troyes, controlled only territory south of the Loire River and lacked resources to mount effective resistance. The episode traces Joan's childhood in Domrémy, a frontier village caught between pro-Dauphin and pro-Burgundian factions.

The narrative explores Joan's supernatural experiences beginning at age 13, her identification with Saints Michael, Catherine, and Margaret, and her eventual decision to approach Robert de Baudricourt at Vaucouleur fortress. The episode concludes with Joan receiving male clothing, a horse, and armed escort to travel to the Dauphin's court, setting up her extraordinary military and political intervention.

Christine de Pizan Celebrates an Unlikely Warrior

Christine de Pizan, born in Venice in 1364, became France's first professional female writer after her husband's death in 1389 left her supporting three children, her mother, and a niece through poetry composition.

"Between the years 1399 and the present year, I have compiled 15 major works" - Christine boasted in 1405, demonstrating prolific output on a "Sanbruckian scale" according to the hosts.

Christine's July 1429 poem celebrating Joan of Arc was her final work after years of silence following the English conquest. "She drives her foes out of France. She recaptures castles and towns. Never has anyone seen such formidable deeds" - Christine wrote, emphasizing the miraculous nature of a teenage peasant girl leading armies.

Joan of Arc has inspired songs by Leonard Cohen, Madonna, Kate Bush, Arcade Fire, Little Mix, The Cranberries, and Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, who wrote both "Joan of Arc" and "Maid of Orleans," one beginning with "Little Catholic Girl."

English Dominance and the Treaty of Troyes

Henry V's victory at Agincourt (1415) killed approximately 10,000 French soldiers while England suffered only 400-500 casualties. The French commander Duke of Alançon was killed, leaving his six-year-old heir dispossessed when Henry later conquered Normandy.

The Treaty of Troyes (May 1420) made Henry V regent of France during Charles VI's lifetime, with the French crown passing to Henry and his heirs upon Charles VI's death, effectively disinheriting the Dauphin Charles and replacing the House of Valois with the House of Lancaster.

"The power of England standeth most upon our poor archers" - Sir John Fortescue explained England's military advantage, with longbowmen providing the decisive edge in combination with men-at-arms.

Henry V's son, the future Henry VI, was born December 6, 1421, providing the House of Lancaster with an heir and seemingly securing English control of both kingdoms.

Henry V died unexpectedly in August 1422 at age 35, never sitting on the French throne. Charles VI died two months later in October 1422, leaving infant Henry VI as the designated king of both England and France.

Civil War: Burgundians versus Armagnacs

France descended into civil war between two factions named after wine regions: the Burgundians led by the Duke of Burgundy (who held territories in eastern France and the Low Countries as vassal to both the French king and Holy Roman Emperor) and the Armagnacs led by the Count of Armagnac.

The May 1418 Burgundian massacre in Paris saw the Count of Armagnac battered to death with his coat of arms' saltire cross carved into his flesh, followed by a massive pogrom of Armagnac supporters throughout the city.

The September 10, 1419 summit at Montereau bridge between John the Fearless (Duke of Burgundy) and Dauphin Charles ended with John's assassination by the Dauphin's men, entrenching the blood feud and driving the Burgundians into alliance with England.

Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, exemplified French churchmen who supported the English-Burgundian alliance. Born in Reims and educated at the University of Paris (Europe's greatest theology center), Cauchon genuinely believed the Treaty of Troyes represented God's will for France's future.

Bedford's Regency and the Siege of Orléans

John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford, Henry V's younger brother, became regent for infant Henry VI in France. "Wise and generous, at once feared and loved" - a contemporary churchman described Bedford, who spoke good French, patronized French churches and artists, and married Anne, sister of Philip the Good.

Bedford maintained England's first standing army in France, "something which England would not have again until the time of Oliver Cromwell" - Jonathan Sumption observed, demonstrating unprecedented military organization and state capacity.

The 1423 Battle of Verneuil saw 8,000 of the Dauphin's men killed or captured by Bedford's forces. Among the captives was the 15-year-old Duke of Alançon in his first battle, whose duchy Bedford then officially confiscated, making himself Duke of Alançon.

The English siege of Orléans began November 1428 under William de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, with lieutenants John Talbot ("an absolute animal" played by "Laurence Dallaglio") and 23-year-old Lord Scales commanding forces around the strategically vital Loire crossing point.

"If the English take Orleans, they will have no difficulty in making themselves lords of all France and sending the Dauphin packing to beg his bread at armshouses" - a Venetian merchant in Burgundy wrote in early 1429, reflecting widespread expectation of English victory.

Joan's Childhood in Domrémy

"Of my surname, I know nothing. I was born in the village of Don Rémy" - Joan testified at her 1431 trial in Rouen. Her father Jacques d'Arc and mother Isabel were respectable peasants, not the underclass, with Joan learning to "spin and to sew" rather than shepherding.

Domrémy sat on the frontier between Champagne and Lorraine, with the village supporting the Dauphin while neighboring villages backed Burgundy. Villages fought each other regularly, with people badly wounded or killed in the fighting.

When Joan was 11, her cousin was killed by a cannonball fired into a neighboring village's church. Church bells ringing to warn of danger became a familiar and emotionally significant sound throughout her childhood.

Summer 1428 saw an Anglo-Burgundian army systematically devastate the region around Domrémy. All Dauphinist strongholds fell except Vaucouleur fortress, commanded by Robert de Baudricourt, a nobleman from Lorraine with connections to the French court and the House of Anjou.

Supernatural Voices and Spiritual Mission

"The voice first came at noon on a summer's day in my father's garden" - Joan testified, describing her first supernatural experience at age 13. The voice came from the direction of the village church and she immediately understood it as "good and worthy" and "sent from God to guide her."

Joan identified her voices with three saints: Saint Michael (warrior archangel, patron saint of her region, and symbol of French resistance at Mont Saint-Michel), Saint Catherine of Alexandria (probably the best-loved saint of the age, Joan's deceased sister's namesake), and Saint Margaret of Antioch (patron saint of midwives who entered a monastery disguised as a man).

Joan's relationship with her voices was conversational and argumentative rather than purely mystical. "If the voices tell her something that she doesn't agree with, she tells them that" - Tom noted, distinguishing her from other female mystics who experienced more transcendent visions.

The voices' instructions evolved from vague spiritual guidance to specific political mission: initially telling Joan to "go to the Dauphin and ride in front of him and drive the English out of France," then to "lead the Dauphin to Reims to be crowned," and finally by late 1428 to "ride to Orléans and break the English siege."

Joan took a vow of chastity upon entering her teens and rejected an arranged fiancé her parents had lined up, demonstrating early independence and commitment to her spiritual mission.

Journey to Vaucouleur and Male Dress

Joan's father had nightmares of her "running away with men at arms," fearing sexual misbehavior. When 16-year-old Joan announced her intention to go to Vaucouleur fortress, her father was appalled, but she deliberately ignored his orders and ran away.

Robert de Baudricourt twice rejected Joan's request to take her to the Dauphin. In January 1429, he brought a priest to exorcise her as possessed by evil spirits, but Joan reproached the priest: "You've heard my confession. You know that I am literally on the side of the angels."

Charles, Duke of Lorraine, and René of Anjou (second son of Yolande, the Dauphin's mother-in-law) may have encouraged Baudricourt to support Joan. Charles hoped Joan might heal his illness, but she dismissed this: "I'm not going to do that. I can't heal anyone."

Joan insisted on wearing male clothing for her journey, despite cross-dressing being "an abomination unto God" specifically condemned in Deuteronomy. She never justified this choice on practical grounds, making clear her voices had instructed her to dress as a man.

Baudricourt provided Joan with male clothing, a cropped haircut in the "pudding bowl" style, a horse, a sword, two pages, and four men-at-arms to escort her across bandit territory to the Dauphin's court at Chinon, south of the Loire.