Saint Joan · Chapter
Joan Not Tried as a Political Offender explained
This chapter argues that Joan of Arc's trial was not a political trial but a religious one, conducted by ecclesiastical and Inquisition courts as a heresy case.
What happens
This chapter argues that Joan of Arc's trial was not a political trial but a religious one, conducted by ecclesiastical and Inquisition courts as a heresy case. It explores Joan's defiance of Church authority, her reliance on private revelations, and the tragic misunderstanding between her and her judges. The chapter also critiques the later rehabilitation trial as politically motivated and notes the eventual canonization of Joan.
Themes in this chapter
Heresy and Sanctity
The chapter examines the conflict between Joan's personal revelations and the Church's authority, framing her trial as a clash between heresy and sanctity.
Historical Interpretation
The chapter critiques both the original trial and the rehabilitation as biased by political motives, highlighting the difficulty of objective historical judgment.
Characters to notice
- Joan of Arc
Joan is portrayed as innocent and defiant, refusing to accept the Church's interpretation of God's will and relying on her private revelations from her saints.
- Peter Cauchon
Cauchon is mentioned as the bishop who presided over Joan's trial, later vilified and his body thrown into a sewer after the rehabilitation.
- King Charles VII
Charles the Victorious is noted as having his credit bound up with Joan's, and he supported the rehabilitation trial for political reasons.
- Mark Twain
Mark Twain is compared to Joan in terms of innocence and lack of understanding of the trial, and his account is deemed absurd.
- Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang is mentioned alongside Mark Twain as sharing Joan's innocence and producing an absurd account of the trial.
Key passages
“Joan’s trial was not, like Casement’s, a national political trial.”
Joan's trial was not a political trial like that of Roger Casement.
Distinguishes Joan's trial from modern political trials.
“She was much more like Mark Twain than like Peter Cauchon.”
Joan resembled Mark Twain in her innocence, not the bishop Cauchon.
Highlights Joan's naivety compared to her accuser.
“Her notion of a Catholic Church was one in which the Pope was Pope Joan.”
Joan imagined a church where she herself held papal authority.
Illustrates Joan's radical challenge to Church hierarchy.
“Thus an irresistible force met an immovable obstacle, and developed the heat that consumed poor Joan.”
Joan's unyielding conviction clashed with the Church's inflexible authority, leading to her execution.
Metaphor for the tragic conflict that led to Joan's death.