Joan of Arc is one of the most famous women of Western Civilization. She was just twenty years old when she was put to death, but she made many important accomplishments in her brief life. Through her prophesy, drive, and courage in battle, she inspired the French to important military victories and was instrumental in seeing the rightful heir to the French crown, Charles VII, be coronated as the King of France. She became a national heroine and was decisive in the awakening of French national consciousness. For centuries she was a focus of French national unity. Many years after her assassination, Joan of Arc was canonized and became the subject of many poems and plays. Her wearing of men's clothes made her a crossdresser, and one of the most famous ever. Dressing in male attire was just one aspect of her unique personality, but it eventually became the centerpiece of her trail and the reason for her execution.
Born in Lorraine, France in 1413, Joan led an ordinary life until the fall of 1428. At that time, she approached French rulers notifying them that heavenly voices had given her a mission. From her voices, she learned that she would lead an army that would drive the English from France and see the English king replaced by the heir to the French crown (Wheeler, 1996, p. 3). French rulers were skeptical at first, but a psychological examination demonstrated she was sincere in her beliefs. A concurring physical examination substantiated Joan's claim of chastity, a characteristic that became a central factor in her admiration and respect (Barstow, 1986, 50-55).
Joan's first mission was accompanying troops to Orleans. There she informed troops of her vision, and hastened several unexpected French military victories against the English. French warriors were impressed by Joan's voices of prophecy, and the wounds she received in battle heightened French inspiration (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 150). After the siege of Orleans was raised, Joan accompanied French commanders in a succession of French victories against the English. These victories made possible the coronation of Charles VII in the City of Reims. Joan presided at this important event, which sealed her success as a national heroine, making this the height of her prophecy and the peak of her triumph (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 212).
The events that unfolded afterwards led to Joan's downfall and ultimately to her demise. Joan and the newly crowned King Charles had opposing strategies on how to press the French advantage. Joan was a warrior, committed to continuing her military success against the English by marching on and retaking Paris. King Charles, on the other hand, was interested in a diplomatic truce and relegated Joan to an insignificant role. The reality was that Joan never truly had command of an army, though she was instrumental in persuading French leaders and soldiers to fight. Urged on by Joan, Charles reluctantly accompanied her and the French army as they captured small towns near Paris. When Joan opposed a truce, Charles allowed her to attack Paris on her own (Warner, 1981, p. 73). Facing massive superiority in men and arms, Joan bravely stood in full view during the battle and urged the French army to victory. She was wounded during her heroic stand, receiving an arrow through the thigh, but she remained undaunted and urged King Charles to continue the attack the following day. Instead, King Charles ordered a retreat, and the French attempt to regain possession of Paris from the English failed (Guillemin, 1970, p. 139).
After this defeat, not much is known about Joan's life. Her popularity and inspiration dwindled. Despite her accomplishments, King Charles continued relegating her to a back role and wanted her gone. Joan continued pushing for warfare, and Charles eventually allowed her to lead an army on her own. Charles consented to this mission believing secretly that Joan would be killed or captured (Guillemin, 1970, p. 156). This time, Joan and her army faced the numerically superior Burgandians, who were French allies of the English. Shortly after the battle began, the French retreated, and Joan was unhorsed. To stop the advance, the French pulled up a drawbridge. Joan, defending the rear gallantly, was among a handful of soldiers left behind and captured (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 248).
Following her capture, Joan was condemned as a witch and a heretic. She was tried by the theological faculty of the University of Paris, an ecclesiastical court (Barstow, 1988, p. 81). Tried for idolatry, the case against her was shaped around her hearing of voices and her transvestism (Wheeler, 1996, p. 34). The hearing of voices, it was argued, went against the spiritual hierarchy, making her a witch or a heretic. The trial lasted three months, and transvestism was relentlessly scrutinized throughout. The word transvestism, in fact, appears thirty times in the trial's list of accusations. (Wheeler, 1996, p. 33). As part of her defense, Joan claimed that wearing men's clothes does not constitute wrong-doing. As the trial proceeded, judges observed Joan as being headstrong and arrogant, arguing that she behaved like a man during the trial (Wheeler, 1996, p. 53). Joan was convicted, but was allowed to repudiate herself by confessing to adoring and calling up evil spirits and going against the decency of nature by wearing male attire. She was given a dress, which she immediately put on. Ironically, her short hair was shaved off because it represented masculinity, and she was given a life sentence (Wheeler, 1996, p. 37). Five days later, however, Joan returned to wearing male clothes in her prison cell. The clothing was placed in her cell by guards, who probably tricked her into wearing them (Sackville-West, 1936, p. 318). This event brought her before the court again. This time, however, she was excommunicated from the church and sentenced to death. Two days later she was burned at the stake.
Joan was transgendered because she moved beyond the traditional roles for women. Her wearing of men's clothes was a matter of convenience and a means of being the gender more suited for her role and mission (Gies, 1981, p. 36). She cut off her long hair and donned male attire before embarking on a mission in which she traveled with men-at-arms in close environments. She explained that she wore men's clothes because voices instructed her to do so in the name of God (Wheeler, 1996, p. 35). Joan stated, "I know well that it seems strange to you, and not without reason; but if I am to serve the Dauphin in arms I must wear garments appropriate to that end; and also because the men may not feel carnal desire for m e when I ove amongst them and that I may guard my virginity by word and deed (Waldman, 1935, 79). In doing so, men often slept beside her, albeit a non-sexual way, and stated afterwards that they felt no sexual attraction towards her (Michelet, 1887, p. 15). Even though Joan wore men's clothes, it was not an attempt to be a man or to completely appear as one. To those who knew her, she still appeared as a female in men's clothing (Wheeler, 1996, p. 43). There is no evidence of a sexual reason for her crossdressing. Observers remarked that towards sex she had neither curiosity or repulsion (Waldman, 1935, p. 25).
Sources Cited
1. Barstow, A. L. (1986). Joan of Arc, Heretic, Mystic, Shaman. Lesiston: Edwin Mellen Press.
2. Gies, Frances (1981). Joan of Arc, The Legend and the Reality. New York: Harper & Row Publishers.
3. Guillemin, Henri (1970). Joan Maid of Orleans. New York: Saturday Review Press.
4. Michelet, Jules (1887). The Life of Joan of Arc. New York: Publisher John Alderi.
5. Sackville-West, V. (1936). Saint Joan of Arc. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.
6. Waldman, M. (1935). Joan of Arc. Boston; Little, Brown, and Company.
7. Warner, M. (1981). Joan of Arc: The Image of Female Heroism. New York: Alfred Knopf Inc.
8. Wheeler, B., Wood, C. (1996). Fresh Verdict
Original from
http://kristinamayhem.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_16.html
Published in the August 24-30, 1998 edition of Transgender Forum
Published in the May 30, 1999 edition of Transgender Forum
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