344) Jeanne d’Arc or Joan of Arc or “The Maid of Orleans” or "La Pucelle": 200 Euro and 50 Euro Gold coins and 10 Euro Silver Coins brought out on her under the “Three Famous French Women from the Medieval Period Series” brought out by Monnaie de Paris in July 2016:

344) Jeanne d’Arc or Joan of Arc or “The Maid of Orleans” or "La Pucelle": 200 Euro and 50 Euro Gold coins and 10 Euro Silver Coins brought out on her under the “Three Famous French Women from the Medieval Period Series” brought out by Monnaie de Paris in July 2016:

Jeanne d’Arc or Joan of Arc (also known as “The Maid of Orleans” or "La Pucelle"):

Jeanne d’Arc or Joan of Arc (in English) was born in Domremy in the Lorraine region of France around 1412 in Medieval North-Eastern France.

She was a peasant girl who was not taught to read or write, but her mother ingrained in her a deep faith for the Catholic Church and its teachings.

In 1420, through a peace treaty, the French Crown Prince (Dauphin), Charles of Valois was disinherited amid accusations of his illegitimacy and King Henry V became the Ruler of both England and France.

In 1422, his son, Henry VI, succeeded him to the thrones of both England and France.

By 1424, along with its French allies, led by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, England had occupied much of Northern France and many families in Joan’s village Domremy were forced to abandon their homes under fear of imminent invasion from the Burgundians.

Around 1425, at the age of thirteen, Joan began to hear voices which she determined had been sent by God to give her a mission of overwhelming importance – to save France by expelling its enemies and to install Charles as its rightful king. In her mission she felt herself guided by the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Margaret of Antioch.

Joan already possessed many attributes characteristic of the female visionaries who were a known feature of her time. These qualities included extreme personal piety, communication with the saints and individual experiences of God’s presence, far beyond the teachings and confines of the priests and the institutional Church.

After a while, she became convinced that she had been instructed by Saints and Archangels to free France from English occupation. She made it her mission to get to the Dauphin’s side and inform him of her divine calling.

In 1428, at the age of sixteen, as a part of this divine mission, she took a vow of chastity. When her father tried to arrange for her marriage, she successfully convinced a local court that she should not be forced to marry.

Joan begins her journey of a Divine mission to free France of its English Aggressors:

In May 1428, she went to Vaucouleurs, a nearby stronghold of those still loyal to Charles where her claim to a divine mission was met with scepticism by many. Nevertheless, a small number of followers believed her claims to be the virgin who according to a popular local prophecy was destined to save France. Joan cropped her hair and dressed in men’s clothes to travel through enemy territory to reach Chinon where the crown prince Charles of Valois (or Dauphin) stayed.

In a private audience at his castle at Chinon, Joan of Arc convinced the embattled crown prince after revealing to him information that only a “Messenger from God” could know. She also told him that her voices had told him that she would see him crowned King at Reims, the traditional place of French Royal Investiture and asked him to give her an army to lead to Orleans which was under siege from the English forces.

She was then taken to Poitiers where she was further questioned by eminent theologians who were allied to the Dauphin’s cause. During the questioning, Joan told them that it was not at Poitiers but at Orleans that she would give proof of her mission.

The clergymen counselled the Dauphin that in view of the desperate situation of Orleans, he would be well advised to give her an army.

Alongside French Armies – Joan leads them to famous victories against the hitherto invincible English and their French Allies, the Burgundians:

Even though she had no military training, the Dauphin was now convinced of her divine mission to free France from the foreign aggressors and allowed her to lead a French army to the besieged city of Orleans, against the advice of most of his counsellors and generals.

Joan wrote an aggressively defiant letter to the English Allies she led several French assaults against them, driving the enemy from their bastion and forcing them to retreat across the Loire River.

The French forces had achieved a momentous victory after many years over the English and their French allies, the Burgundians.

After the “miraculous” victory, Joan’s reputation spread far and wide among the French forces. The French armies fought from victory to victory and she was acclaimed for giving the French people and their armies renewed hope.

In 1429, she and her troops escorted Charles across enemy territory to Reims, subduing towns along the way that resisted their advance.

Crowning of King Charles VII at Reims as part of her Divine Mission:

In July 1429, she saw the Crown Prince (Dauphin) crowned as King Charles VII. She also wrote to the Duke of Burgundy urging him to make peace with King Charles and to withdraw his support of the English and to take back his garrisons from the royal fortresses.

She impressed upon King Charles that her voices were telling her that the French should press their advantage and attempt to retake Paris, but Charles under poor counsel that Joan was becoming too powerful, wavered, giving the English-allies time to fortify their positions in Paris. Too late, the French forces moved into action and the English successfully defended their positions in Paris.

Taken captive by the Burgundians:

In 1430, the King ordered Joan to confront a Burgundian attack on Compiegne. In her effort to defend the town and its inhabitants, she was thrown off her horse and was left outside the town’s gates as they were closed shut.

The Burgundians took her captive and brought her to the castle at Bouvreuil, occupied by the English commander at Rouen. She was sold to the English for a sum of 10,000 Francs.

Her Trial by the English Clergymen:

On 13.01.1431, Joan was brought to trial on some 70 charges against her, including witchcraft, heresy and dressing like a man (cross-dressing) and she was interrogated several times. The chief aim of the trial was to get rid of a young prominent Joan, who had given the French hope of ridding their lands of the English Allies, as well as, to discredit Charles, who owed his coronation to her. On his part, as Charles VI was working on a truce with the Duke of Burgundy, he distanced himself from Joan who was accused of being a heretic and a witch, and made no attempts to negotiate Joan’s freedom from her captors.

Joan steadfastly defended her position on all counts.

The main charges were:

- Her behaviour showed blasphemous presumption, in particular her claims that her actions were governed through the authority of divine revelation.

- Prophesising the future

- Endorsing her letters with the names of Jesus and Mary thereby identifying herself with the suspect cult of the Name of Jesus

- Professing to be assured of Salvation

- Wearing men’s clothes

- Preferring what she believed to be the direct commands of God to those of the church

In May 1431, after a year in captivity and under threat of death by her captors, Joan relented and signed a confession denying that she had ever received divine guidance.

Her Sentencing to be burned at the Stake:

Some days later, she was found to be wearing men’s clothes (it is believed that her English captors/detractors had forced her to wear them in her prison cell) and a sentence of death by burning at the stake was pronounced upon her. Her pleas that her appeal should be sent to the Pope in Rome were ignored by her inquisitors.

On 30.05.1431, she was taken to the old market place of Rouen and burned at the stake.  She asked a Dominican priest to hold a crucifix high so that she could see it till the very end and to shout out the assurances of salvation so loudly that she should hear him above the roar of the flames. To the end she maintained that her voices were sent by God and had not deceived her. 

Joan of Arc – a symbol of National Consciousness: The Rehabilitation Trial:

Her fame only increased after her death, so much so, that Charles VII in 1450, was forced to order a new trial. She had by now become a symbol of national consciousness with whom all the French people of whatever creed or group had begun to identify. In the Rehabilitation proceedings which ended in 1456, only one or two witnesses of her death mentioned that they doubted her salvation and all others agreed that she had died a faithful Christian. The new trial cleared her name and declared the earlier trial a mistrial.

In 1920, after almost 5 centuries from the time of her death Pope Benedict XV canonised her and she was declared a Saint.  

She is the patron saint of France, a country she had died trying to rid it of the English aggressors.

Joan became a legendary name world-wide, inspiring numerous works of art and literature over the Centuries. I have a Classics Illustrated Comic (No. 78) in my library which my mother had purchased for me in the 1960s, and I too have been fascinated by the legend of Joan of Arc ever since I was a young school going student. I was happy to learn that these Commemorative coins have been brought out on her by Monnaie de Paris, perpetuating her memory.

The Hundred Year’s War (1337-1453):

Around this time, France had long been torn apart by a bitter conflict with England, known as the 100 Years’ War (1337-1453), in which England had gained the upper hand.

The struggle had involved several generations of English and French claimants to the French throne.

 The war’s turning point was reached in 1429, when the English army was forced to raise its siege of Orleans by a relief force led by Joan of Arc.

Although Joan was captured by the Burgundians and sold to the English as well as, tried and executed for heresy, Philip the Good became convinced, much through the persuasive letters sent by Joan of Arc that the English could now never impose their authority on a region as large as France without more support from the French nobles, who had now awakened to a new-found nationalism, thanks to Joan of Arc and her unjust execution by the English and were supporting the French king Charles VII.

In 1435, the Burgundians under Philip the Good switched sides and Paris once again came under the authority of the King of France – Charles VII.

Charles VII, emboldened by the growing numbers of Nationalist Forces and the internal dynastic struggles in England leading to the “Wars of the Roses” conquered Normandy and all other French territories except Calais by 1453 leading to the end of the 100 Years War, 22 years after Joan of Arc’s death. The English finally relinquished their control of Calais by 1558 leaving the French territories under French control.

Joan of Arc became the most emblematic figure of the Hundred Year’s War.

Joan of Arc – Canonised and declared a Saint:

By the time she was canonised in 1920, the Maid of Orleans (as she was known) had long been considered to be one of history’s greatest saints and an enduring symbol of French unity and Nationalism.

Monnaie de Paris has issued three coins on Joan of Arc in the denominations of 200 and 50 Euros(both in Gold) and 10 Euros (Silver):

The style of these coins is in the Medieval fashion of free striking minting with a hammer:

200 Euro Gold Proof coin: 

The two faces of the 200 Euro Gold Coin together with an image of St.Joan of Arc

 This face of the coin bears her name "JEANNE D'Arc" and her life years "1412-1431".

 This face of the coin bears the  name of the town of her first victory  "ORLEANS" which proved to be the turning point in the 100 Years War with the English & their French Allies ultimately driving the English out of french soil. This victory earned her the name iof "The Maid of Orleans". She is shown on this face holding French colours in her right hand and in battle armour riding her horse, ready for battle. The denomination of the coin is given as "200 EURO" and the Year of issue is "2016". The "Cornucopia" Mint Mark of the Paris Mint is to the left of the year of issue. (A "Cornucopia" is a symbol of plenty, consisting of a goat’s horn overflowing with flowers, fruit and corn and sometimes spilling out coins). The minting has taken place the Mint facility at Pessac Gironde.

The Specifications of this coin are:

Denomination: 200 Euro Gold Proof; Diameter: 37.00 mm; Metallic Composition: Or (Gold) 999/1000; Weight: 31.104 gms; Coin Quality: “Belle Epreuve” (meaning “Proof”); Mintage: 500 coins; Year: 2016; Minting process: Free striking. 

50 Euro Gold Proof coin:

 The Obverse and Reverse faces of the 50 Euro Gold Coin together with an image of St.Joan of Arc

 This face of the coin bears her name "JEANNE D'Arc" and her life years "1412-1431".

  This face of the coin bears the  name of the town of her first victory  "ORLEANS" which proved to be the turning point in the 100 Years War with the English & their French Allies ultimately driving the English out of french soil. This victory earned her the name iof "The Maid of Orleans". She is shown on this face holding French colours in her right hand and in battle armour riding her horse, ready for battle. The denomination of the coin is given as "50 EURO" and the Year of issue is "2016". The "Cornucopia" Mint Mark of the Paris Mint is to the left of the year of issue. (A "Cornucopia" is a symbol of plenty, consisting of a goat’s horn overflowing with flowers, fruit and corn and sometimes spilling out coins). The minting has taken place the Mint facility at Pessac Gironde.

The Specifications of this coin are:

Denomination: 50 Euro Gold Proof; Diameter: 22.00 mm; Metallic Composition: Or Jaune (Gold) 920/1000; Weight: 8.450 gms; Coin Quality: “Belle Epreuve” (meaning “Proof”); Mintage: 1000 coins; Year: 2016; Minting process: Free striking.  

10 Euro Silver Proof coin:

 The Obverse and Reverse faces of the 10 Euro Silver Coin together with an image of St.Joan of Arc

 This face of the coin bears her name "JEANNE D'Arc" and her life years "1412-1431".

 This face of the coin bears the  name of the town of her first victory  "ORLEANS" which proved to be the turning point in the 100 Years War with the English & their French Allies ultimately driving the English out of french soil. This victory earned her the name iof "The Maid of Orleans". She is shown on this face holding French colours in her right hand and in battle armour riding her horse, ready for battle. The denomination of the coin is given as "10 EURO" and the Year of issue is "2016". The "Cornucopia" Mint Mark of the Paris Mint is to the left of the year of issue. (A "Cornucopia" is a symbol of plenty, consisting of a goat’s horn overflowing with flowers, fruit and corn and sometimes spilling out coins). The minting has taken place the Mint facility at Pessac Gironde.

The Specifications of this coin are:

Denomination: 10 Euro Silver Proof; Diameter: 37.00 mm; Metallic Composition: Argent (Silver) 900/1000; Coin Quality: Belle Epreuve (meaning “Proof”); Weight: 22.20 gms; Mintage: 5000 coins; Year: 2016. Minting process: Free striking.






Other interesting posts on Christian Saints, Churches, priests and the Pope: 1) The inspiring story of Saint Teresa :

2) Saint Alphonsa: The first Catholic Woman Saint of India 

3) Pope Francis: 80th Birthday on 17.12.2016: 6 Commemorative coins issued by Cook Islands 

4) Christ Church Fort Teppakulam, Trichirapalli 

5) St. Joan of Arc: The patron Saint of France 

6) Archbishop Benedict Mar Gregarious Centenary Celebrations

7) Bicentenary of the Old Seminary in Kottayam 



 
Other Links:

 1) Honouring Louis Braille on the Bicentenary of his birth in 2009

2) Honouring Charles Eduord Jeanneret popularly known as Le Corbusieur, the French architect who built the modern city of Chandigarh & several other projects: A 10 Franc Banknote issued by the Swiss National Bank 

3) Fort St. George Museum, Chennai (Part iii): i) Indo-Danish coins ii) Indo-Dutch coins iii) Indo-French coins iv) Indo-Portuguese coins 

4) a) Central Bank of West African States issues: the "Franc African Financial Community" (FCFA) b) Bank of Central African States issues : the "Franc Financial Cooperation in Central Africa (FFCCA)

5) French Indo-China issues: A silver one Paistre coin issued in 1895 

6) Financial Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific & French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emission d'outre-Mer (IEOM) for French Polynesia (Tahiti), New caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna and the erstwhile New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu)  

 7) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of New Caledonia (or Nouvelle-Caledonie in French) - the CFP Franc

8) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part I): A one Crown Commemorative Coin issued by the Ascension Island 

9) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's exile to St. Helena (Part II) : coins commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo: 1) A 5 GBP coin issued by the Royal Mint UK: 2) A "Drie Landen Zilverset" issued by the Royal Dutch Mint - which includes coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK 

 10) Jeanne d'Arc or Joan of Arc or "The Maid of Orleans" or "La Pucelle": 200 & 50 Euro gold coins and 10 Euro Silver coins issued by Monnaie de Paris in July 2016

11) i)"Europa Coin Programme" or the Eurostar Programme ii) Monnaie de Paris has issued a series of six coins with the theme "The Age of Iron & Glass" in January 2017

12) 100th Anniversary of Auguste Rodin's passing away commemorated with gold and silver Euro coins issued by the Monnaie de Paris under its on-going "The 7 Arts" Coin Series

 13) Statue of Liberty, Paris, France: "Treasures of Paris": Coin series issued by Monnaie de Paris on 20.01.2017

14) Marianne (or Liberty): "The Trilogy": A set of Euro denominated coins in Gold and silver brought out by Monnaie de Paris in January 2017