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A review by rpnelson
Joan of Arc: A History by Helen Castor
4.0
This is not a book about Joan's personality or an attempt to "get inside her head." Which is to its credit. This book puts her in a historical context, starting with Henry V's victory at Azincourt and ending with the restoration of France to French rule, with a coda on the canonization of Saint Joan.
On that score, I think it's an excellent book. It doesn't go into details about life at court or in Joan's hometown of Domrémy, or what the peasants ate vs. the nobility or any of that kind of detail, so if that's what you're looking for, you'll be disappointed.
On the other hand, it's very enlightening on why France was fractured, with Duke Philip of Burgundy siding with the English (until he didn't) and the key influence of Yolande of Aragon in supporting various factions at court and supporting Joan herself. It also follows the various campaigns of the war and the theological discourses about the validity of Joan's claims. The amount of time spent by the clergy discussing her choice to wear men's clothing is sort of astonishing.
On that score, I think it's an excellent book. It doesn't go into details about life at court or in Joan's hometown of Domrémy, or what the peasants ate vs. the nobility or any of that kind of detail, so if that's what you're looking for, you'll be disappointed.
On the other hand, it's very enlightening on why France was fractured, with Duke Philip of Burgundy siding with the English (until he didn't) and the key influence of Yolande of Aragon in supporting various factions at court and supporting Joan herself. It also follows the various campaigns of the war and the theological discourses about the validity of Joan's claims. The amount of time spent by the clergy discussing her choice to wear men's clothing is sort of astonishing.