Mike Vickers' Blog

I watched an interesting programme on Joan of Arc given by the historian Helen Castor on BBC2

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05x31w3

Joan, a peasant girl,  hears God’s call to save France from the dastardly English (actually the French Burgundians with English support)  and make the Dauphine King.

She persuades the Dauphine to give her an army and raises the siege of Orleans in 4 days (after it had been sieged by the English for 6 months) – gets the Dauphine crowned in Notre Dame under the very nose of the Burgundians / English who are occupying Paris.

Then she wishes to drive the English out of France altogether but the then King wants to parley with the other half of Burgundians / English and she becomes a liability.

Nevertheless driven by her conviction she drives forward with a small band of trusty followers and eventually is captured by the Burgundians / English and put on trial by the Burgundians for heresy – the heresy is that it’s not God she hears but the Devil.  She gives a great fight at her trail but is eventually is worn down Pierre Cauchon the main inquisitor and confesses at the thought of being burned at the sake – only to go back at the last moment to repeat that is God she has heard (remember Crammer) – and is handed over to the English who do burn her at the stake.

For Joan of Arc read Nicola Sturgeon.  I cannot think of a good analogy for Pierre Cauchon  – certainly not Cameron perhaps Osborne?

It took till 1920 for Joan to be canonized – may be Sturgeon may not have to wait that long.

But France became free of the bastardly English in 1453 – 25 years after Joan’s breaking the siege of Orleans