Joan of Arc: The Teenage Warrior Who Changed the Course of History

A Call from Heaven

The sun was warm on Joan’s face as she played in her family’s garden in Domrémy. She was thirteen years old, with dark hair and bright eyes. Like other children in her village, she helped her parents tend to their animals and crops.

“Joan! Please fetch some water from the well!” her mother called.

As Joan walked to the well with her wooden bucket, something amazing happened. She heard beautiful bells ringing, but they weren’t from the church. Then came a bright light, brighter than the sun! ✨

“Joan, dear child,” a gentle voice spoke. “God has chosen you for a special task.”

Joan stood very still. She wasn’t scared, but her heart beat fast with excitement. The voice was kind and made her feel warm inside.

“But I’m just a young girl who can’t even read or write,” Joan whispered back.

“God doesn’t need you to read books,” the voice said. “He needs your brave heart. France is in trouble, and you will help save it.”

That night at dinner, Joan was quiet. Her father Jacques noticed something was different about his daughter.

“Is everything alright, Joan?” he asked, passing her a piece of bread.

“Yes, Papa,” she said. But inside, she knew her life would never be the same. The voices came back many times. They told her she would:

• Help make the French prince become king
• Lead soldiers into battle
• Save France from its enemies
• Be very brave and strong

Joan kept these messages secret for a long time. She prayed in the village church every day. The other children noticed she wasn’t playing as much anymore.

“Why do you spend so much time in church?” her friend Marie asked.

“I have important things to think about,” Joan answered with a small smile.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Joan grew stronger in her faith. She learned about the war from travelers who passed through their village. Every time she heard about French people suffering, her heart hurt.

One morning, Joan woke up knowing what she had to do. She would leave her village and find a way to help France. The voices had prepared her for this moment.

“Dear God,” she prayed, “I am ready to do what you ask. Please help me be brave.”

Her journey would take her far from her quiet village life. She would trade her simple dress for armor, and her sheep for soldiers. But first, she had to convince everyone that her heavenly voices were real.

Little did anyone know that this young girl from a small village would soon change the whole history of France!

The Journey to Court

Joan knew she had to meet Prince Charles, who wanted to be king of France. But the prince lived far away in a big castle. How would a simple farm girl get there?

“I must see Captain Robert,” Joan told her uncle. “He can help me meet the prince.”

The captain laughed when he first saw Joan. “A young girl wants to save France?” he said.

“God sent me,” Joan said bravely. “I must help make Prince Charles our king.”

Joan’s strong words made the captain think twice. He gave her men’s clothes and guards to keep her safe on the long trip.

“Be careful of bad people on the road,” the captain warned. “Many don’t want Prince Charles to be king.”

The journey was hard. Joan and her guards rode horses through rain and cold. They had to hide from enemy soldiers. But Joan wasn’t afraid. Her voices kept her strong.

Finally, they reached the prince’s castle in Chinon. It was huge, with tall stone walls and many guards.

“Who is this person in boy’s clothes?” the castle guards asked.

“I am Joan,” she said. “I bring a message from heaven for Prince Charles.”

Inside the castle, Prince Charles played a trick. He dressed like a normal person and stood with his friends. He thought Joan wouldn’t know which person was really the prince.

But Joan walked straight to him!

“My lord,” Joan said, kneeling before him. “God has sent me to help you become king of France.”

Prince Charles was shocked. “How did you know it was me?”

“My voices told me,” Joan answered. Then she told him a secret that only he knew. This made the prince believe her.

But some people at the castle still didn’t trust Joan. They asked her many hard questions:

• Why would God pick a girl to be a soldier?
• How do you know your voices come from heaven?
• Can you really help win the war?
• Are you telling the truth?

Joan answered all their questions well. She spoke with such faith that many people started to believe in her.

“Give me soldiers,” Joan said to the prince. “I will help you win back your crown.”

Prince Charles decided to trust Joan. He gave her:

“Thank you, my prince,” Joan said. “Now we must hurry. The city of Orléans needs our help!”

The young girl from Domrémy was about to become a warrior. Her next big test would be leading soldiers into battle. Would they listen to a teenage girl? Would she be brave enough to fight?

The voices had led her this far. Now it was time to prove she really could help save France! ⚔️

The Battle Begins

Joan rode to Orléans on her white horse. The city was in big trouble. English soldiers had built walls all around it. No food could get in!

“Look!” a child shouted from the city walls. “A girl in armor is coming to help us!”

Joan carried her white banner high. On it was a picture of angels and the words “Jesus, Maria.” The soldiers stared at her in wonder. ️

“God has sent me to save Orléans,” Joan told the army. “Who will follow me?”

At first, the old army leaders didn’t want to listen to a young girl. They had fought in many battles before.

“What does a farm girl know about war?” they laughed.

But Joan was smart! She made a clever plan:

Joan led wagons of food through a secret path into the city. The hungry people cheered!

“See?” Joan said to the army leaders. “God is helping us win!”

The English soldiers shouted mean things at Joan. But she wasn’t scared.

One morning, while Joan was taking a nap, she jumped up suddenly. “My voices!” she cried. “They say we are losing a battle!”

She ran to her horse and rode fast to the fighting. Sure enough, the French were losing! ‍♀️

“Follow me!” Joan called, raising her banner high.

The soldiers saw her bravery and felt stronger. They fought harder than ever before!

“The Maiden is magical!” the English soldiers cried. They began to feel afraid.

Day after day, Joan led attacks on the English forts. One by one, they fell:

“One more big push!” Joan told her army. “We can win!”

The final battle was the hardest. Joan climbed a tall ladder to reach the English walls. She waved her banner, showing everyone the way.

The people of Orléans were so happy! They rang church bells and had a big party. Children danced in the streets.

“Joan saved us!” they cheered. “Joan the Maid is our hero!”

News of Joan’s amazing victory spread across France. More soldiers wanted to join her army. Even the old commanders now believed in her.

Joan hugged her white banner. Her voices had been right – she really could help save France! But this was just the start. Many more battles were coming, and Joan was ready to lead the way. ⚔️

The Young Commander

After saving Orléans, Joan became very famous! People called her “The Maid of Orléans.” Kings and soldiers wanted to meet the brave girl who beat the English army.

“God helped us win,” Joan would say. “And He will help us win more!”

Joan had changed a lot since leaving her farm. She now rode her horse like a pro and could plan big battles. But she still stayed kind and humble.

“Where should we fight next?” the army leaders asked Joan.

“We must take back more French cities,” Joan replied. “Then we can crown Prince Charles as king!”

The French army grew bigger every day. Soldiers came from all over to fight with Joan:

But being a leader wasn’t always easy. Some of the old commanders were jealous of Joan.

“She’s just a girl!” they would grumble. “Why does everyone listen to her?”

“You see?” Joan told the doubters. “When we trust in God, we cannot lose!”

One day, a messenger brought scary news. A huge English army was coming!

“There are thousands of them!” he cried. “They want to take back Orléans!”

The French soldiers felt afraid. But Joan stood tall on her white horse.

“Do not fear!” she called out. “Even if they come from the clouds above, we will beat them!”

Joan’s plan was clever. She sent fast riders to find the English army. Then she surprised them before they could get ready!

“Charge!” Joan shouted, raising her banner high. ‍♀️

The battle was over very fast. The English soldiers ran away, leaving all their stuff behind.

“The Maiden is blessed by God!” people said. “No one can stop her!”

Joan wrote a letter to the English king. She tried to make peace:

But the English leaders were too angry about losing. They wanted to stop Joan, no matter what.

Joan knew her next big job was super important. She had to take Prince Charles safely to Reims, where French kings got their crowns.

“It will be dangerous,” her voices told her. “But you must be brave.”

Joan looked at her faithful army and smiled. She was ready for whatever came next. The story of the farm girl who became a great leader wasn’t over yet!

Dark Days and Brave Hearts

The sunny days of victory didn’t last forever. One rainy morning, Joan rode out to defend the city of Compiègne from enemy soldiers. ️

“Something feels different today,” Joan whispered to her friend Jean. Her voices had warned her to be careful.

During the battle, bad things happened very fast. Some soldiers who Joan thought were friends turned out to be sneaky enemies! They were called Burgundians, and they worked with the English.

“Surrender, Maiden!” the Burgundian soldiers shouted.

Joan fought bravely, but there were too many of them. They pulled her off her white horse.

The Burgundians were super happy. They had caught the famous Joan of Arc! They took her to a strong castle with thick walls and locked her up.

But the English wanted Joan very badly. They paid lots of gold to buy her from the Burgundians.

But Joan stayed strong. She knew she was doing what God wanted.

The English made Joan go to a big trial. Many mean judges asked her hard questions every day. ‍⚖️

“Tell us who told you to fight,” they demanded.

Joan answered bravely: “God helped me help France. I’m not sorry about that!”

The trial went on for many days. Joan had to sleep in chains, but she didn’t give up hope.

The judges tried tricks to confuse Joan:

“I cannot tell lies,” Joan said. “I did what God asked me to do.”

The trial got worse and worse. The judges didn’t want to be fair to Joan. They already decided she was guilty!

“My voices say I must be brave,” Joan told herself in her cold cell. “I won’t let them win.”

One day, the judges read their final decision. Joan listened with her head held high, ready to face whatever came next. The brave girl who led armies wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in.

A Light That Never Dims

The judges made their choice. On a warm spring morning, they said Joan was guilty.

“Joan of Arc, you are sentenced to death,” they announced in the big stone room.

But Joan wasn’t scared. She stood tall and said, “My voices were real. God sent me to help France, and I did!”

On May 30, 1431, Joan woke up early. She knew this was her last day.

“I forgive everyone who hurt me,” she said softly. People who saw her cried because she was so brave.

Many people came to the town square that day. Some were crying. They knew Joan was good and special.

“Jesus, Jesus,” Joan whispered as she looked up at the sky one last time.

Twenty years later, Joan’s mom and friends asked for a new trial. They wanted everyone to know the truth about Joan.

France became free from England, just like Joan said it would! Her king ruled for many years.

In 1920, something wonderful happened. The Church made Joan a saint! That means they said she was one of God’s special helpers. ⭐

People still visit the places where Joan lived and fought. They built beautiful statues of her. Kids learn about her in school.

The little farm girl who heard voices grew up to save her country. Joan of Arc showed that anyone can do amazing things when they believe in themselves and work hard.

Her light still shines bright today, teaching us all to be brave, honest, and kind.