International Women’s Day 8 March
Statue de Jeanne d'Arc, Chinon
As inspirational rôle models, La Pucelle* (aka Joan of Arc) and her protector Yolande of Aragon who played a crucial rôle in the liberation of France are hard to beat. Through their courageous, brave, superhuman efforts the disinherited Dauphin was crowned Charles VII.
In 1429 Yolande put her army at Joan’s disposal (Charles didn’t have one) to help her take Orléans. Yolande spent her fortune bankrolling Charles to save France.
Joan’s faith moved the mountain, the English occupation of France. It took her nine days to clear Orléans of the enemy. After almost a hundred years of devastating wars, she achieved what the best military strategists had failed to do. When she ousted the English from the Loire Valley, it was the beginning of the end of the occupation.
Statue de Jeanne d'Arc, Église Saint-Étienne de Chinon
The pinnacle of England’s success was that the defeated Charles VI gave his throne to Henry V. The pinnacle of Joan’s success was regaining it for Charles VII.
Joan said she received visitations from saints who told her she was sent by God to save France from English domination. Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw said her astonishing victory over the English was due to her innate intelligence and gift for inspiring leadership. She was a mystic who assumed her uncanny intuition and her seemingly preposterous unwavering belief in her mission to rid France of the English came from God.
Foreign tourists in France, mystified to find that wherever they go, there is a statue** of Joan, need read just one biography of this astonishing teenager. Although they will not find a statue in Amboise, never the less, it is, in a way, to Joan, the town owes its fame and fortune.
Statue de Jeanne d'Arc, Church of Saint Ours of Loches
Enter Yolande of Aragon, mother-in-law of Charles VII. When Charles made no attempt to expel the English from France or expressed any interest in doing so, a furious Yolande in steel plate and chain mail body armour, mounted her grey charger and commanded her Angevin army in the battle of Beaugé near her château in Saumur. She clanked into the old fortress of Chinon where Charles was holed up and said if he couldn’t be bothered to save France, she would. So would Joan, the greatest patriot France has ever known.
What’s all this got to do with Amboise? In 1431 when the ten year old Henry VI, King of England, was crowned King of France in Notre Dame, Paris a furious Yolande blamed Georges de la Trémoille, Grand Chamberlain of France.
l'église Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc place du Vieux-Marché, Rouen
Trémoille, jealous of the success and adulation of the teenage Joan after her astonishing victory at Orléans foiled many of her efforts to win battles. His total control of Charles meant that Joan died in Rouen at the stake age nineteen.
A devastated Yolande asked Louis d’ Amboise to kill Trémoille. He, Yolande and Joan were with Charles at his coronation, the coronation he never fought for, never expected to have and but for Yolande and Joan never would have had.
Statue de Jeanne d'Arc, Eglise Saint-Laurent-Nouan
When Louis tried and failed to have Trémoille murdered, he was arrested and sentenced to death. Charles was an unpopular king living on hand outs. Louis was very popular and very rich. Charles was jealous of his wealth and jealous that Yolande admired him. Charles was shamed by Louis who fought with Joan. Long before the plot against Trémoille was discovered, Charles was looking for an excuse to bring Louis down.
The problem facing Charles was, that, on the one hand, Trémoille was bankrolling his impoverished Court, on the other, he needed Yolande. He could not afford to lose Trémoille’s financial backing or Yolande’s support.
To placate Yolande, Charles commuted Louis’ sentence to life imprisonment and banished Trémoille from Court. To placate Trémoille Charles confiscated all the properties belonging to Louis.
Statue de Jeanne d'Arc, Beaugency
In 1433 Louis’ cousin, Pierre d' Amboise, who was with Louis and Joan when they routed the English from Orléans, entered the Royal Fortress of Chinon where Trémoille was staying, took him prisoner and held him ransom in exchange for Louis.
Louis was released. His lands were restored to him, except for Château Amboise. Charles took that for the Crown.
It had belonged to the House of Amboise, one of the oldest families of French nobility for over four hundred years (the family took its name from the town, not the other way round).
* Joan called herself Jehanne la Pucelle, Joan the Maid. She was born in Domremy renamed Domremy-la-Pucelle
** One of the best is in Chinon. Joan is depicted trampling the English under the hooves of her horse.
This is an extract from Pamela’s soon to be published book Out of the Shadows: The Ladies of Chateau Amboise.
Post by Pamela, photography by Mark.
