Synopses & Reviews
A world authority on warfare in the Middle Ages offers a fresh insight into the military skills of the young girl who led the French Army to victory In 1428 a young girl from a small French village approached the royal castle of Vaucouleurs with a now famous tale. Heavenly voices, she said, had told her to seek out the Dauphin, Charles, so that he might give her an army with which to deliver France from its English occupiers. The ensuing tale of Joan's military success is told here in a gripping and authoritative narrative. Previous works have concentrated on the religious and feminist aspects of Joan's career; this is the first to address the vital issue of what it was that made her the heroine she became. Why did the soldiers of France follow a woman into battle when no troops of the Hundred Years War had done so before, and how was she able to win? This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Middle Ages and the phenomenon of the girl warrior.
Review
"Immensely readable . . . should be welcomed by general and academic readers alike." Library Journal
About the Author
Kelly Devries is an historian specializing in warfare of the Middle Ages. His books include Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century and Medieval Military Technology. He has been featured on the History Channel, and is a history professor at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, Maryland.