Joan of Arc: The Warrior Saint

It began with voices—St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret speaking to an ordinary farmer's daughter. Inspired to aid the future King Charles VII, whose right to the throne had been denied by the English in the Hundred Years War, Joan of Arc made her journey clad in male attire. Theologians testified to the veracity of her divine claims, and she was furnished with a host of troops. But how did she achieve the military feats that made her a legend? Stephen W. Richey offers a unique look at this remarkable woman. Joan of Arc rapidly matured into a true battle commander who spoke forcefully in war councils, made decisions, and gave orders that were obeyed—resulting in a stunning series of victories for her army. She achieved this feat by virtue of her unschooled but intuitive genius for war, a charismatic personality that inspired her soldiers to heroic feats, and her ability to exploit a unique set of lucky circumstances.

Table of Contents:
The Two Key Questions about Joan of Arc's Military Career: "What" and "How" The Story of Joan's Story: A Review of the Literature The General Situation Prior to Joan's Arrival on the Public Stage Joan's Military Career: The Preliminaries Joan's Achievement in Raising French Morale: The First Part of "What" Joan's Achievement as a Military Commander: The Second Part of "What" Joan's Leadership Qualities: The First Part of "How" Joan's Lucky Circumstances: The Second Part of "How" Summation Appendix A: Joan's Four Key Missions or Prophecies Appendix B: Joan of Arc at the Movies Appendix C: Joan's Personal Appearance Bibliography Picture Credit

About the Author :
STEPHEN W. RICHEY is a freelance researcher. Born and raised in Rochester, New York, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a tank crewman in 1977. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1984 as a Second Lieutenant of tank troops. He has served out his military career in numerous places around the world, to include Germany, the Persian Gulf War of 1991, humanitarian de-mining operations in Ethiopia, and earning his parachutist's wings at Fort Benning, Georgia. His most recent overseas tour of duty was in Iraq from April 2004 to April 2005. He presently serves as the Commanding Officer of the 141st Military History Detachment of the Washington Army National Guard.

Review :
This latest rendition of the life of Joan of Arc analyzes the concept of warrior (soldier) and how Joan managed to obtain this status. Richey's extensive military career is useful in this analysis of the what and how of Joan's military career….Richey's attempt to clarify further a much discussed topic is admirable. His military background adds to his analysis of Joan's military career, yet he is forced to conclude that the how of Joan of Arc is still a mystery. Nonetheless, Richey's work is a nice addition to those existing about Joan of Arc. Stephen Richey's enthusiasm for his subject practically leaps off every page. Although one might wonder why yet another book on Joan of Arc should appear, Stephen Richey's offering does indeed fill a need, for this is Joan as seen not through the eyes of an historian or literary author, but of a modern military-historical researcher who is also a man-at-arms….It is also a very personal book, but unlike others Richey takes care to distinguish his opinions from his factual findings, while meticulously documenting previous research and theories. Yet his discussion is always uery readable and clear….In the end, Richey, like most other Joan scholars, remains in awe of her mystery, yet not without adding significant insight in a manner appealing to scholars and general readers alike. This book will be welcomed by those attracted to Joan of Arc's remarkable story and who want to see repeated declarations that Joan was a military leader. Joan of Arc:The Warrior Saint is one of the very best biographies of this most singular young woman written to date. [E]verybody interested in Joan of Arc or military history should read carefully the thorough analysis of how she achieved her victories, which can be extremely useful in order to understand how charisma and personality work on soldiers.