The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc Quiz

Answer: Sword

Actually, Joan was known to have "used" three swords in battle; there is no record, however, that she actually wielded them with the intention of doing harm. At her trial, when asked about the most important sword, a holy relic that had been used by Charles Martel, she stated that "When I was at Tours or at Chinon I was sent to seek a sword which was in the church of Saint Catherine of Fierbois, behind the alter, and it was found at once all covered with rust". Joan indicated that she was guided by her voices to find the sword that had been placed behind the altar of the church.

Another sword had been given to Joan by Sir Robert de Baudricourt, who was captain of the royal garrison at Vaucouleurs; it was also written that she had taken one from a Burgundian soldier.

Interestingly, eyewitnesses wrote that Joan used her sword to chase away prostitutes who followed her army; some sources suggest that this is how the sword from Catherine of Fierbois was broken and lost. When asked at her trial about the sacred sword, she would not give a specific answer, saying that it had been lost and her brothers had the rest of her belongings.

Answer: Her sister, Catherine

At the beginning of the movie, young Joan returns home after her confessional to find her village burning. After witnessing the brutal murder and rape of her sister, Catherine, by English soldiers, she is sent to live in the home of relatives. She is assured by her father that she will only be away a few weeks, during which time the family would try to rebuild what they had lost.

The truth of the matter was that Joan's village of Domrémy in eastern France was surrounded by Burgundian lands and frequently attacked by them; while Joan's village was loyal to the French crown, the Burgundians had allied with the English. The Burgundians raided Domrémy and burned the village church (1425) during Joan's childhood, and three years later, another raid made it necessary for her family to flee the village. Joan's parents were Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle Romée, and she had three brothers, Jacquemin, Pierre, and Jean, and one sister, Catherine, who died before Joan began her quest, however, not at the hands of marauders. Some sources suggest that Catherine had married and died in childbirth.

Answer: Ill-mannered, schizophrenic, hysterical, and neurotic

One of the most often heard criticisms of the movie is that Joan is portrayed as being ill-mannered, schizophrenic, hysterical, and neurotic. The voices were used, it seemed, as a way to determine her sanity, rather than her saintliness. She was shown as almost being bipolar - very religiously pious on the one hand, but at the battlefront splattered in blood on the other, slapping soldiers for cursing in one breath, and asking if they had been confessed before battle with the next, and screaming at the members of her entourage for attacking the Tourelles without her, and then trying to negotiate peace with the enemy.

Perrin Drappier, the churchwarden of Domrémy who knew Joan as a child, said that she was "a good, chaste and simple girl, modest in manner, taking not the name of God nor of His saints in vain, fearing God". He also mentioned that she "frequently" went to church and confession. A childhood friend, Hauviette, indicated that "Joan was a good, simple and sweet-natured girl, she went often and of her own will to church and the sacred places and often she was ashamed because of people remarking how she went so devoutly to church". Joan's uncle, Durand Laxart, maintained that "Joan was of good behavior, devout, patient, going readily to church, willingly to confession, and gave alms to the poor when she could...." Her page, Louis de Coutes, stated that "From everything that I knew of her, Joan appeared to me a good and modest woman who lived a Christian life".

Answer: Christ Jesus

In the movie a young Joan tells the priest that a youthful boy, who is shown sitting on a throne as a representation of Christ, appears to her in visions and tells her that she "must be good and help everyone". She describes him as being "beautiful". Later in the movie, she has a dream that features both the young boy and an adult representation of Christ. There is also a vision of a bleeding Christ who asks why Joan is hurting him.

At her trial in 1431, Joan stated that she was nineteen years old and had begun to have visions from St. Michael, St. Catherine, and visions from St. Margaret at the age of thirteen, in 1425, when she was in her father's garden. The figures in the vision told her to drive the English out of France and take the Dauphin to Reims, where he would have his coronation ceremony. Apparently the visions continued to occur and she resisted them until 1428.

Answer: X

Château de Chinon, originally built by the Count of Blois in the 10th century, became a holding of Henry II of England in 1156, but was taken back by France in 1205. By the 15th century it was used by the future Charles VII and was considered to be one of his few properties in France, as the rest of the territory was held by either the English or the Burgundians.

As the Dauphin is considering whether or not he will meet with Joan in the movie, he says, "...with half of France in the hands of the English, what have I got to lose?" One of his diplomats answers, "The other half". Looking at the message, the diplomat continues, "What sort of name is "X"? Or must we conclude that a messenger of God can't even write her own name?"

Joan arrived at Chinon on March 6, 1429. There has been much written about the fact that she was an illiterate peasant. It is believed that she would dictate messages to scribes, who would then help her sign them. In all fairness it must be noted that the majority of the people during her time were illiterate. Joan also did not know how to ride a horse or direct military strategy.

Answer: Lorraine

The Dauphin's mother-in-law, Yolande, has a very important point to make in the movie while he is considering whether or not he will accept a meeting with Joan. She reminds him about the legend of a Maid from Lorraine who will one day save France and that this legend is held to be truth by the common people. Charles decides to take the meeting.

Even before Joan of Arc rose to lead the French army, there were prophecies that a maid from the borders of Lorraine would save France. Because her village of Domrémy was on the borders of Lorraine, the French people were more than willing to believe that she was the maid in the prophecies. After she finally was able to obtain an audience with the Dauphin, he insisted that before any other actions could be taken she would have to undergo both physical and mental examinations by physicians and the clergy. She was sent to Poitiers, where theologians from the University of Paris questioned her regarding her visions, religious beliefs, and piety, and physicians gave their assurance that she was indeed a maid. This part of Joan's story is accurately portrayed in the movie.

Answer: The Dauphin disguised himself and Joan immediately identified him.

The fact that Joan is able to pick the disguised Dauphin out of the crowd of courtiers that was present was amazing enough. As seen in the movie, that feat only commanded his attention.

In reality she also told him about a private conversation he had the previous year with God. The Dauphin "had asked God to aid him in his cause if he was the rightful heir to the throne, and to punish himself alone rather than his people if his sins were responsible for their suffering". Since Charles had told no one about this prayer, he was convinced that Joan was what she claimed to be - a messenger sent from God - especially after she told him that his claim to the throne was legitimate.

Answer: True

In her impatience to take over the Tourelles, Joan recklessly rode her horse to the base of the wall, began climbing a ladder, and was shot with an arrow. After being taken to safety her men declared her to be gravely wounded; she, nevertheless, pulled the arrow from her own body, commenting "at least this one won't bother us anymore", before falling soundly asleep. The next morning she was ready to fight again.

Joan was never close to the front line - as depicted in the movie; she was, nevertheless, injured at least twice. She was struck in the shoulder by an arrow during her Orléans campaign and a cross-bolt to the thigh when she attempted to liberate Paris. It is also true that she did appear to be healed miraculously from the wounds, and that she was said to have been back in full armor shortly after. Surely this is evidence that God had protected her!

Although Joan of Arc became the leader of the French army, she never really fought in a battle or killed an enemy soldier. She was there more to inspire the army; typically she would wave her banner instead of a weapon. Joan may have tried to be useful in other ways, such as proposing military strategies or diplomatic solutions to end the war, but the French declined to implement any of her ideas. Interestingly, there is evidence that Joan told the Dauphin that she would be wounded by an arrow shaft when they tried to take the Tourelles (Orléans), but she would not die from her wound. During the siege of Paris, eyewitnesses wrote that the cross-bolt went through her thigh. There are also other incidents where she was harmed where she suffered little or no injury; these included being hit in the head with a rock and jumping off a tower that was 60 to 80 feet in height.

Answer: Trebuchet

The French knight, Poton de Xaintrailles, was delighted to take possession of the trebuchet, becoming his baby, and used it in battle to beat back the English. Sometimes he even carved insulting messages on the projectiles!

In reality, the movie did not accurately portray the battles as eyewitnesses described. Cannon balls were launched through round openings; there was no depiction in the movie of the use of gunpowder or evidence of smoke in the battle scenes to suggest how they might have been fired. They rather mysteriously were dropped, and came out of their tunnels, hitting their intended targets.

Published in 1484, the "Vigil of Charles VII" contains illustrations that depict fighting during the time of Joan's leadership of the French army. Cannons and gunpowder appear to have been the main weapon, along with swords, bows and arrows, and ladders. It was written by contemporaries that "gunpowder bombardments were exchanged between the city and the English almost daily".

Siege towers have been used since ancient times, however, the use of the cannon would have made the towers obsolete. While some may have carried some sort of ball and chain weapon with them, the use of the weapon is too impractical. What happens if the target is missed? Doesn't the momentum of the object bring it back around to injure the user? If the ball has spikes, wouldn't the spikes rub or clang against the handle, causing serious damage? And what about the trebuchet? It was a medieval weapon, but was typically used by the French in fixed defenses. Expensive and difficult to build and transport, a trebuchet was also difficult to use with any type of accuracy unless its operator was highly trained.

Answer: Joan's Conscience

In the movie, once Charles VII was crowned king, he appeared to believe that he no longer needed Joan. He conspired with the Burgundians and she was captured. The English soldiers did not wish to continue to fight, as they believed Joan may have had the power to divinely interfere from her cell; the English court, therefore, wished to conduct a fast trial. Joan, fearful that she would be executed without being allowed a final confession, recanted her assertion that she heard voices. Dustin Hoffman played the role of Joan's Conscience, serving as an inquisitor, questioning whether or not she actually did hear voices that were sent from God - perhaps they were the work of Satan? Now Joan seemed convinced that her visions were not real and that she only wanted revenge for the death of her sister.

Joan's trial scenes in the movie did appear to have been authentically researched; according to John Aberth, who wrote "A Knight at the Movies" (2012), the dialogue in the movie was taken verbatim from Joan's real trial transcript. Joan's heresy trial was a total sham; not only was there no evidence against her, she was also denied the right to legal counsel. An illiterate peasant, Joan evidently was amazingly articulate during the proceedings. When she was asked about being in God's grace she replied, "If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me". If she had replied that she was, she would have been charged with heresy, as Christians are taught that no one can ever be certain of God's grace; an answer of no would have branded her guilty.