7 Chapter 6 Defeat

CHAPTER 6 Defeat Charles VII was finally king. But the English still controlled many parts of France, including the capital city of Paris. Joan wanted to take back Paris for the French. She liked to make quick decisions and take action. The king didn't like to do either. Charles would not let Joan go to Paris. Instead, he made a truce—an agreement with the Duke of Burgundy, who supported the English. After fifteen days, the duke was supposed to hand Paris over to Charles.

Secretly, Burgundy had no intention of doing this. Joan had freed Orléans and gotten Charles crowned, just as the saints told her to do. She had completed her holy mission. But she couldn't bear to go home without being sure that France truly belonged to Charles. Joan knew that the duke was lying to the new king, so she decided to take her army to Paris on her own.

City Defenses During the Middle Ages (around 500 to 1500) each town was its own fortress. The first line of defense against attackers was a wall. These took decades to build. They were usually made of a combination of earth and stone. City walls had large gates that let people come in and out of the city. At night, the gates would often be closed and locked. Sometimes a big ditch, called a moat, was dug outside the walls to keep out intruders. Moats were often filled with water, making it even harder for outsiders to gain access to the city.

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After several weeks, Charles was finally convinced to take troops to Paris and help Joan win back the city for France. When the king arrived, Joan was waiting for him. The next day was September 8, a holy day. But Joan had waited so long, she thought just this once she would fight anyway. The battle started around noon. In the evening, after many hours of fighting, Joan led her soldiers to one of the city gates. There they stopped to figure out the best way to cross the moat into Paris. Joan stuck a lance in the water to see how deep it was. An English archer from inside the city walls took aim and shot at her. The arrow pierced her leg. Against Joan's wishes, the battle ended because of her injury. Even as she was carried from the field, she yelled that the city could have been taken.

The next day Joan was eager to start fighting again—only to learn that Charles had called off the battle. He had changed his mind yet again. It was hard for Joan to abandon Paris. Up until then, she had accomplished everything she had set out to do. Now, for the first time, she had failed.