Joan of Arc: A Military Leader - Hardcover

DeVries, Kelly

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0750918055 ISBN 13: 9780750918053

Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd, 1999

Synopsis

Why did French soldiers follow a woman into battle and why did she win? This history of Joan focuses less on the religious and feminine issues in favour of an appraisal of the young woman's remarkable military and leadership prowess. The inclusion of schematics, maps and contemporary documents set her actions squarely within the context of the Hundred Years' War. Joan's campaign survived only three years, from 1428 to 1430, and the war continued for another 23 years after her capture but DeVries' clear and vivid account makes clear Joan's legacy. She inspired the French by demonstrating that the English could be beaten and she adversely affected the English campaign by capturing several leaders and holding them to ransom. Numerous photographs, diagrams and contemporary illustrations are used to good effect.

About this title

About the Author:

Kelly Devries is Associate Professor in the department of history at Loyola College in Maryland. He has written widely on medieval military history, his most recent work being "Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century: Discipline, Tactics and Technology.

He is currently at work on "The Military Campaigns of the Hundred Years War," also for Sutton.

He lives in Baltmore.

From Library Journal:

The publication of this immensely readable book on the heels of Columbia Pictures' release of a major motion picture on Joan reflects our seemingly endless fascination with the Maid of Orleans. What distinguishes this text from others is its pointed depiction of Joan as a military leader rather than a proto-feminist or saint. A well-known medieval and military historian, DeVries (history, Loyola) argues how curious it is that Joan's career as warrior, soldier, and general has been overlooked. He painstakingly analyzes her impact during the Hundred Years War: her combat strategies and how she overcame the psychology of defeat in the French armies, the influence of her victories in the peace process, and how she destabilized the English military and political leadership. This book should be welcomed by general and academic readers alike. Recommended for public and academic library.
-Marie Marmo Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., NJ
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Sutton Publishing Ltd
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0750918055
• ISBN 13: 9780750918053
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 242