Jeanne d'Arc

Ezio, my friend! How may I be of service? This article is in desperate need of a revamp. Please improve it in any way necessary in order for it to achieve a higher standard of quality in accordance with our Manual of Style.

"They burned Joan alive."

―Clay Kaczmarek, 2012

Jeanne d'Arc (English: Joan of Arc; born 6 January 1412), La Pucelle, the Maid of Orléans, is a national heroine of France and a Catholic saint. She had one of the highest known counts of Precursor DNA and wielded a Sword of Eden to victorious battles during the Hundred Years' War.

Biography

Early life

Jeanne was born a peasant girl from the d'Arc family around 1412 in Domrémy. She was nicknamed "Jeannette" during her youth. By the age of 13, she had visions from Saints Catherine, Michael and Margaret, her "Voices" telling her God's will that she free the land of English domination. As she grew older, Jeanne started to wander along the river, "as if someone was talking to her", as observed by her brothers Pierre and Jean. Her growing behavior was deemed much stranger when she began to sneak at night to attend matins at church.

On 1 May 1428, she met her step-cousin Gabriel Laxart who could unconsciously see her glowing aura through his Eagle Vision. This added to his growing interest in her and the two became fast friends. She joined his family on 12 May to Burey-en-Vaux, where she requested his help for her sacred mission.

The pair succeeded in convincing Durand Laxart to take them to the Vaucouleurs. She insisted to see the captain, Robert de Baudricourt, to escort her to the Dauphin in Chinon. Her attempts failed however, and she returned to Domrémy and later fled to the Neufchâteau after an attack. Months later, Joan became involved with a breach of lawsuit involving a marital contract after refusing to marry her fiancee, saying that she never agreed to it.

By 7 January 1429, de Baudricourt still refused to see her. She had collapsed from cold and hunger earlier by standing outside his hall. Depressed, Joan had an emotional breakdown from the repeated refusals as Gabriel comforted her, ranting that Orléans hungers and suffers from the siege since October.

The maiden got her wish when de Baudricourt’s squire, Jean de Metz, arrived to meet her. The squire tried to warn and discourage Joan, yet she remained undeterred and more determined to see the Dauphin. During her speech, her Precursor radiance flared, enabling her to convince de Metz as he pledged to protect her.

The Maiden of Prophecy

"I was born for this. There is nobody in all the world, neither king nor duke, nor any other, who can recover the kingdom for France. This kingdom will have no help, if not from me!"

―Jeanne d'Arc convincing de Metz that she is the maiden of prophecy

Joan was eventually referred to de Baudricourt's liegelord Duke Charles of Lorraine who welcomed her, expecting that she could perform miraculous healing. Instead, Joan scolded him about his mistress and requested aid from his son-in-law for her journey.

Word about the Maid of Lorraine had spread during her time in Vaucouleurs; by 22 February 1429, the townsfolk aided in collecting supplies for her after Joan returned from Nancy.

She was guided to a Sword of Eden and wielded it to lead the French Army to numerous victories in the Hundred Years' War.

As part of a Templar plan to obtain her Sword of Eden, Jeanne was captured by English troops, accused of witchery, and allegedly burned at the stake on 31 May 1431, at the age of 19. However, Jeanne was saved by her young protegee, Fleur, who had willingly taken her place with the assistance of the Assassin Brotherhood; Geoffroy Thérage was the executioner.

Fifteen years later, Jeanne, no longer linked to Consus, reconnected with a heartbroken Gabriel Laxart, with whom she produced at least one child.

Personality and characteristics

Throughout her young age, Jeanne d'Arc was shown to be a devout Christian and would love going to church, even if her brothers found it strange. She also had a strong devotion to fight from a young age, claiming that it was the desire of God himself for her to free the French from English occupation.

She was fierce and charismatic; Joan could easily calm and ease tension from the people around her. Since she was a youth, d'Arc was described by Gabriel to be the "lively one", her lithe and strong body full of energy.

Equipment and skills

"Gabriel is reacting to her the way people usually do to one of the Apples of Eden . He's drawn to her, almost despite himself. I can literally see this - this radiance through his eyes. And her whole career - at the beginning at least - gives us example after example of how she inspired and persuaded people."

―Simon Hathaway explaining Jeanne d'Arc's precursor abilities to Victoria Bibeau

She had one of the highest known counts of Precursor DNA, which granted her tremendous abilities; She had prophetic visions and could influence others thanks to her unnatural charisma. For those gifted with Eagle Vision, Jeanne glowed when she used her abilities while those without could sense the pressure of her power upon them. Jeanne was somehow linked to the Isu Consus, who spiritually guided her in her mission. These "Voices" allowed her to know what was going on with the war, despite her not being physically present.

Jeanne was extensively trained by the Assassins even if she never joined their ranks. She was able to lead the French Army against the British Occupation with tremendous victory in the Hundred Years' War. She also wielded a Sword of Eden, which she used alongside the Heart, and thus had unlocked the Sword's entire set of miraculous abilities.

Legacy and influence

Following Jeanne's apparent death, her legend continued to live and inspire people. In 2012, Clay Kaczmarek included numerous paintings of Jeanne d'Arc in a set of puzzles he'd hidden within the Animus for his follower to find. In Clay's puzzles, it was suggested that the sword wielded by Jeanne was in fact a Sword of Eden.

Trivia

• Jeanne's bloodline seems to have a strong link to the Isu, since her cousin, Gabriel Laxart, also had unnatural abilities, though less potent than Jeanne's.
• Though it is not 100% confirmed, it is more than likely that Jeanne is also an ancestor of high ranking Templar Simon Hathaway, as he is a descendant of Gabriel Laxart, with whom Jeanne had a child.

Gallery

• 
  Jeanne before she became famous
• 
  Jeanne d'Arc by Peter Paul Rubens
• 
  Jeanne d'Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
• 
  Jeanne d'Arc's Death at the Stake by Hermann Stilke
• 
  Jeanne d'Arc wearing Assassin equipment from YourBloodIsNotYourOwn.com

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (Glyphs only)
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Voice only)
• Assassin's Creed: Heresy (first appearance)

References

zh:圣女贞德