‘I will raise such a war-cry against you as shall be remembered forever’

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

Thursday, May 30 marks the 593rd anniversary of the execution of Jeanne d’Arc for her part in the Hundred Years’ War and the supposed heresy of wearing pants as a woman. In honor of the teenager who gave her life to reclaim France and shape history, here are the stories of a handful of female leaders and warriors who carved out places for themselves — often with the sword — in patriarchal history books.

Jeanne d’Arc: The Maid of Orléans

Joan of Arc by Albert Lynch (1903). Courtesy photo.

Whether from Hollywood or Shakespeare, most people are familiar with the name of one of France’s greatest heroes — Jeanne d’Arc (anglicized as Joan of Arc) — because of her bitter end. Before she was burned at the stake in 1431 at the age of 19, Jeanne was a peasant girl growing up during the constant bloodshed of the Hundred Years’ War between France and England.

At the age of 16, Jeanne, believing herself to be guided by the Christian Saints Michael, Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch, left her simple life as the daughter of a tenant farmer and began a military campaign that would result in the coronation of French King Charles VII.

England’s occupation of much of modern-day France north of the Loire River, including the city of Paris, jeopardized Charles’ claim to the French throne. Disinherited by his father and unable to enter the city of Reims where monarchs were traditionally crowned, Charles’ reign was unpopular and unprofitable until Jeanne burst into his court demanding to lead an army into the besieged city of Orléans.

Jeanne reportedly dictated a letter, attached it to an arrow and shot into the English forces at Orléans, proclaiming, “You Englishmen, who have no right in this Kingdom of France, the King of Heaven sends you word and warning, by me Jehanne the Maid, to abandon your forts and depart into your own country, or I will raise such a war-cry against you as shall be remembered forever.”

According to Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words, this letter was delivered Sunday, May 5, 1429 and Jeanne led the French to victory in Orléans the following Wednesday.

After leading successful military campaigns that carved out territory in Northern France, including the city of Reims — which paved the way for Charles VII to fully expel the English in 1453 — Jeanne was captured by English allies and abandoned by her king.

She was later tried as a heretic for claiming to speak to saints and, as is prominent in the court records, for wearing men’s clothing as a military leader. The trial was a political stunt meant to undermine Charles VII’s new reign, nevertheless, Jeanne suffered a year of mental anguish in prison before her execution. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the Catholic Church officially pardoned her and canonized her as a saint.

In her final testimony before being sentenced, the 19-year-old Jeanne declared, “If I were at the place of execution, and I saw the fire lighted, and the [wood] catching and the executioner ready to build up the fire, and if I were in the fire, even so I would say nothing else, and I would maintain what I have said at this trial until death.”

Shih Yang: Terror of the high seas

Illustration of a battle between pirates and merchants in the South China Sea from a Qing scroll. Courtesy photo

Savvy business woman, sex worker and pirate Shih Yang, later known as Zheng Yi Sao, began her career aboard a floating brothel in the South China Sea in the late 18th century. She became perhaps the most successful pirate in history shortly after marrying her former client, Zheng Yi, who was a respected leader among Chinese pirates in his own right.

According to Overheard at National Geographic, Yang rose to power during an innovative time for piracy. Prior to the late 1700s, Chinese piracy was relatively low-stakes work for fishermen in the off season and didn’t entail much bloodshed. That changed when regional pirates earned profit and military experience during the Tây Sơn wars in Vietnam, which paved the way for full-time piracy and transformed the industry into something more recognizable to modern audiences.

Following the death of her husband, Yang took over leadership of China’s Pirate Confederacy, running it as a successful business by punishing insubordination and rewarding loyalty. Research by historians Dr. Dian Murray and Dr. Ronald Po suggests that at the height of her career, Yang commanded a fleet of more than 1,000 ships with as many as 70,000 underlings. By comparison, the English pirate Edward “Blackbeard” Teach likely commanded several ships with only a few hundred men.

After nine years controlling the South China Sea and battling seafaring powers like the East India Company, Portuguese Empire and the Qing Dynasty, Yang became so powerful that the Chinese Navy had no hope of defeating her confederacy. In an effort to bring peace, the Qing government brokered a deal that allowed Yang to retire with no repercussions while still maintaining between 20 and 30 ships and much of her plunder, according to Po.

Yang spent the rest of her life rich and happy, living off the proceeds of her numerous gambling dens and brothels.

Æthelflæd: Scourge of the vikings

Æthelflæd depicted in the 14th century Cartulary of Abingdon Abbey. Courtesy photo.

Popular media like Vikings and The Last Kingdom are fond of sensationalizing the might of medieval Scandinavian invaders, but despite Hollywood’s flare for the dramatic, the fact remains that few leaders had the military and political acumen to repel the vikings.

By the late 800 C.E., viking invaders had escalated from simply raiding villages to assuming control of much of modern-day Scotland, Ireland and England — which is where Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, came in.

Queen Æthelflæd succeeded her husband in 911 C.E., becoming ruler of central England’s kingdom of Mercia, which bordered the Scandinavian-controlled Danelaw. Though Mercia valued its queens, Æthelflæd’s rise to power was unprecedented in Medieval England.

“She was given the same education as her brothers, and the crises of her childhood must have given her a schooling in the realities of politics and war,” said British historian Dr. Clare Downham in an interview with BBC News.

Æthelflæd initiated a time of English prosperity by not only building up defenses against viking raiders, but leading her armies on expeditions — which she planned — to regain lost land and bring the inhabitants of the Danelaw to heel, according to historian Frank Stenton. She became the first English monarch to capture one of the Danelaw’s five main strongholds, Derby, in 917 C.E., and her military campaign was so successful that leaders surrendered the city of Leicester without opposition, with Danish-ruled York pledging her loyalty soon after.

Æthelflæd’s fame lasted long after her death, as shown in 12th century historian Henry of Huntingdon’s verse, translated by Thomas Forester, “Heroic Elflede! great in martial fame, / A man in valour, woman though in name; / Thee warlike hosts thee, nature too obey’d, / Conqu’ror o’er both, though born by sex a maid. / Chang’d be thy name, such honour triumphs bring, / A queen by title, but in deeds a king. / Heroes before the Mercian heroine quail’d: / Caesar himself to win such glory fail’d.”

History’s important women weren’t all pious and tragic like Jeanne d’Arc — they were pirates, generals, healers, poets and practitioners of all manner of careers that were as diverse as the women who occupied them. Popular culture often presents a myopic view of the past where women are confined to kitchens and brothels; and, while housewives and sex workers were valuable members of their communities, it’s important to remember that they didn’t represent the extent of women’s achievements.

The next time internet trolls complain about historical inaccuracy in period pieces — or, ridiculously, fantasy media — when they include female characters, remember that women have stood side-by-side with men throughout history.

Women’s history is human history, and as long as people take the time to learn it, it will survive despite misogynistic attempts to erase it.