Claude des Armoises - The mercenary who pretended to be Joan of ArcThe famous French heroine Joan of

Claude des Armoises - The mercenary who pretended to be Joan of ArcThe famous French heroine Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431. After her death, a woman appeared and pretended to be Joan. She was in fact an usurper: her real name was Claude and she was a mercenary. Claude was likely born in 1410. According to her own confession, she once hit her mother in a moment of anger. To obtain forgiveness for her sin, she traveled to Rome in male disguise to meet with the pope. Claude then enlisted in the papal troops as a mercenary and committed two homicides during the war.In 1436, a troop of unemployed mercenaries, the “Ecorcheurs” (”skinners”), ravaged the East of France. This troop included 300 women on horseback. Claude was likely part of this group since she appeared right after they were disbanded. She introduced herself as Joan of Arc and met with important lords in Metz. Claude was then offered male clothes and weapons and gave a brilliant demonstration of her riding skills.A woman said that she recognized her and Claude was then joined by two men who pretended to be Joan of Arc’s brothers, though they may have been impostors. It’s also important to note that like Joan, Claude was short, dark-haired and an accomplished equestrian. She had the same wounds as Joan and spoke in parables or in a cryptic way. The scheme worked in the beginning and she received plenty of precious gifts.She then went to Arlon, present-day Belgium, where she befriended members of the nobility, and then to Cologne, Germany. Her behavior shocked the public opinion. Claude went armed and wore ostentatious male clothes like a rich mercenary. She liked to drink and party with the soldiers and performed magic tricks. Claude was thus excommunicated and left Cologne. She then went back to Arlon and married Robert des Armoises, a penniless knight who was around 50 years old.She left Metz again in 1438 and took part in several military operations. A Spanish chronicle mentioned her presence at the siege of La Rochelle and she commanded in 1439 a company of Ecorcheurs. By July 1439, she had arrived to Orleans. The city remembered Joan of Arc fondly since she had recaptured it from the English.Claude was welcomed warmly, was given money and soon left. The next year, Claude was summoned by King Charles VII. He decided to test her as he had done with Joan and put one of his courtesans in his place, but Claude recognized him, like Joan had done in her time. The king had, however, been wounded and wore a distinctive boot, something that Claude probably knew. The King then pretended to welcome her warmly and alluded to a secret known only to him and Joan. Trapped, Claude confessed her real identity and denounced the people who had helped her with her scheme.She was afterward summoned by the Parliament of Paris and confessed her faults. She disclosed her real identity and told her whole story. Claude was  expelled from the city and went back to war and in garrison. Ten years later, a woman appeared in the village of Sarmaize-Les-Bains and stated that she was Joan of Arc. Was she Claude? This new Joan, however, didn’t manage to convince. Bibliography:Beaune Colette, Jeanne d’Arc vérités et légendes Girault Pierre-Gilles, “Les procès de Jeanne-Claude des Armoises”Gondoin Stéphane William, Portraits de femmes au Moyen-Âge -- source link

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