Imagine that war is at your doorstep and though you have zero experience when it comes to warfare, you are determined to lead the army. Such was the case with Joan of Arc who strongly believed that it was God who had made her the chosen one who would lead France to victory in a war against England that was already drawn out long enough.
The peasant girl even managed to convince crown prince Charles of Valois of the same. And when she did get on the battlefield of Orléans, dressed in armor and mounted on a majestic white horse, she left her enemy, the English and the Burgundians, gapping and won. But the young maiden did not get to enjoy her success for too long because she, Maid of Orléans, was captured by Burgundians and at the tender age of 19, burnt at stake accused of practicing witchcraft and, wait for it, dressing like a man. But what they couldn't burn was her effervescence which still continues to remind people of French unity and nationalism.
Not only was Joan of Arc dubbed a national heroine but she was also credited for giving rise to French national consciousness in the hearts and minds of people. A great heroine, indeed.
