Scott Alexander (author/host)

But somehow, before her force made it very far, it was her force.

She ruled less by royal or official authority than by the fact that before long everybody would do what she wanted, because are you going to tell the maid no?

It started with only her own few hundred troops, but before long it spread to anyone in earshot of her voice.

This was important because the transitional system of military organisation used by the French in the early 15th century appears to be terrible.

So far as I, who am not actually an expert in the 15th century, can tell, the system in use was that the essential person is the captain, who can be a royal appointee leading state troops, or a nobleman with his vassals, or a mercenary leading his own employees, to the extent these are distinct categories, and who commands a force of, oh, three or four hundred men.

If the king is present, he's in charge.

Otherwise, the constable of France is in charge, when he isn't under strict orders to stay away from court due to a blood feud with one of the king's chief advisors.

Alternatively, or if he happens to be absent, then the king can designate one of the captains as an overall commander.

But in practice, all captains are equals but the king, and if the king is indecisive, they solve all problems produced by a divided command by bickering.

And we saw how well that worked in the Battle of the Herrings.

Some footnotes here, the first after blood feud with one of the king's chief advisors.

This is not an example chosen at random.

The next after the overall commander designated by the king.

One might call this person captain general, and indeed I believe this is the etymology of the word general.

And a footnote after if the king is indecisive, he is.

Back to the text.

When compared to this mess, Joan's system of command by charisma was a tremendous success, and even leaving aside the claims of miracles, and her implausible untrained artillery skills, we can see why.

First, unlike earlier French armies, Joan's troops would neither charge nor rout without orders.

Second, she'd given them a logical hypothesis for why they kept losing battles.

They defended God.