Scott Alexander (author/host)

They were, of course, quite right, given how she would not shut up about how all of France should return to allegiance to its king and God would see him victorious.

They're also quite wrong if they thought the English intended to stop fighting themselves.

And the next footnote?

For the conditions of her captivity, we have the report of a Burgundian knight.

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Back to the text.

The English and their French subordinates, who had been desperately writing letters begging the Burgundians to give them Joan so they could burn the witch, were, as you would expect, absolutely overjoyed.

While the transfer was arranged, Joan attempted to escape twice, both times unsuccessfully.

No woman could possibly have won Joan's victories, so either she's a saint or a witch.

But if Joan was a saint, clearly the English government was in the wrong and any Frenchman working with them is a traitor.

Since the English government was clearly in the right and they were not traitors, therefore she was a witch and had to be burned.

They got the local inquisition, which they controlled, to set up a trial immediately, known to history as the Trial of Condemnation, after its inevitable result.

2.5.

I Appeal Before God, the Great Judge

It was going to be a kangaroo court, of course.

Now, you might think that inquisitions are just naturally kangaroo courts, but by the standards of the Inquisition, this was a kangaroo court.

There were rules in place, and the English intended to follow them only insofar as these rules would not interfere with the result they intended.

She was supposed to be judged by the bishop of her diocese.

Since the bishop of her diocese was pro-Armagnac, that was out, so they had to have her tried by the bishop of the place where she was taken.

Only, the bishop of the place she was taken wasn't on their side either, so they misrecorded where she was taken so that she could be tried by the Burgundian bishop of the neighbouring diocese, Pierre Cochon.