Scott Alexander (author/host)

She occasionally snuck off from her work to spend extra time in church.

She gave a great deal of alms.

The most extraordinary event in her life was when a man sued her for breach of promise of marriage, which is the opposite of what usually happens.

In an interesting piece of foreshadowing, she successfully defended herself in court by claiming that she had made no such promise.

It was not a very remarkable life.

Then she ran off to save the country from the English because God told her to, which is the step that requires some explaining.

Why did the country need saving?

The first thing that you need to understand is that France is cursed.

According to legend, this curse was incurred by Philip the Fair, king of France around 1300, when he had the Knights Templar abolished and all the officers of the order burned for heresy so he wouldn't have to pay back his debts.

Several footnotes here.

The first says, Respectable history says this is just a bunch of coincidences, but Maurice Durand got some pretty good novels out of it.

Next footnote, after the name Philippe the Fair, the good-looking, not the just.

The Iron King is his other nickname, which fit much better.

And the next footnote, after killing them to avoid repaying debts, thereby explaining why the average rate of interest to monarchs throughout history was something around 10%.

Back to the text.

From the flames, the last Grand Master of the Order cursed him with his dying breath that he would, quote, see him before God's tribunal before the year was out.

And Philip duly died within the year.

His sons would follow him, and their sons, each in inexorable succession, passing the crown to the next before dying in turn.

The last of the Capet princes managed to make it almost 15 years past Philip's death before succumbing to that old favourite, unknown causes.

Footnote, scurrilous chroniclers report lots of exciting scheming around this time.