Scott Alexander (author/host)

Saints in heaven can and do petition God to produce miracles, and out of all the wars in history, God decided to put his hand down really, really hard on this one by handing a random holy peasant detailed instructions on how to win battles, unparalleled persuasiveness, and the ability to go around asking saints questions and getting answers on semi-arbitrary topics.

Footnote

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Once she'd done enough to win the war for her side, he stopped giving her useful support, but did make sure that events helpfully provided an extremely complete and detailed record of her deeds to the future.

Just so future historians would not have the slightest excuse for not believing in miracles.

In the second model, she was a military genius out of nowhere who decided to play saint because that was the way society would listen to her.

She says, and I believe her, that there were already rumours going around that, quote, And then there's people who will say, quote,

But that doesn't exactly explain half of what needs explaining about her.

How did she learn military riding?

How did she learn to wear armor and fight in armor?

How did she learn the theology that lets her win debates with inquisitors?

You need to put a conspiracy together, with elements of the Armagnac government deliberately prepping her in advance of her public appearance.

But how did they know she was a military genius?

Or, if actually the entire time that was Dunois or some other officer whispering in her ear, how did they know that she was so charismatic?

And how large is this conspiracy anyway?

If she didn't spend the first 15 years of her life in a village, why do so many people testify she did, in so many different words?

Why couldn't the Burgundians find any evidence to the contrary?

What about her mother and father and her brothers?

Were they all in on the conspiracy?

Why didn't any of the people who rebelled against Charles VII later in life, like the Duc d'Alençon or Jean Dunois, or as far as I can tell every other nobleman in France, ever spill the beans?