Mary Grace Warren

The Trial of La Pucelle: Political Motivations for Judicial Misconduct

Abstract:

Although masters of canon law filled the ranks of trial judges, Joan of Arc’s 1431 trial was, from its inception, in violation of correct inquisitorial procedure. My project studied the judicial misconduct of Joan’s trial for heresy, and the effect of the political climate of the Hundred Years’ War upon this misconduct. More specifically, the two warring political parties within France, the Armagnacs and Anglo-Burgundians, shaped the procedure of the trial. Issues of French succession were central to the struggle between the Armagnacs and the Anglo-Burgundians. Joan’s alliance with the Armagnac-supported heir, Charles VII, and her subsequent victories for the Armagnacs earned her the contempt of the Anglo-Burgundian party. The party saw Joan’s support of Charles as a threat to the legitimacy of their own heir, Henry VI. In an effort to damage Charles’ legitimacy in the most powerful way, the Anglo-Burgundians c arried out a heresy inquisition against Joan. A conviction of heresy would negate Joan’s claims that Charles was favored by God, and thereby weaken Charles’ claim to the French crown. While trying to secure Joan’s conviction, the court’s Anglo-Burgundian loyalties led it to favor an insincere and ineffective appearance of procedural legitimacy over an adherence to judicial procedure.

Thesis Advisor:  B. Shapiro