Saint Joan of Arc and the Knights Templar:

Joan of Arc as a Dynastic Templar Female Warrior

 

Saint Joan of Arc was an heiress of a major Templar House of Nobility carrying the founding Royal Patronage of the Templar Order, and was thus a hereditary Templar, who knowingly pursued Templar missions.  Her victory for the independence of France was a Templar mission of defending nationalism against globalism.  Her leadership exemplified Templar Mysticism, and made her a female role model for women serving in Chivalry in the Templar Order.

 

 

 

Introduction and Summary

 

Saint Joan of Arc (1412-1431 AD) is one of the most famous historical figures of chivalric knighthood in world history, with a real-life story of a Holy quest, driven by

Mystic divine visions and prophecies, and the purest of devoted Faith within the Church, combined with superior military prowess which resulted in major victories.

 

Little known facts documented in the historical record prove that Joan of Arc was actually a Templar heiress from a Templar Noble House, knowingly and purposefully continuing the living tradition of the Order of Knights of the Temple.

 

Just as the true history of Mary Magdalene proves that women can be religious leaders, the true history of Joan of Arc proves that women can be monastic warriors in their own right, on equal footing with men as their counterparts.

 

These historical precedents, which are further supported by traditional doctrines and teachings of the Knights Templar, establish that the Order authentically welcomes and encourages the full participation of women, whether as Clergy, supporting Adjutantes (female Sergeants), or Dames (female Knights).

 

 

 

Joan of Arc was Hereditary Templar Nobility

 

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, constructed by the Knights Templar (1163-1250 AD), features a statue of Joan of

Arc (added ca. 1440 AD), which portrays her with some indications of her own Templar affiliations. This iconic statue shows her with a distinctly proper Templar sword, in the original 12th century form, which is markedly different from the French swords used during her time. Her battle flag is mounted on the lance in a manner reflecting the Agnus Dei seal of the Templar Grand Mastery.

 

Her statue also shows a pouch hanging from her belt, mirroring the Templar iconographic “money pouch” traditionally depicted on the belt of Mary Magdalene, subtly indicating their spiritual connection and saintly association.

 

This symbolism was based upon a Biblical reference that Mary was a woman of independent means, who helped support the first Apostles of Jesus. The New Testament Gospel of Luke recounts that “Mary Magdalene… and many others… provided for them out of their resources.” (Luke 8:2-3.) This is supported by the reference that “Mary Magdalene… followed him [Jesus], and ministered unto him” (Mark 15:40-41). Therefore, the money pouch is an iconic Templar symbol of her status as a sponsoring patron saint of the Apostles.

 

The Notre Dame statue proves that surviving 15th century Knights of the Templar Order themselves considered Joan of Arc to be a Magdalene figure and a real Templar “Warrior Priestess”.

 

Templar Royals Promoted Joan of Arc

 

The verifiable facts which prove the direct connection of Joan of Arc to the Order of Knights of the Temple require an understanding of the Templar heritage of the Kings of Jerusalem through the House of Anjou of authentic Templar ancestry.

 

Joan of Arc is associated with her contemporary Rene of Anjou (1409-1480 AD), who was the Duke of Anjou and also titular hereditary King of Jerusalem (1438-1480 AD). Rene of Anjou was a dynastic descendant of King Fulk d’Anjou of Jerusalem (a founding royal patron and original Knight of the Templar Order), and thus was necessarily a member of the Grand Mastery of the Order – most likely its Grand Master – during its period of survival as an underground network.

 

Rene of Anjou was part of the French Royal Army, and became Duke of Lorraine, the region where Joan of Arc was raised.

 

The primary proponents who helped advance and finance the ambitions of Joan of Arc were the mother of Rene of Anjou, Princess Yolande of Aragon (1384-1442 AD) and her daughter Marie of Anjou (the French version of ‘Mary’). Yolande was the daughter of King John I of Aragon, Spain where many Templars survived, and was also the Duchess of Anjou.

 

It was Yolande who actively supported Charles the Dauphin (1403-1461 AD) to eventually become King Charles VII of France, fighting even against his own parents who sought to prevent his claim to the throne. In 1413 AD, Yolande removed Charles from his parents’ court and protected him in her own castles in Loire Valley, where the future King Charles later received Joan of Arc. She also arranged the marriage between her daughter Marie and Charles. ((Nancy Goldstone, The Maid and the Queen: The Secret History of Joan of Arc, Phoenix Paperbacks, London (2013), p.47.))

 

Charles finally became King in 1422 AD, reigning until his death, and under Yolanda’s guidance he met and began close cooperation with Joan of Arc in March of 1429 AD, which resulted in clearing the way for his formal coronation in July of 1429 AD.

 

Princess Yolande of Aragon, Duchess of Anjou, got herself placed in charge of one of the qualifying examinations of Joan of Arc, which served to establish Joan’s ability to handle the authority and responsibility which her Holy Quest required.

 

Princess Yolanda also financed Joan of Arc’s army and expedition in 1429 AD, and was both the financial and also political patron of Joan of Arc and her knightly missions.

 

Scholars note that this early and strong support, at a time of many doubts and much resistance by others, indicates that Yolande of the Templar House of Anjou played a central role in establishing Joan of Arc to become the first female leader of the French army.

 

When Joan of Arc was later captured by the Burgundians and tried in a French court, to be burned at the stake on May 30, 1431 AD, King Charles VII did nothing to save her. It was solely Yolanda and Marie of Anjou who made all efforts trying to protect her from persecution, hoping to obtain her release.

 

Royal Heiress of a Key Templar Dynasty

 

The real “lost history” (now “found”) of Joan of Arc reveals that the extensive involvement and central importance of the Templar House of Anjou (from the founding Templar, King Fulk of Jerusalem, Count of Anjou) goes much deeper than the 15^th century Duchy of Anjou in France.

 

Proven facts documented in the historical record, although very hard to find, evidence that Joan of Arc herself was a direct descendant and heiress of this prominent Templar dynasty of royalty and nobility:

 

One of the lineal ancestors of Joan of Arc was Karl I of Frankreich, Count of Anjou (1270-1325 AD), a direct relative of Count Fulk of Anjou, King of Jerusalem, one of the founding Knights Templar.  Another of her ancestors was Karl II of Lahme, Count of Anjou, who was also King of Jerusalem (1248-1309 AD). ((Heinz Friederichs, Genealogisches Jahrbuch, academic journal of genealogy, Germany (ca.1971), pp.73-81.))

 

As a result of this established genealogy, Joan of Arc herself was in fact a hereditary Princess of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and Countess of Anjou of the Templar House of King Fulk d’Anjou of Jerusalem, and was thus a major hereditary heiress of Templar leadership.

 

Raised as a Templar by Her Parents

 

Saint Joan of Arc was from a dynastic Noble House carrying the source of Templar Royal Patronage, making her a hereditary Templar heiress.  Her parents necessarily would have been well aware of this fact.  Accordingly, they surely would have actively raised her with all Templar knowledge and skills which they could possibly teach her.

 

Most modern ‘history books’ tend to superficially dismiss the parents of Joan of Arc as mere “farmers” and “peasants”.  However, the few available facts of the backgrounds of both her parents evidence that they had particular skills and roles, which were characteristic of the surviving Templars:

 

Her father, Jacques d’Arc, was a local government official, the “Dean of Domrémy”, with both diplomatic and military leadership responsibilities for the region ((Stephen W. Richey, Joan of Arc: The Warrior Saint, Praeger Publishers, Westport Connecticut (2003), pp.89-90.)) ((Larissa Taylor, The Virgin Warrior: The Life and Death of Joan of Arc, Yale University Press (2009), pp.5-6.)), reflecting skills of a Templar Knight;

 

Her mother, Isabelle Romée d’Arc, was the sister of a Church official ((Larissa Taylor, The Virgin Warrior: The Life and Death of Joan of Arc, Yale University Press (2009), p.7.)), who provided Catholic religious education to Joan ((Regine Pernoud, Joan of Arc: Her Story, Palgrave Macmillan, New York (1999), p.147.)), reflecting skills of a Templar Dame;

 

Their family home was the only house made of stone in Domrémy ((Stephen W. Richey, Joan of Arc: The Warrior Saint, Praeger Publishers, Westport Connecticut (2003), p.26.)) ((Kathryn Harrison, Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured, Doubleday Random House, New York (2014), p.22.)), reflecting stone-masonry resources and skills of the Templars.

 

All of this historical context explains the strong interest and strategic motivations of the House of Anjou to so actively support Saint Joan’s Templar Quest.

 

 

 

Joan of Arc Continuing Templar Missions

 

The historical record provides substantial evidence that Saint Joan of Arc was knowingly dedicated to the doctrines of Templarism, purposefully lived by Templar principles, and intentionally pursued Templar missions.  Her knowing commitment to serving as a Templar Warrior of the surviving Templar Order, is expressed through her battle flag, reference to the Mystic Lost Gospels, her sword, and other supporting facts.

 

Battle Flag of Templar Mystic Symbolism

 

Joan of Arc is consistently depicted as having her own trademark battle banner, a white flag featuring Jesus depicted as an “ascended master” accompanied by two Angels on either side.  He is holding what appears to be a stone, the same Templar symbol of spiritual alchemy and the “philosopher’s stone” held by the Melchizedek statue in the Templar base of Chartres Cathedral in France.

 

This banner bore the inscription: “IHS Maria”, meaning “Jesus and Mary”, an unusual reference indicating Jesus and Mary Magdalene as a couple.

 

This directly expresses a popular belief of many (but not all) Knights Templar, that Jesus and Magdalene were a Chief High Priest and Chief High Priestess pair from the Ancient Priesthood.  It also reflects a minority belief of some (although few) Templars, that they were possibly also husband and wife.

 

The inscription “IHS” by itself was used primarily by the Knights Templar, and by the Franciscans.  This substantiates a historical connection of surviving Templars continuing through a 13^th century Franciscan Order, with ongoing influence in France during the 15^th century.

 

 

The prominence of these uniquely Templar references on her battle flag proves that Joan of Arc knew that she was a Templar, and purposefully served as a Warrior Priestess continuing Templar historical missions.

 

Confirming the fact that Saint Joan’s banner intentionally signaled that she knew and lived by Templar principles, when asked about the banner during her trial, her answer directly mirrored the Templar motto “Non Nobis Domine, sed nomine Tuo da gloriam” (“Not to us Lord, but to Thy name give glory”):

 

“As to whether victory was my banner’s or mine, it was all our Lord’s.” ((Ninth Private Examination of Joan of Arc, 17 March 1431, National Archives of France; See: W.P. Barrett, The Trial of Jeanne d’Arc: A complete translation of the text of the original documents, George Routledge & Sons, London (1931).))

 

Mystic of Lost Gospels from the Temple

 

Another compelling fact evidences that Joan of Arc was a leading Templar, with direct access to the Templar sacred knowledge preserved by the surviving Knights into the 15^th century.  This is revealed by a witness report of her clear statements about the existence of the “Lost” Gospels from the Library of the Temple of Solomon, which were recovered by the founding Knights Templar:

 

In the Rehabilitation Court to declare Joan of Arc innocent, the Vatican recorded the testimony of a witness who was advisor to the King, reporting that:

 

“Joan would tell me how she had been examined by” French authorities, and often replied to them that “There are books of Our Lord’s besides what you have.” ((Rehabilitation Testimony for Joan of Arc, Dame Marguerite La Touroulde, widow of Rene de Bouligny, Councilor to the King, 1453, National Archives of France.))

 

At that time, only the surviving descendants of the Knights Templar and the Vatican itself had knowledge of the existence of the Lost Gospels, which were not rediscovered until the 20^th century.

 

Other direct quotes from Joan of Arc evidence that she practiced a distinctly Templar form of characteristic Mysticism, as an early form of Protestantism, centered around direct communion with the divine, which the French authorities treated as highly heretical and considered to be generally at odds with the Catholic Church:

 

During her trial, when asked about her visions of visitation by Saint Catherine and the Archangel Michael, Joan of Arc explained: “They do not order me to disobey the Church, but God must be served first.”

 

When asked by the French inquisitors “Will you refer yourself to the decision of the Church?”, she replied: “I refer myself to God who sent me, to Our Lady, and to all the Saints in Paradise.  And in my opinion it is all one, God and the Church; and one should make no difficulty about it.” ((Eighth Private Examination of Joan of Arc, 17 March 1431, National Archives of France; See: Barrett, The Trial of Jeanne d’Arc (1931).))

 

Templar Doctrine of Agents of God’s Will

 

Joan of Arc also lived by and taught the distinctly Templar doctrine that God often needs to work through incarnate humans as his agents to accomplish God’s will:

 

In her qualifying examinations during March-April of 1429 AD she explained:  “Since God had commanded me to go, I must do it. … It pleased God thus to act through a simple maid in order to turn back the King’s enemies.” ((Second Private Examination of Joan of Arc, 12 March 1431, National Archives of France; See: Barrett, The Trial of Jeanne d’Arc (1931).))

 

During her trial in March 1431 AD, she insisted: “We must work when it is God’s Will: Act, and God will act; Work, and He will work.” ((Trial of Nullification of Joan of Arc, 1449-1455 AD, Testimony of Duke Jean d’Alençon; Etienne Robo, The Holiness of St. Joan of Arc, Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, London, citing the examination at Poitiers.))

 

On her last day prior to execution on May 30, 1431 AD, she declared: “It was I who brought the message of the crown to my King. I was the Angel [agent of God]” ((Final Summary of Trial and Execution of Joan of Arc, 30 May 1431, National Archives of France; See: Barrett, The Trial of Jeanne d’Arc (1931).)).

 

Templar Sword of Kingdom of Jerusalem

 

Other strong evidence that Joan of Arc was herself a Templar, as an heiress of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Templar Order, is the historical records describing her famous battle sword.  She reportedly located her Holy sword through messages of divine communion from Saint Catherine and the Archangel Michael, who she always referred to as her “Voices”.

 

The story is best told by Joan of Arc herself, in her own words recorded during her trial for heresy:

 

“Whilst I was at… Chinon, I sent to seek for a sword which was in the Church of Saint Catherine de Fierbois, behind the altar;  It was found there at once;  The sword was in the ground, and rusty;  Upon it were five crosses;  I knew by my Voice where it was. … I wrote to the Priests of the place, that it might please them to let me have this sword, and they sent it to me.  It was under the earth, not very deeply buried… As soon as it was found, the Priests of the Church rubbed it, and the rust fell off at once without effort. … I always bore the sword of Fierbois from the time I had it”. ((Fourth Private Examination of Joan of Arc, 27 February 1431, National Archives of France; See: Barrett, The Trial of Jeanne d’Arc (1931).))

 

Local oral history recounts that the Church of Saint Catherine was originally founded in 732 AD by Charles Martel after his victory over Saracens, where he buried his Holy Sword by the altar as an offering. Thus, the “five crosses” could only be the Cross of Jerusalem, as the official heraldic symbol of the Kings of Jerusalem as the founding Royal Patronage of the original Order of Knights of the Temple.

 

The Templar Order itself was actually the “High Court” and “Royal Council” of the Kingdom of Jerusalem ((M. Chibnall, The Ecclesiastical History of Orderic Vitalis, Clarendon Press, Oxford (1978), Volume 6, pp.308-311; The High Court in 1120 AD included the co-founding Templar Patron Count Fulk d’Anjou.)) ((High Court of Jerusalem, Decrees of the Council of Acre, Palmarea (24 June 1148); Attended by the Knights Templar, and Angevin Templar Nobility; Archbishop William II of Tyre, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea (12^th century), translated in: E.A. Babock & A.C. Crey, Columbia University Press (1943); The High Court in 1148 AD included the 2^nd Templar Grand Master Robert de Craon, “many others” of the Knights Templar, and the Angevin King Louis VII of France.)) ((Malcolm Barber & Keith Bate, The Templars: Selected Sources, Manchester University Press (2002), p.5; “All masters” of the Templar Grand Mastery “were leading political and military figures in the Kingdom of Jerusalem”.)), carrying the Crown Regency authority to establish Royal Succession ((The Vatican, The Catholic Encyclopedia (1912), The Encyclopedia Press, New York (1913), Volume 14, “Templars, Knights”, Part 2, “Their Marvellous Growth”, pp.493-494; The Templar Order exercised “the right to direct the… government of the Kingdom of Jerusalem”.)) ((Herbert Broom & Edward Hadley, Commentaries on the Laws of England, Parsons Law Book Publisher, Albany New York (1875), Volume 1, Book 1: “The Rights of Persons”, Chapter 3: “The Sovereign”, Point 3, p.156: “It is unquestionably in the [authority of]… parliament, to defeat [a] hereditary right… and vest the [crown] in any one else.”)).

 

Saint Catherine de Fierbois (ca. 282-305 AD) was one of Joan of Arc’s famous “Voices” of Holy visitations, who appeared to her regularly, often together with the Archangel Michael.  Catherine was also a virgin and Martyr, and known to be the Princess of Alexandria and a respected scholar in Egypt. ((Williard Trask, Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words, Turtle Point Press (1996), p.99.))

 

Better known as “Saint Catherine of Alexandria”, she was considered a Mystic Patron Saint of the Knights Templar. The story of Catherine of Alexandria was originally brought back to Europe by the Templar Knights from their campaigns in the Middle East, establishing a new tradition of veneration of and devotion to her as a martyr and saintly figure.

 

The Saint Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai, established in 565 AD, is her pilgrimage site where she is believed to have been entombed after her martyrdom.

 

Therefore, Joan of Arc’s reference to her sacred sword as the “sword of Fierbois” means it is the “Sword of Saint Catherine”, a Templar Patron Saint, which bears on its blade the Cross of Jerusalem of the founding Sovereign Protection of the Knights Templar, which is the heraldic patrimony of the Templar Order.

 

Templar Mission Defending Nationalism

 

The overall mission of Joan of Arc – to defend France against British invasion – was itself a major standing Templar mission, of defending independent nationalism against imperialist globalism.

 

It has always been a central Templar belief and ecclesiastical doctrine, that the sovereignty of separate nations with different cultures is an essential part of God’s plan, and is necessary to both the freedom and collective wisdom of humanity.

 

(Note that the Crusades were purely defensive, and the Knights Templar never sought to eliminate Islam nor to invade or conquer any foreign country.)

 

This Templar mission is clearly expressed by Joan of Arc in her official letter to the King of England, dated March 22, 1429 AD, in which she warns and admonishes:

 

“Return the keys of all the good cities which you have seized, to the Maid. She is sent by God to reclaim the royal blood… She comes sent by the King of Heaven… to take you out of France… I say to you in God’s name, go home to your own country… Do not attempt to remain, for you have no rights in France from God, the King of Heaven… If you do not believe the news written of God and the Maid, then in whatever place we may find you, we will soon see who has the better right, God or you.” ((Joan of Arc, Letter to the King of England, 22 March 1429, from Archives of Riom.))

 

 

Therefore, the strong support of Joan of Arc from the Templar House of Anjou, and her dedicated defense of the independent nation of France, were all purely in furtherance of essential missions of the Order of Knights of the Temple.

 

Defending Source of Templar Patronage

 

Additional facts of the historical context surrounding Joan of Arc further prove that she was knowingly supporting strategic missions of the Templar Order:

 

The Duchy of the House of Anjou had become threatened since 1415 AD, with the British victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt. This threat was intensified in 1427 AD, when the English Regent in France, Duke John of Bedford, attempted to take the Duchy of Anjou for himself.

 

Therefore, in part, the battles of Joan of Arc furthered a separate Holy and purely Templar mission, to defend the ancestral House of Anjou, as the founding source of Royal Patronage of the Templar Order, dating back to its formation in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1118 AD.

 

Joan of Arc herself would have been well aware of her personal motivations for such a Templar mission, as she was in fact a Countess of the same Templar House of Anjou and thus a major heiress of Templar leadership.

 

 

 

Meaning of the Templar Life of Joan of Arc

 

At the age of only 17, Joan of Arc single-handedly led the French army against the invading British forces, and secured King Charles VII to his rightful place on the French throne. She ended the Hundred Years’ War within only a few short months, lifted the 5-month military siege of Orleans in only 9 days, and thereby preserved the sovereignty and national identity of France against colonial imperialism.

 

Despite being an unprecedented major national hero, she was persecuted by French authorities for the alleged “heresy” of her Mystic Templar beliefs, and two years later was burned at the stake at the age of 19.

 

Only 25 years later in 1456 AD, a Vatican Court initiated by the Pope pronounced her innocent, and declared her a Martyr. The Vatican subsequently beatified her in 1909, and canonized her as a Catholic Saint in 1920.

 

These facts prove that her infamous persecution, like that of the Knights Templar, was solely the initiative of secular Kings by Civil authorities, and was never intended nor supported by the Vatican.

 

This also proves that her Templar beliefs and Mystic practices of direct divine communion were not opposed by the real Catholic Church itself and were actually accepted and respected by it.

 

Indeed, during her initial qualifying examination in April 1429 AD to authorize her to lead the French army, Vatican theologians at Poitiers, with full consideration of her reported Holy visions and angelic visitations, found nothing ‘heretical’, and “declared her to be of irreproachable life, a good Christian, possessed of the virtues of humility, honesty and simplicity.” ((Malcolm G.A. Vale, Charles VII, Methuen Publishing (1974), p.55.))

 

Vatican ecclesiasts actually went so far as to recognize her Mystic experiences as establishing a “favorable presumption” of the divine nature of her mission. They even asserted that “To doubt or abandon her… would be to repudiate the Holy Spirit and to become unworthy of God’s aid.” ((Malcolm G.A. Vale, Charles VII, Methuen Publishing (1974), p.56.))

 

The playwright Maxwell Anderson, in his play ‘Joan of Lorraine’ (1946), based upon his historical research, attributed the following quote to Joan of Arc herself:

 

“Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and so they give their lives to little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it – and then it’s gone. But to surrender who you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying – even more terrible than dying young.” ((Maxwell Anderson, Joan of Lorraine: A Play in Two Acts, 1^st Edition, Anderson House, New York (1946); Play based on historical research, attributing this quote to Saint Joan of Arc.))

 

 

 

 

 

Suggested Related Topics

 

Learn about Saint Mary Magdalene and the Knights Templar.

Learn about Women in Membership in Templar Chivalry.