The voices of Archangel Michael, God, and Saints Margaret and Catherine have commanded Joan of Arc to accomplish. Would the reality be so beautiful that the Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453) was won by the French thanks to these votes? This is one of history's greatest mysteries:why did Joan of Arc start a fight against the English?
How could such a young girl give the French new hope and courage, lead the army and even crown the Dauphin king? The voices had led her to these acts, she declared. But what if these mysterious voices had never spoken or if Jeanne didn't respond? What if Jeanne was just a normal farm girl who occasionally suffered from a weird nightmare?
The beginning
A feudal problem between England and France is one of the main reasons for the war. King Edward II of England is also Duke of Guyenne. This means that he has to pay a loan to the French King and obey him. But the English king wants to expand his power further. In 1337 he declares war on the French.
Battle of Azincourt
During the war, the English prevailed. They win all the great battles. This is mainly due to their innovative fighting techniques. The English no longer fight in the traditional knightly way. In 1415 there seems to be a glimmer of hope for the French. At the battle of Azincourt, the French have an advantage. Yet they do not win this battle. The English murder 5,000 French nobles, including the Marshal, and a number of dukes, barons and counts. The English suffered little damage. The French administration is divided into two camps, the Burgundians and the Armagnacs. There is great unrest. Thanks to this unrest, the English regain control of Paris in 1419. With Paris added, they now control almost the entire north of France.
Hope for peace
The new Duke of Burgundy wants to negotiate with the English. Queen Isabeau is in solidarity with the Burgundians. She declares her son, Crown Prince Charles VII, a bastard. This means that he no longer has a right to the French throne. On behalf of her crazy husband, Isabeau signs the Treaty of Troyes. This treaty establishes that after the death of the French King Charles VI, the English King Henry V will inherit France. This treaty is a real humiliation for France. Yet the population does not protest very much. They are happy. The treaty means that peace is near. Unfortunately, Henry V dies before Charles VI dies. The treaty has therefore yielded nothing. Two months later, Charles VI dies.
No hope
Henry V's successor, Henry VI, is crowned king of England and France. Which does not mean that he is king of all of France. France now consists of three parts. Henry VI is king of Burgundy and of the part of Crown Prince Charles VII. There is little hope for the French. They're in very bad shape. The Burgundians would rather work with the English than with the French. This means that the Crown Prince is on his own. Even though he no longer believes in it himself. He considers it impossible to win. After all, the people no longer trust him. The only way to be able to credibly lead the army at all is to be crowned king. This is completely impossible because this is only possible in Reims, which is in English territory. Only a miracle can help the French.
An English France
The English King Henry VI is very fanatical. He wants to take control of all of France. He continues to conquer cities. It will be a bloody battle. One French city after another is defeated. At some point, only a few cities are left to beat. Hendrik VI realizes that the Crown Prince shows little resistance and doesn't like it anymore. He decides to talk to Charles VII. He makes a proposal:Either he conquers France after a few more bloody battles, or the few remaining cities surrender. Charles VII decides what is best for the people; no more bloody fights. In 1430 the English take control of France. But not all of France. Burgundy is still left. Burgundy has always been for the English, but they don't want to surrender. That is why King Henry decides to send all his English troops and the former French troops to Burgundy. Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, fears the worst. His army is no match for so many people. After only three days of fighting, most of the Burgundian soldiers were killed. Philip the Good decides to surrender on the condition that Burgundy can keep its own duke. Henry VI agrees. But he ensures that the Duke has so few rights that his function becomes almost ceremonial. Henry VI is officially crowned King of England, France and Burgundy at the end of 1431.
Consequences
This has many implications for the rest of history. In fact, history as we know it today would completely change. The French language would no longer be spoken, France would become English. We shouldn't have to learn French at school now. The importance of English as a global language would become even greater. In addition, such a superpower would be very threatening for neighboring countries. The chance that the English monarchs would want to expand their power is very high. There would be no more French kings, no Louis XIV, no Versailles. Consider Napoleon, the French Revolution, the EEC, and Sarkozy. They all wouldn't have been there. Wars such as the Franco-Spanish War, the Dutch War, the First World War and even the Second World War would have ended differently or even never existed.