In the History of humanity there are many singular events, often called divine because they are inexplicable.
The so-called “visions” of Joan of Arc, which to this day divide believers and skeptics, forever changed the course of French history.
Joana was the daughter of farmers, illiterate and had a strong Catholic influence.
From the age of 12 to 13, she began to have visions: a very strong light appeared, a voice spoke to her and her body shook with fear.
After repeated appearances, she managed to understand what the voice said: “You will help to free France”.
A few years passed until she, aged 17, following the instructions of those voices, presented herself to a representative of the French army, Robert Baudricourt, with the intention of being able to speak to the King.
He obviously ignored her. After all, as an illiterate 17-year-old girl, would she really think she would talk to the King about the war?
In the meantime, people begin to learn about her visions and finally Robert decides to send her with an escort to the King dressed as a man.
As soon as the King found out, he prepared a test for her. He threw a party and dressed up as a Duke. She, even without knowing who the King was, enters the Hall and walks towards him, kneels down and says: “Lord, I came to lead your men to victory.”
What she saw, no one else saw. However, she trusts in this calling, even if it means defying the standards of the time.
Joana begins to win all the battles and ends up fulfilling her greatest mission: taking the King to the city of Reims to be crowned.
However, it remained to free Paris from English rule. She then goes to fight in Paris and receives an arrow. The moment she is removed for medical care, the army panics, which makes the King decide to retreat.
The enemy army takes advantage of this and captures Joan of Arc in an ambush. She is kept in prison for a year and an investigation is set up with 70 accusations, where the main crime was heresy. This is how she ends up burned at the stake, at the age of 19, in 1431 and becomes a martyr.
When the French victory came in 1453, the King asked for a review of the case. Much because he didn't want to be linked to someone convicted of heresy. This is how the Pope Callixtus III confirmed that the judgment was wrong.
And many years later she became a Saint by the Catholic Church.
See that she is accused of witchcraft and killed in a brutal way.
Her death had a clear intention: to send a message to anyone who dared to believe in such supernatural power or even dared not to behave in accordance with the current patriarchal order.
However, the narrative changes to meet the King's need. Her power then begins to represent a divine manifestation that would open doors for her to become a Saint later.
One way to see this story is to understand that she believed in her personal power and simply acted according to what she heard within herself.