Joan of Arc's Letter to the Duke of Burgundy
July 17, 1429, Coronation Morning
Letter to the Duke of Burgundy writen on the morning of the coronation of Charles VII, July 17, 1429, from Joan of Arc
+ Jesus maria
Great and honoured Prince, Duke of Burgundy, Joan the Maid requests of you, in the name of the King of Heaven, my rightful and sovereign Lord, that the King of France and yourself should make a good firm lasting peace. Fully pardon each other willingly, as faithful Christians should do; and if it should please you to make war, then go against the Saracens. Prince of Burgundy, I pray, beg, and request as humbly as I can that you wage war no longer in the holy kingdom of France, and order your people who are in any towns and fortresses of the holy kingdom to withdraw promptly and without delay. And as for the noble King of France, he is ready to make peace with you, saving his honor; if you're not opposed. And I tell you, in the name of the King of Heaven, my rightful and sovereign Lord, for your well-being and your honor and upon your lives, that you will never win a battle against the loyal French, and that all those who have been waging war in the holy kingdom of France have been
fighting against King Jesus, King of Heaven and of all the world, my rightful and sovereign Lord. And I beg and request of you with clasped hands to not fight any battles nor wage war against us - neither yourself, your troops nor subjects; and know beyond a doubt that despite whatever number of soldiers you bring against us they will never win. And there will be tremendous heartbreak from the great clash and from the blood that will be spilled of those who come against us. And it has been three weeks since I had written to you and sent proper letters via a herald [saying] that you should be at the anointing of the King, which this day, Sunday, the seventeenth day of this current month of July, is taking place in the city of Rheims - to which I have not received any reply. Nor have I ever heard any word from this herald since then. I commend you to God and may He watch over you if it pleases Him, and I pray God that He shall establish a good peace.
Written at the said place of Rheims, the seventeenth day of July.
|
