Why A Woman Can Write Warfare By Christine De Pizan

Christine de Pizan and Joan of Arc’s fight against misogyny When reading about Christine de Pizan and Joan of Arc, you will find stories of great boldness and determination. These two women were groundbreaking as they resisted social gender stereotypes through writings and military advances. They were able to open a new perspective on the role and ability of women within society. Christine and Joan’s stories in "Why a Woman Can Write Warfare" and "The Condemnation of Joan of Arc by the University of Paris, 1431," help us to see how women can overcome societal misogyny and standards to make meaningful contributions to the world.

Christine de Pizan was a professional author and historiographer from northern Italy, who was not afraid to challenge

In a shifting political culture in France, Joan made a great impact. She “led her army to a series of victories that culminated in the coronation of the Dauphin as King Charles VII in the cathedral of Reims”. In her military role, which was uncommon for women, Joan had many successes, but not without troubles. King Charles and the aristocratic generals of his army viewed her as a peasant leading nobility and believed she portrayed a mixed-up image of a woman leading a man. Her rebelliousness threatened the male-dominated society and military ideal, which led to her being referred to as an embarrassment. Due to her claim to be commissioned by God, she was accused of witchcraft and heresy and was burned to death in 1431. The English ecclesiastical court condemned Joan saying “You blaspheme God and hold Him in contempt. You are suspected of idolatry and you have condemned yourself in not wishing to wear clothing suitable to your sex”. Following her death, the French forces were inspired by her and continued their attacks, which ultimately led to multiple French victories, limiting English control over French

This was a time of political conflicts such as the Hundred Years' War based on power and territory struggles between England and France and the Black Plague years before. There were also different uprisings and peasant revolts such as the English Peasants Revolt, which was led by those empowered by the new economy of the day, which challenged the new and higher taxes that were being put in place. Women during this time were often expected to focus on domestic duties and were considered inferior to men in many aspects of life. But despite this, in the time of recovery from the Black Death, Christine de Pizan became a prominent figure challenging traditional gender roles and Joan of Arc rose as a strong leader for French Forces and helped turn the tide in the