Strategic leadership is a key element often neglected in biographies of Joan of Arc. In catholic bigotry, Joan’s leadership is the result of direct divine intervention; in feminist bigotry, it is a gender-genetic self-evidence; and in agnostic bigotry, it is ascribed to Joan’s sex appeal to dumb French soldiers. None of these interpretations does any justice to the historical facts: not to what Joan said about her own divine vocation, nor to the notion of common sense, that stupidity and sex appeal hardly make the grand ingredients for successful warfare. And miracles sure did happen, though not in the form of self-propelled axes chopping off English heads in the battlefields. They rather happened in the moments of worst humiliation in her life: most spectacularly, at the moment of her retraction, which she knew would be punished with being burned alive. Hamburg’s account is trustworthy, because he respects both the supernatural aspect in Joan’s actuation, and the natural laws governing the mechanics and psychology of ordinary life. This book is a jewel of insight in the motivations, tactical cunning, and strategic leadership of Joan of Arc, which enabled her to lead a scared Dauphin to coronation in Reims, the French city of royal ointment.

A different and interesting book about Jeanne D’Arc. Explores her ability to fight and to lead the army. She was a believer and a fearless woman, managed to fulfill her mission in an astonishing way. Really enjoyed reading the book, all the historical facts, the battles detailed. The strategic skills of Jeanne and her charisma conquered all her followers. At the same time she was fair, caring, pious and brave. She followed her beliefs and had a role that women weren’t allowed to have.