Pierre d'Arc
Pierre d'Arc (1408–1467) was a French soldier whose place in history is due to his service in the army made famous by his younger sister Joan of Arc.
Life
The youngest son of Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle Romée, Pierre and his older brother Jéan fought under their sister's banner at the Siege of Orléans.[1] Pierre and Joan were both captured in Compiègne, but he was released.[1] After serving in the army for many additional years, he was knighted and, following his marriage, became the father of two sons and a daughter. He was given an island called the Ile-aux-Boeufs by the Duke of Orleans.[1]
Following Joan's execution, several young women came forward claiming to be her.[2] In 1434, Pierre and Jéan temporarily accepted Jeanne des Armoises (whose real name was Claude) as the actual Joan.[3] Over the next six years, the brothers and their supposed sister traveled from town to town, beginning at Orléans, receiving lavish gifts from Joan's many admirers, among them, Princess Elizabeth of Luxembourg (1390-1451), and Elisabeth von Görlitz, widow of Prince Anton of Burgundy. Then Claude made the mistake of meeting with Charles VII of France in Paris. Unable to tell him a secret Joan had told him - which proved to Charles that Joan had been sent by God to defeat the English - Claude confessed to the subterfuge, and begged the king's forgiveness.
There are no clear historical details regarding the final years of Pierre d'Arc, including the year and circumstances of his death. It is known that he died in Orléans and has descendants who have traced their lineage to him through the centuries into the 2000s.[4]
Legacy
In 2022, his descendant, Clotilde Forgeot d'Arc, was selected to play Joan as part of the annual celebration in Orléans commemorating Joan's liberation of the city.[5] However, Clotilde's lineage is in dispute. The October 1973 Bulletin de L'alliance Française stated: "there is no longer any known descendants of the brothers of the Maid", and her maternal great-grandfather Henri Gauttier renamed his children "d'Arc" in 1827 after claiming to have traced the family's ancestry to Pierre. [6]
In film
In 1999, Pierre, portrayed by Justin Peroff, was a prominent character in the miniseries Joan of Arc.
References
- ^ a b c "Joan of Arc Household". Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ^ "Claude, the Second Face of Joan of Arc" Monio published April 27, 2012; retrieved May 9, 2016
- ^ "Misconceptions Series: Did Joan Survive as 'Claude des Armoises'?" Saint Joan of Arc Center retrieved May 9, 2016
- ^ The Descendents of Pierre d'Arc from about 1437 until 2000 Archived from the original on 8 Feb 2012. Retrieved 10 Dec 2017
- ^ Hélène de, Lauzun (2022-01-28). "Following the Steps of Joan of Arc: a French Tradition in the City of Orléans". The European Conservative. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
- ^ "Clotilde Forgeot d’Arc, Jeanne d'Arc 2022 à la généalogie contestée" Dynastie (May 7, 2022); retrieved November 29, 2022
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