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Chapters (43)
  1. Cover
  2. Epigraph
  3. CAST OF CHARACTERS
  4. Map
  5. Part One
  6. I
  7. II
  8. III
  9. IV
  10. V
  11. VI
  12. VII
  13. Part Two
  14. I
  15. II
  16. III
  17. IV
  18. V
  19. VI
  20. VII
  21. VIII
  22. IX
  23. X
  24. Part Three
  25. I
  26. II
  27. III
  28. IV
  29. V
  30. Part Four
  31. I
  32. II
  33. III
  34. IV
  35. V
  36. VI
  37. EPILOGUE
  38. afterword
  39. Dedication
  40. acknowledgments
  41. By Katherine J. Chen
  42. about the author
  43. What’s next onyour reading list?

She hears that Henry, King of England, is dead. Dysentery finished him, though this may be another rumor. But he has a brother, John, Duke of Bedford, who will serve as regent until his heir comes of age. She thought the war would end when Henry died, but it seems England will not leave France because their king is now a corpse. There are still towns and cities to take. There are other kings. She and her family may tomorrow, the next week, or the next month wake up and find themselves Englishmen.

So, the war goes on. So, the circle turns.

Part Two

In August 1422, Henry V, King of England, dies. Two months later, in October, Charles VI passes away. Days after his father’s death, the Dauphin, Charles VII, declares himself King of France at Mehun-sur-Yèvre but without any of the traditional accompaniments to this important ceremony, such as being anointed with the oil of the Holy Ampulla in the city of Reims (now occupied by the English).

The Dauphin’s makeshift coronation does not hinder any of England’s plans, however. The gaps left by Henry V’s and Charles VI’s deaths are quickly filled by Henry’s younger brothers. While Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, assumes his role as Lord Protector of England, John, Duke of Bedford, takes over as regent, a step vital to ensuring England’s hold on France, as Henry’s only son (Henry VI), still an infant, is too young to rule.

Thus there exist not one but two “kingdoms of France”: the first comprises territories under English control (where a fine is imposed on any subject heard to acknowledge the Dauphin as the rightful king); the second, the “kingdom of Bourges,” covers territories that remain loyal to the Dauphin. In 1423 and 1424, the French suffer two humiliating defeats, at the Battle of Cravant and the Battle of Verneuil. To make matters worse, there is also much infighting within the Dauphin’s own court. Seeing a bad situation grow dire, in 1426, Yolande of Aragon, the Dauphin’s mother-in-law, takes over his council, while English forces prepare to launch more campaigns.

Prospects for a glorious and triumphant reign look bleak for the Dauphin, who, with his court favorite, Georges de La Trémoille, now resides in the castle at Chinon. By October 1428, reports arrive that the city of Orléans is under siege. This is a calamitous development for the French. If Orléans, strategically placed on the Loire River, is taken, England’s grip on France may soon become a stranglehold.

So, the Dauphin attends Mass daily. He prays for a miracle.

I

DOMRÉMY, SUMMER 1428

SIX YEARS LATER

Saint John’s Eve. A bonfire burns. This year there is no wheel, and the fire takes on a ghostly human form, like a sacrifice.