The Political Theology of Joan of Arc

This event is the annual Genevieve Perry Lecture in Religion. This year’s speaker is Dr. Winnifred Sullivan of Indiana University. Dr. Sullivan is a specialist in law and religion in the United States.

Joan of Arc, “La Pucelle,” arrived at the court of the French king, Charles VII, in early February 1429, and announced that he was not yet king. He would not be king until he was crowned in Reims Cathedral. Shortly thereafter Charles made her a captain in his army providing her with armor and soldiers for the campaign to Reims, deep in enemy territory. This talk will argue that it was Joan that made Charles king, showing how she did that and why she thought it was necessary.