Joan of Arc's letter, late August - early September 1429

Joan of Arc's letter, late August - early September 1429

Introduction

According to an entry in the archives of Compičgne, a courier named Tassart du Tielt obtained letters from "the Maiden" (Joan of Arc's standard nickname) and Charles VII while he was on a mission of 18 days, from the 29th of August through the 15th of September, 1429, to obtain word from the Royal army during its Paris campaign.

This entry is included below; an English translation is on the left, notes and commentary on the right. A transcription of the original language is also available.

English Translation¹

Notes and Commentary

"To the same man [Tassart du Tielt], for having gone to St-Denisⁿ¹ and other towns to the King our lord, in order to learn and inquire about his news, from which he brought back letters from the aforesaid lord and also from the Maiden, during which journey he spent eighteen days, ending on the 14th day of September; 105 sous 9 deniers."ⁿ²

Note 1: The Royal army was at this town during much of the period in question. Joan of Arc arrived at St-Denis on August 26; Charles VII arrived there on September 7th; after the failed attack on Paris on the 8th, Joan was brought back to St-Denis on the 9th.
Note 2: This was his payment for these 18 days - nine deniers more than for the fifteen days he spent the previous time he had tracked down the Royal army from August 1st - 16th (see letter from early August 1429).

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