Brother of a Saint

Jeanne d'Arc had four siblings. Although Charles VII ennobled the family after her help getting him crowned, the family did not distinguish itself very much politically or otherwise. Her father died shortly after her execution for heresy. Her mother lived for several years and fought successfully to get her daughter exonerated. Her siblings drop out of sight, except for her younger brother, Pierre d'Arc.

Pierre had actually joined his sister, along with their older brother Jéan, and fought at the Siege of Orléand. Pierre was captured at the same time Jeanne was, but he was released as having no value as a captive. He stayed in the army and, after the family was ennobled, was knighted. He married and had two sons and a daughter. He was even given an island of his own, the Île aux Bœufs, a small island in the Seine south of Rouen, currently uninhabited and serving only as a support for a bridge across the river.

Jeanne was executed on 30 May 1431. Of this there is no doubt...now. At the time, there were people who were willing to take advantage of her fame and impersonate her. A woman calling herself Jeanne des Armoises (in a 19th century depiction above) started telling people that she was the Maid of Orléans and not dead after all. As shameless as this scam was, even more shameless was the reaction of the dead Jeanne's brothers.

In 1434, Pierre and Jéan met this woman and supported her claim. From 1434 to 1450 they traveled the country with her, taking advantage of the original Jeanne's fame and accepting gifts from admirers. At least two princesses fell for this scam (Elizabeth of Luxembourg and Elizabeth of Burgundy)—and who wouldn't? Jeanne's own brothers vouched for her identity.

Emboldened by the public's acceptance, the trio took a step too far, meeting with someone who know Jeanne well and was certain of the execution: King Charles VII himself. Even if there was a physical resemblance to the original, Charles tested her by asking her to repeat something that the real Jeanne had told him. She could not, and the scam fell apart. Her real name was Claude des Armoises. (For more on her, see here.)

Pierre and Jéan faded from historical records. In the 19th century, a descendant of Pierre named Henry Gautier received permission from Charles X to rename the family "d'Arc." His great-great-granddaughter Clotilde d'Arc portrayed her famous ancestor in an Orléans commemoration of the raising of the Siege by her intervention.

Pierre was pretty darn unethical about using his sister's fame to enrich himself. There are worse things, however, like going from a companion and supporter of Jeanne d'Arc to being a serial killer. Sad, but true, and I'll go into that horrible true story tomorrow.