THE FAMILY OF JOAN OF ARC
JACQUES D'ARC
1375/80 - 1431
Father of the Maid, was born about 1375 at Ceffonds, in the diocese of Troyes, according to the Traité sommaire of Charles du Lys. It was about the time of his marriage that he established himself at Domrémy, for Isabelle Romée was from Vouthon, a village seven kilometers distant. He seems to have enjoyed an honorable position in this countryside, whether he was rich, as some have implied, or not.
In 1419 he was the purchaser of the Chateau de I'Ile, with its appurtenances, put up at auction that year. In a document of 1423 he is described as doyen or sergeant of the village; he therefore took rank between the mayor and the provost, and was in charge of collecting the taxes, and exercised functions analogous to those of the garde Champêtre. The same year finds him among the seven notables who responded for the village in the matter of tribute imposed by the damoiseau of Commercy.
In 1427 in an important trial held before Robert de Baudricourt, captain of Vaucouleurs, he was again acting as a delegate of his fellow-citizens. We know that he opposed with all his power the mission of his daughter, whom he wished to marry off, without a doubt. However, he went to Reims for the coronation of the King, and the King and the municipality defrayed his expenses and gave him a horse for his return to Domrémy.
He was ennobled in December, 1429. Jacques d'Arc died 1431, it is said, of sorrowing over his daughter's end.
ISABELLE or ISABEAU D'ARC
1387 - 1458
Mother of the Maid, nee Romée, and called Zabilet in her patois, was born at Vouthon, near Domrémy.
We learn from the testimony of Brother Pasquerel at the Rehabilitation proceedings that she returned from the great pilgrimage to Puy en Velay at the time when Jeanne was being conducted to the King, while the expedition to Orléans was being prepared. She was ennobled in the month of December, 1429. After the death of her husband Isabelle left Domrémy, and eventually settled at Orléans, where one finds her established in 1440. We may recall that Jeanne had desired to establish herself in Orléans, for before undertaking the expedition to Reims she had taken a long lese on a house in rue des Petits Souliers, in Saint Maclou parish, near the apse of Saint Catherine's church.
"Very ill" upon her arrival, Isabelle, who was then about sixty years old, was cared for at the expense of the city of Orléans, and taken care of by the chambermaid of Messire Bertrand, physician. She lived in the house of Henrier Anquetil and the municipality granted her 48 sous parisis a month "to aid her in living and acquiring her necessities in the said city."
She acted as plaintiff at the time of the Rehabilitation, and lived in the house which her son Pierre occupied in rue des Africains. She was then said to be "decrepit through age," and she asked to be allowed not to attend all the hearings. She appeared before the Archbishop of Reims, not as witness, but always as plaintiff. She died on November 28, 1458, after having testified. In 1428 she founded at Domrémy an obit of two gros barrois for anniversary masses, as did Jacques d'Arc.
Isabelle was granted a pension by the city of Orleans, and upon this she lived out her days, which were many.
Twenty-four years after her illustrious child's death she traveled all the way to Paris in the winter-time and was present at the opening of the discussion in the Cathedral of Notre Dame which was the first step in the Rehabilitation. Paris was crowded with people, from all about France, who came to get sight of the venerable dame, and it was a touching spectacle when she moved through these reverent wet-eyed multitudes on her way to the grand honors awaiting her at the cathedral. With her were Jean and Pierre, no longer the light-hearted youths who marched with us from Vaucouleurs, but war-torn veterans with hair beginning to show frost.
Isabelles testimony at The Trial of Nullification (Rehabilitation):
"I had a daughter born in lawful wedlock who grew up amid the fields and pastures. I had her baptized and confirmed and brought her up in the fear of God. I taught her respect for the traditions of the Church as much as I was able to do given her age and simplicity of her condition. I succeeded so well that she spent much of her time in church and after having gone to confession she received the sacrament of the Eucharist every month. Because the people suffered so much, she had a great compassion for them in her heart and despite her youth she would fast and pray for them with great devotion and fervor. She never thought, spoke or did anything against the faith. Certain enemies had her arraigned in a religious trial. Despite her disclaimers and appeals, both tacit and expressed, and without any help given to her defense, she was put through a perfidious, violent, iniquitous and sinful trial. The judges condemned her falsely, damnably and criminally, and put her to death in a cruel manner by fire. For the damnation of their souls and in notorious, infamous and irreparable loss to me, Isabelle, and mine... I demand that her name be restored."
Overcome with grief, she had to be escorted to the sacristy of the cathedral and thus began Jeanne's Trial of Nullification. The Case was solemnly opened on November 7th, 1455, in the Church of Notre Dame at Paris.
PIERRE D'ARC
1408 - ?
Pierre d'Arc went to seek his sister "in France," fought along with her at Orléans, lived in the same house with her in that city, accompanied her to Reims, and was ennobled with the rest of the family. He was captured with Jeanne at Compiègne, but was eventually released. Pierre retired to the city of Orléans where he received many gifts from the King, the city of Orléans, and a pension from Duke Charles, among them the Ile aux Boeufs in 1443. The descendants of, Pierre, had in their possession three of Jeanne's letters and a sword that she had worn. The letters were saved but the sword was lost during the chaos of the revolutionary period.
JEAN D'ARC
1409 - 1447
Jean d'Arc, who fled with his sister to Neufchâteau, accompanied her to France, and was lodged at the house of Jacques Boucher at Orléans.
He was ennobled in December, 1429. When provost of Vaucouleurs he worked for the rehabilitation of his sister, appeared at Rouen and Paris, and formed a commission to get evidence from their native district and produce witnesses. He was Bailly of Vermandois and captain of Chartres and was discharged from the provostship of Vaucouleurs in 1468.
JACQUEMIN D'ARC
? - 1452
Joan's eldest brother. Of him not much is known but that he, along with the other members of Joan's family, was enobled by the Grant of Nobility in December, 1429.
CATHERINE D'ARC
1413 - 1429
Catherine died before Joan began her mission.
See Joan's Family Tree HERE (External Website)