Humphreys 1

April Humphreys

College Composition

Carrie Campbell

04/29/25
Joan of Arc and Catherine the Great: Their Developmental Impacts on Society

After women’s suffrage began in the 1900s, major changes in views of females were

integrated into society. Now, according to today’s standards, women are viewed as relatively

equal, having been placed in various occupations, given voting rights, and allowed access to

education. However, through the 1400s and 1700s, society’s view was limited, treating females

as less. To defy those standards would have repercussions and consequences, yet two stood out

with pride: Joan of Arc, a French military leader and Christian symbol in the fifteenth century,

and Catherine the Great, the Russian empress of the eighteenth century. While they were

separated by centuries, each began setting the standards for women across the world for years to

come.

Numerous female figures have made major impacts and have dedicated themselves to

uplifting the ideology that women deserve a place alongside men. Nevertheless, Joan of Arc and

Catherine the Great never made it a priority to put themselves in a position where they were

purposefully defying gender norms. Joan let her strength and faith in Christianity rule over her

decisions during her time alive, believing it was God’s will for her to stand on the same military

grounds as men. She defied the standards of the time by cross-dressing and serving in the militia

even though she was a woman, all while doing so under the guise of it being ‘God’s will’.

Conversely, Catherine the Great did use her femininity to strengthen her rule, but it was her

intelligence, use of power, and desire to strengthen Russia that allowed her to defy the social
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standards and place herself as the sole ruler of Russia for thirty-four years. While their

upbringing, views, and beliefs differed, Catherine the Great and Joan of Arc shared the same

sense of passion that drove them to achieve what most women would not dare, regardless of the

gender normality at the time.

Jeanne d’Arc, or Joan of Arc, was born to a prosperous farmer in the lower-class town of

Domrémy. From a young age, she was raised to rely heavily on religion, specifically

Christianity. While she was known for being stronger and more intelligent than the average

woman in her town, she did not receive a proper education. Instead, her mother solely taught her

the basics and chose to instill Christianity into Jean as a priority. “I learned ‘Our Father,’ ‘Hail

Mary,’ and ‘I Believe.’” This, she believed, was the only instruction a proper girl needed: “I

learned my faith and was rightly and duly taught to do as a good child should” (Moreau 1). As

recorded by Emma Moreau, due to her mother's priorities with her education, religion became

one of the main influences in Joan’s life, leading her towards becoming one of history’s greatest

female figures.

While religion had a major influence on her lifestyle and how she portrayed herself, it

also strengthened her notability in society, especially at a young age. It was when she was around

the age of twelve that she began to hear “the voice of God” speaking to her, telling her she must

go and fight for the French militia. As one source specifies,

“To the modern mind, hearing voices suggests psychiatric or medical illness, but for

medieval people, voices and mystical experiences, while not commonplace, were an

accepted part of existence even though they were usually met with a healthy

skepticism”(Taylor 22).
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Hearing these voices, whether in truth or simply psychological, only strengthened her resolve for

her faith in God. Amidst the promises of war and turmoil, Joan started preparing to leave her

home in Domremy and make her way to France. Many obstacles blocked her way at the time, but

one day, she managed to convince a garrison commander to give her passage to the city of

Vaucouleurs, where she was brought in front of the Dauphin, Charles, the King of France. At

that very moment, as she knelt in front of the King of France, asking him to let her fight for her

country under God’s command, her resolute strength, will, and power were first beginning to be

fully recognized. A particular book quotes an excerpt from Chronique de Lorraine, signifying

the impact of her summoning:

“How? You have never carried arms nor ridden a horse.” She responded that if she had

armor and a horse, “I will mount it, and then you will see that I can guide it.” The duke

then gave her armor and a horse. . . . She was light. . . . In the presence of all, without

putting her foot in the stirrup, she got into the saddle. . . . She was given a lance; she went

to the castle courtyard and rode around there. Never did a man of arms better race a

horse. The nobles were astounded. . . . The duke wrote to Baudricourt: “Yes, take her

there. God will help her accomplish her goals. (Taylor 35)

To be recognized with respect, she needed to prove herself worthy of standing amongst the ranks

of men in the French army. When she lifted her weapon and mounted the horse, she did so under

the guise of God’s will. Her belief was so significant that it drove her to conquer what most

women would not dare. She proved that, regardless of her gender and inferiority, she was meant

to fight in the French army and was allowed to lead a group into battle. Hence, this marked the

beginning of the revolutionary tasks she would achieve by supporting and fighting for the French

militia.
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While she rose in the ranks of society rather quickly, it was only able to truly happen

through her resilience, determination, and pure devotion to her faith. However, it was she who

accomplished such things in her lifetime, both for the women of that age and for the French. The

“visions” she had received from God spoke of her need to join and lead the French army, and it

was only through the acts she portrayed to the Dauphin Charles that granted her that ability.

From there, she made herself look more masculine by chopping off her hair and cross-dressing.

This was abnormal, to say the least, and while the French respected her for the battles she won

during the war, her cross-dressing went against all that she wished to portray through her faith. It

is what ultimately led to her untimely death, but before then, it was what drove her to achieve her

wins in battle, defy those who opposed her, and bring her a large amount of popularity. During

her time serving in the war, she made specific pushes to attack that allowed the French to win

against the English. Before she had arrived, the French made many efforts not to push as hard, as

to not risk losing vast amounts of men. As one book states, “Unlike most of the French

commanders, Joan exhibited an 'overwhelming sense of urgency. . .She especially honored the

principles of maintenance of morale, objective, offensive, speed, maneuver, mass, and economy

of force. . . Every single battle Joan fought was an attack of some kind” (Taylor 72). Even

though she had no military experience previous to joining the war, she carried out well-

strategized plans and gained respect even though she was a woman.

In the end, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy, cross-dressing, and being in

English territory. Although it was the cause of her demise, it gained her respect amongst the

French militia. Not only through her bravery and cunning ways during various sieges and battles

but also through her unrelenting belief in her religion. During that time, she was a staple for

women around the world and in France, and it was only after her death that people began to see
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her as a symbol of feminism. It was her defiance of the church’s beliefs while also holding her

own in God, defying the norm of the time by entering the military, and the number of sieges she

won that made her the female figure she is now. She signifies what women are capable of,

precisely the strength, will, and determination they carry, religious or not, and was the source

that allowed society to begin viewing women in a similar light.

While Joan of Arc let her religion drive her determination and strategies in battle to make

her the French symbol she is today, Catherine the Great let her ambition, wit, and love for her

country bring her to fame and power. She was born Sophie Friederike Auguste, the daughter of a

minor German prince, and was raised as a princess of Germany. Even so, her standing in society

did not hinder her from developing her intelligence through reading and defining her wishes for

society. Unfortunately, at the age of 14, she was chosen to be the wife of Peter III, the heir to the

throne of Russia, and soon after they wed, she was charged with the title Grand Duchess

Catherine Alekseyevna. It was a task she should have been glad of, but it was a known fact that

Peter III was a neurotic, childish, and rebellious man. He was also fascinated with Fredrick II of

Prussia, the foe of the current empress of Russia. All of this combined portrayed a bad look upon

himself and Catherine, but that only seemed to drive Catherine into overcoming the negative

outlooks. As one writer affirms, “From the outset, however, Catherine’s principal project—the

only one she spoke of at length in her ascension literature—was to bring order to the exercise of

political power in Russia” (Lowish 2). Over the next eighteen years, it would become a goal of

hers to break free from her husband and to make Russia a better place, regardless of her gender

and standing in society.

Catherine’s intelligence was greater than her husband and those supporting him believed,

and it was her cunning wit that allowed her to be involved in a coup that would make her name
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known. Although it was merely speculated that she was involved in the plot of her husband’s

death, there is a vast amount of evidence that can hold the claim over it. During the eighteen

years of her marriage, she spent her time weaving her way into society, focusing on gaining

alliances with various individuals. It was only when her husband was made ruler of Russia that

she began to use those connections to her benefit. There were a few specific connections that

brought on Peter III’s death, one of which was Grigory Orlov, who not only was her lover but

was also a military officer for Russia. Additionally, various nobles of the court made efforts to

support Catherine’s coup, only joining in her organizing due to Peter III’s negative reputation in

society and Catherine’s ability to socialize and make connections when her husband could not. It

was these connections that allowed her, the military, and certain members of the court to

overthrow Peter’s rule in Russia only six months into his reign. Soon after, he died of

circumstances that are still not entirely known, only through certain rumors. She quickly took her

husband’s place on the throne with herself, beginning her rule as the lone Empress of Russia and

thus would begin the legacy of how she earned the name Catherine the Great.

The coup was a significant plot that led to Catherine’s rule, and while it demonstrated the

length of her intelligence and connections, it also created a darker portrayal of her reign. Many in

Russia did not view her as a qualified candidate to rule Russia, not only because she was a

woman but also because, even though she was a main influence in the coup to overthrow Peter

III, she did not think she would accomplish all that she wished to. However, while there were

some things she did not achieve before her rule ended, the ideas she had from the Enlightenment

and her belief in absolutism gave her credit for giving the intellectual tone to modern-day Russia.

“She discouraged torture, improved education, and was “the first ruler of Russia to

conceive of drawing up legislation setting out the corporate rights of the nobles and the
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townspeople, and the civil rights of the free population of the country.” She also

“established . . . courts to which the state peasants had access. Inspired by the French

philosophes, Catherine labored to lift her huge country. (Ford 36)

As stated previously, these were simply a few of the goals that Catherine was able to achieve

during her reign as empress of Russia. While many did not view her as competent or intelligent

enough to rule over the country, through her beliefs and idealisms, she developed her country

more than Peter III would have been able to, because, unlike her, he did not have the competence

nor care to make Russia a great country, nor did he care about his people.

Catherine was able to make many accomplishments aside from what was listed

previously, specifically on the developed education system. While she focused on expanding the

territories in Russia, she also wished to make her people more knowledgeable about its history

and their intelligence. As one writer references in a note written by William Coxe, a scholar who

acknowledged Catherine’s contributions:

“. . .warmest admiration of that enlarged and liberal spirit which so strikingly marks the character

of the present Empress of Russia. Since her accession to the throne, the investigation and

discovery of useful knowledge has been the constant object of her generous encouragement . . .

The most distant parts of her vast domains have at her expense been explored and described by

persons of great abilities and extensive learning. . . . In a word, this truly great princess has

contributed more in the compass of only a few years toward civilizing and informing the minds

of her subjects than had been effected by all the sovereigns her predecessors since the glorious

era of Peter the Great. (Grey 89)

Her wish to improve the education system for all ages while also expanding the knowledge of

Russia’s history to portray it in an accurate light made her credibility grow. In all terms of the
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word, Catherine encompassed the name “The Great” through her achievements towards her

country and her people, and the amount of risks she took to ensure her husband’s downfall and

place herself on the throne. By no means was she an incompetent woman who was unable to take

care of herself. Rather, she was strong in all senses, whether it was conversing with others or

gaining the respect necessary to rule Russia. Catherine the Great became the longest-ruling

empress of Russia for thirty-four years, now known in modern-day society for being one of the

main female influences of the time for her courage, intelligence, and ability to rule Russia well,

adding to the developments still seen today.

To speak on how women were seen back then versus today’s standards, they were

diminished, ridiculed, and viewed as lesser than a man. However, both Joan of Arc and

Catherine the Great made their prospects during their time regardless of their gender, and

regardless of what others thought of them. Each made their way into society with their heads

held high, developing areas in their own right, both in France and in Russia. As one article

references, “ She started to underscore the strengths of women’s roles in society and

demonstrated the ways in which these strengths could be cultivated and successfully employed”

(Ivleva 47). This relates to both Joan and Catherine, describing how they managed to create a

new outlook on women around the world. Even today, women receive prejudice constantly, but

they are now acknowledged for their contributions, their strength, and their resilience against

those who defy them.

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Works Cited

Devries, Kelly. “Joan of Arc: A Military Leader.” [Link],

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26 Mar. 2025.

Ford, Elizabeth A. “Royal Portraits in Hollywood: Filming the Lives of Queens.” JSTOR,

University Press of Kentucky, 2009,

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