Emily Chan
When she was just 18-years-old, Jeanne Hachette courageously took up a hatchet to defend her city of Beauvais from an attack. She played a key role in rallying the citizens to fight and prevent the city from becoming captured.
Her fearlessness in the face of turmoil caused her to become a symbol of patriotism and female heroism. It just goes to show that it only takes the bravery of one individual to change the course of history.
Jeanne was born in 1454 in the city of Beauvais in northern France. Her father was a butcher, so she was well-acquainted with blades. After he died, she was sent to live with one of the city guards.
In 1472, the Duke of Burgundy was revolting against King Louis XI. He led a siege and advanced upon Beauvais with an army of 80,000 troops. At that time, Jeanne was 18-years-old.
Workers on the cathedral roof first spotted the oncoming army and alerted the rest of the city. High walls surrounded Beauvais, but those were no match for an army of this size. The Burgundians had brought ladders and were able to climb over the walls.
One of the suburbs was taken and pillaged. Buildings were burned, cattle were slaughtered, and a huge, gaping hole was left in one of the city gates.
Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beauvais refused to surrender, thanks to the inspiration that Jeanne sparked.
Initially, the people did the best they could to ward off the Burgundians. Men and women guarded the gate and attacked the invaders with whatever they had available—hot water, oil, molten lead, or even their own fists.
But the soldiers just kept on coming, and the citizens of Beauvais were slowly losing their ground and their courage.
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