Notes: Charles II was a lifelong crusader, but is best known for his involvement in the saga of Joan of Arc. Charles is often quoted as being her feudal overlord, but this
is not the case. Her home was in the village of Domrémy located on the west bank of the Meuse, in the duchy of Bar in French royal territory (thus her overlord was Cardinal Louis,
duke of Bar [1415-1430]). Lorraine was located across the Meuse, its western border, and was a domain of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1429 Charles, then in his mid-sixties, was in
ill health, and upon hearing of Joan's piousness, summoned her, presumably in the hope she could heal him. There is conflicting evidence of the meeting, but the common thread is
that she requested to be sent to France with his son and some men (in the hope of gaining an audience with the king), and that she either told Charles that she would pray for him
or admonished him to amend his bad behavior and take back his good wife. In response, Charles granted her permission to travel, and gave her a black horse and four francs, and an
escort to ensure her safety.
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