Jean de Metz
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Jean de Metz (also Jean de Nouillonpont) (born c. 1398) was a French nobleman who is known primarily for his role in the exploits of
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= ’an daʁk} ; 1412 â€“ 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of OrlĂ©ans and her insistence on the coronat ...
.


Biography

His alternative name derives from Nouillonpont, a village in the
Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, MoĂ»ze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...
département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...
then in the jurisdiction of
Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...
. According to Vita Sackville West's '' Saint Joan of Arc'', he was "of relatively gentle birth", though his parents were not noble. He had been in trouble "for swearing a ''vilain servant'' and for flinging an award of money on the ground", but was otherwise an ordinary "man of the sword". His acquaintance with Joan began when she arrived at the fortified city of
Vaucouleurs Vaucouleurs () is a commune in the Meuse department, northeastern France. It is situated on the river Meuse, approximately from Toul and Commercy. History Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville (1225/33 – 21 October 1314) also known as ...
in 1428. At the time, he was a
squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a ...
in the service of
Robert de Baudricourt Robert de Baudricourt (ca. 1400-1454), ''Seigneur de Baudricourt, Blaise, Buxy and Sorcy'' was a minor figure of 15th century French nobility. The son of the Chamberlain of the Duke of Bar, his principal claim to fame is to have been the first step ...
. Their meeting included an exchange in which he asked her who her Lord was, to which she replied "God". De Metz provided her with men's clothing in order to further her desire to meet the King of France. It was the devotion of de Metz and his fellow soldier Bertrand de Poulengy that persuaded de Baudricourt to her cause. De Metz effectively became "the leader of the little troop", Joan's escort to
Chinon Chinon () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The traditional province around Chinon, Touraine, became a favorite resort of French kings and their nobles beginning in the late 15th and early 16th centur ...
, where she met King Charles VII; after this point, Jean aided Joan's efforts by furnishing her a horse and necessary clothing. An aide to the King provided de Metz with some 425
livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...
for the expenses of "the Maid" and himself, including armor. Though there were suspicions of these men travelling with an unmarried woman, de Metz declared at her trial that though he, Poulengy, and "la Pucelle" (Joan) slept side-by-side when they camped for the night, her garments were "closely shut", and he never felt any sexual desire for her, "by reason of the virtue I divined in her". After Joan's execution, de Metz was not forgotten: in 1444, Charles VII granted Jean a title of nobility, in recognition of his services "in our wars and elsewhere". Eleven years later, at Joan's nullification trial, de Metz was a witness, described as a nobleman in residence at Vaucouleurs.


Alternative interpretations

Sackville-West refers in an appendix to a theory by Joan's Jesuit biographer, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Ayroles, that the actions taken by de Metz (specifically his leaving her journey before she reached Nancy, France) may only make sense if he were "a kind of
spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
" sent, most likely at the behest of de Baudricourt, to determine Joan's "true or false worth". The argument hangs in part on the breach-of-promise action brought by Joan's father
Jacques d'Arc Jacques (or Jacquot) d'Arc (sometimes spelled ''Darc'', ''Dars'', ''Tart'', or ''Day''; 1375–1431) was a farmer from DomrĂ©my, France who was the father of the French military leader and Catholic saint Joan of Arc. D'Arc is most known for bein ...
, and Sackville-West finds Ayrole's interpretation faulty on several practical grounds, although she offers nothing to counter his view of de Metz.


Portrayals

In the 1948 film ''
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= ’an daʁk} ; 1412 â€“ 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of OrlĂ©ans and her insistence on the coronat ...
'' (starring Ingrid Bergman) de Metz was played by
Richard Derr Richard Derr (June 15, 1917 – May 8, 1992) was an American actor who worked on stage, screen, and television, performing in both starring and supporting roles. Early years Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Derr graduated from Norristown High ...
. In the 1999 miniseries ''
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= ’an daʁk} ; 1412 â€“ 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of OrlĂ©ans and her insistence on the coronat ...
'', de Metz was portrayed by actor
Chad Willett Chad (; ar, ŰȘێۧۯ , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic t ...
. In this telling, de Metz "gradually falls in love" with the saint, but never tells her of his feelings, remaining true to her even after her death. De Metz is a selectable player character in the 2004
videogame Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...
'' Wars and Warriors: Joan of Arc'', is a minor character in the 1999 videogame, '' Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings'' and a major character in the 2007 PSP game ''
Jeanne d'Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= ’an daʁk} ; 1412 â€“ 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of OrlĂ©ans and her insistence on the coronati ...
''. Jean de Metz also appears in the book ''Assassin's Creed Heresy'' by Christie Golden, a book from
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', ...
's hit video game series. In the novel, Jean de Metz is a member of the French Brotherhood of Assassins.


References


External links


Account by Jean de Metz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jean de Metz 1388 births Year of death missing Noblemen of France