Joan inspired by another Joan?

We all know Joan of Arc as this young girl who became famous (or infamous depending on what side you look from) for being different, one of a kind, and radical. After doing a little bit of digging around on the internet, I ran into an article that listed some famous female warriors throughout history. The one that caught my eye was a paragraph on another famous woman name Joan. She too was a warrior who led troops to victory during the Breton War of Succession. Did Joan take inspiration from others before her or was she acting out of pure obedience to God?

We know from reading our text books that Joan was called upon by Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret. These were the source of her voices she was hearing which stirred her to take action and do the will of God. Wether Joan of Arc was inspired by another mortal female commander in history is the question. I personally believe that Joan of Arc was not inspired by female commanders of the past. Simply because her mission was her mission. Joan had tunnel vision and could see the task that God commanded her to do and she would do it at all costs.

The other woman that the article briefly paired with Joan was named Jeanne Le Flamme "Fiery Joan."  The story of Both Joans are somewhat similar. The story of "Fiery Joan" entails a married woman named Joanna of Flanders. Joanna was married to a wealthy nobleman named John de Montford, Duke of Brittany. In 1341 John de Montford was arrested and taken prisoner by Charles de Blois in a competition for the dukehood. This didnt set well with Joan so she raised her own army and attacked Charles de Blois to gain control of Brittany. This conflict became known as the Breton War of Succession. After a few battles her army captured Charles de Blois and her revenge was exacted, even though her husband died in captivity. After that she reportedly went insane and was confined to Tickhill Castle where she died in about 1374. Nice right?

After looking at both Joans there are some similarities that arise but there are differences. I know there are a lot of questions to be asked in comparing the two, so what do you think about this comparison?

Work Cited

Mallet, N.H. "Women Warriors -- Meet Seven of History's Most Amazing Female Commanders." Military History Now. 15 May 2013. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/05/15/women-warriors-meet-seven-of-historys-most-amazing-female-commanders/>.

Taylor, Craig. Joan of Arc: La Pucelle. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2006. Print.