Over the centuries, the disputes between France and England have steadily escalated and experienced a thousand and one twists and turns. From Agincourt to Mers-el-Kébir, via Trafalgar, the relationship between the Gauls and their best enemies across the Channel has been characterised by rumbling storms—interrupted, however, by lovely clear spells, such as the marriage of Charles I and Henrietta of France or the signing of the Entente Cordiale. This is the charm of our European history, which overzealous Brussels officials would like to erase and replace with a peaceful era of perpetual bureaucracy.
The latest episode in the age-old conflict between the fierce Gauls and perfidious Albion is the appropriation of Jeanne d’Arc by a British publisher to turn her into a non-binary icon for the edification of schoolchildren (!). This is indeed how she is presented in an anthology entitled Who We Are, published by Collins and aimed at teenagers aged 11 to 14. A chapter devoted to gender diversity through the ages brings together examples of historical figures with ‘fluid identities’—including the secondary patron saint of France.
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