# Robert de Baudricourt — Saint Joan character guide

> Robert de Baudricourt in Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Robert, Robert Miracles, Robert Sarcastic, Robert Thoughtful, Robert Grimly, Robert The Maid, Robert Rising, Robert To Poulengey, Robert Turning, Robert de Baudricourt, Captain Robert de Baudricourt, Robert No eggs, Baudricourt, Robert Polly, Robert Outraged, Robert Precisely, Robert Tcha, Robert Shaking Poulengey, De Baudricourt

**First appearance:** 0043-scene-i

## Snapshot

The captain of Vaucouleurs who first laughs off the Maid, then finds himself arming her and wondering what he has unleashed.

## Who they are

Baudricourt is a practical soldier managing a minor garrison, and Joan's demand for horses and an escort strikes him as pure absurdity. His slow conversion from sarcasm to reluctant cooperation is the play's first demonstration of her uncanny power to move ordinary men. He matters because he is the gate she must pass through, and his surrender to her sets the whole story in motion.

## Relationships

### [Joan of Arc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/joan_of_arc)

_professional_

Robert, initially skeptical, becomes the local commander who reluctantly helps Joan begin her military mission.

### [Steward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/steward)

_professional_

The Steward serves as Robert's subordinate, managing the castle and relaying messages with comic frustration.

### [King Charles VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/king_charles_vii)

_professional_

Charles VII relies on Robert as a local military commander, though their relationship is distant and formal.

## In the story

### [Joan's Social Position](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/joan-s-social-position)

Mentioned as the commandant at Vaucouleurs whom Joan converted by revealing the defeat at the Battle of Herrings before official news arrived.

### [The Conflict Between Genius and Discipline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-conflict-between-genius-and-discipline)

Mentioned as the local commander who initially tried to assert himself but collapsed and obeyed Joan's orders.

### [The Stage Limits of Historical Representation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-stage-limits-of-historical-representation)

Mentioned in the context of the compressed timeline, where Joan's interaction with him is shortened.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/robert_de_baudricourt
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters