(1412?–31). The greatest national heroine of France, Joan of Arc was a peasant girl who became a military leader during the Hundred Years' War. She led French forces to victory over the English army in a crucial battle in the French city of Orléans. Recalling the site of her most famous triumph, she is known as the Maid of Orléans.
Joan of Arc was born in the village of Domrémy, in the Meuse River valley of northeastern France, probably in 1412. She was the daughter of a tenant farmer. Joan spent much of her time praying in church.
By the time of Joan's birth France & Engl& had been involved in the conflict known as the Hundred Years' War for more than 70 years. The English occupied much of northern France, & the duke of Burgundy was their ally. Reims, a city to the northeast of Paris, was the place where French kings had always been crowned. Reims had fallen into enemy h&s, however, & the heir to the French throne, Charles VII, could not be crowned king. Until Charles was crowned at Reims, his rule over France would not be seen as rightful.
When Joan was about 13, she began to have heavenly visions. She claimed that she heard the voices of Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, & Saint Margaret. Joan said that the voices comm&ed her to drive out the English & their allies from northern France so that Charles could be crowned king.
Led by the voices, Joan traveled in May 1428 from Domrémy to Vaucouleurs, a fort loyal to Charles. At Vaucouleurs she asked for permission to meet Charles. The captain of the fort did not take Joan seriously, & she returned home. Early the next year Joan went to Vaucouleurs again. This time the captain allowed her to go to Charles, who was in the town of Chinon. Joan made the trip dressed in men's clothes & accompanied by six soldiers. She traveled for 11 days through enemy territory before reaching Chinon.
Church officials questioned Joan thoroughly. Finally they advised Charles to use Joan's services to save the fortress of Orléans. The English had been trying to take over the fortress for months.
An army was gathered. Charles gave Joan armor, attendants, & horses. Joan did not comm& the army at Orléans, but she did lead a series of attacks against the English. These attacks helped drive the English out of the city. After several more victories, the army entered Reims on July 16. The next day Charles was crowned king of France.
Joan was eager to attack Paris, which was held by the duke of Burgundy. First the army took Compiègne & other towns north of Paris. The attack on Paris was driven back & Joan was wounded.
In the spring of 1430 Joan returned to Compiègne, which was now surrounded by Burgundian forces. On May 23, 1430, Joan was separated from her soldiers during a raid into Burgundian territory. She surrendered to the Burgundians & was sold to the English, who vowed that she would be put to death.
The English & Burgundians wanted to have Joan proven a heretic & a witch. In Joan's time, a heretic was a person who had beliefs that went against the Roman Catholic church. Witchcraft was also an offense against the church.
Joan was brought to trial before a religious court in Rouen. Pierre Cauchon, the bishop of Beauvais, was chief of the court. Her interrogation began on February 21, 1431, & continued for a month. Joan was held in chains, threatened with torture, & asked numerous questions. In spite of all this, she kept her shy innocence. On May 23 the court sentenced Joan to be burned at the stake unless she confessed that she had behaved wrongly.
Faced with death, Joan confessed. As a result, her punishment was changed from death to life imprisonment. A few days later, however, she changed her mind. Saint Catherine & Saint Margaret, Joan said, had criticized her for confessing. For insisting on her innocence, she was finally sentenced to death.
On May 30, 1431, when Joan was only 19 years old, she was burned to death at the stake. Charles VII made no effort to save her. Years after her death, however, he did help her family to appeal her case to the pope. In 1456 a church court canceled the judgment of 1431. On May 16, 1920, the Roman Catholic church declared Joan of Arc a saint.
