Who was Joan of Arc?
Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl who led French troops to key victories during the Hundred Years' War against England. She was burned at the stake in 1431 at age 19.
Joan was born around 1412 in the village of Domrémy in northeastern France. As a teenager, she said she heard the voices of saints telling her to help the uncrowned French prince, Charles, drive the English out of France. In 1429, she convinced Charles to let her join the army.
Dressed in armor, Joan helped lift the English siege of Orléans in May 1429, a turning point in the war. Her victories allowed Charles to be crowned King Charles VII at Reims Cathedral. In 1430, she was captured by Burgundian forces, allies of England, and sold to the English.
Trial and sainthood
Joan was put on trial for heresy and other charges by a church court in Rouen. She was found guilty and burned on May 30, 1431. A later trial in 1456 declared her innocent. The Catholic Church made her a saint in 1920, and she became a patron saint of France.
Did You Know?
Joan of Arc is known in France as la Pucelle d'Orléans, the Maid of Orléans, and the city still holds a festival in her honor every May.