Joan of Arc was one of the most remarkable figures of the Middle Ages and one of the greatest national heroes in the history of France. Born a peasant girl in a small village in northeastern France, she claimed to receive visions from God that instructed her to lead the French army to victory over the English during the Hundred Years War. At the age of seventeen, with no military training, she convinced the French crown prince to give her command of an army and went on to lift the siege of Orleans in 1429, one of the most important French victories of the war. Joan was later captured, tried for heresy and burned at the stake at the age of nineteen. She was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1920 and remains the patron saint of France.
Joan of Arc – Early Life
Joan of Arc was born on approximately January 6th, 1412, in the village of Domremy, in northeastern France. Her father was Jacques d’Arc, a tenant farmer, and her mother was Isabelle Romee, a deeply pious woman who instilled in Joan a strong love of the Catholic faith from a very early age. Joan was not taught to read or write as a child, as was common for peasant girls at the time, and she grew up helping her family with farming and household tasks.
Joan was born into a France that was deeply divided and at war. The Hundred Years War, which was a long series of conflicts fought between England and France from 1337 to 1453, had been going on for most of her lifetime. At the time of Joan’s childhood, much of northern France was under English control, and England’s Burgundian allies controlled large portions of the country as well. The French crown prince, known as the dauphin Charles, had not yet been crowned king and his right to the throne was disputed. As such, France was in a desperate situation when Joan was growing up and the prospect of a French victory seemed increasingly unlikely.
Joan of Arc – Visions and Mission
When Joan was approximately thirteen years old, she began to experience what she described as visions from God. She claimed that the voices of Saint Michael, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret appeared to her and instructed her to drive the English out of France and ensure that the dauphin Charles was crowned as the rightful King of France at the traditional coronation site of Reims. At first Joan told no one of her visions, but over time they became more insistent and she became convinced that it was her duty to act on them.
When Joan was sixteen years old, she approached a local military commander named Robert de Baudricourt and asked him to take her to the dauphin’s court at Chinon. Baudricourt initially refused and dismissed her. With that said, Joan was persistent and returned a second time, and eventually Baudricourt agreed to help her. In February of 1429 CE, Joan set out for Chinon dressed in men’s clothing, traveling through territory controlled by her enemies to reach the dauphin’s court. As such, the journey itself was an extraordinary act of courage for a seventeen year old peasant girl.
Joan of Arc – Meeting the Dauphin and the Siege of Orleans
Upon arriving at Chinon, Joan was brought before the dauphin Charles. According to accounts of the meeting, Charles attempted to test Joan by disguising himself among his courtiers, but Joan identified him immediately. Joan told Charles that God had sent her to help him and urged him to allow her to lead an army to the besieged city of Orleans. Charles and his advisors were initially skeptical, and Joan was subjected to several weeks of questioning by church officials who sought to determine whether her visions were genuine or the work of the devil. She passed these examinations and Charles eventually agreed to give her armor, a horse and command of a French army.
Joan arrived at Orleans in April of 1429 CE. The city had been under siege by English forces since October of 1428 and its situation was desperate. In a series of battles fought between May 4th and May 7th, 1429 CE, Joan led the French forces in a series of attacks on the English fortifications surrounding the city. She was wounded by an arrow during the fighting but returned to the field to encourage her troops to press on. By May 8th, the English had been driven from their positions and the siege of Orleans was lifted. The victory at Orleans was one of the most significant French successes of the entire Hundred Years War and transformed Joan into a celebrated figure across France.
Joan of Arc – Coronation of Charles VII
Following the victory at Orleans, Joan urged the dauphin Charles to march to Reims to be crowned king without delay. Charles and his advisors were cautious and hesitated, but Joan pressed the case and the French army set out for Reims in June of 1429 CE. Along the way, the French forces captured several towns that resisted and made their way through territory controlled by their enemies. On July 18th, 1429 CE, Charles was crowned King Charles VII of France at Reims Cathedral, with Joan standing at his side. The coronation was one of the most significant moments of the Hundred Years War, as it gave Charles undisputed legitimacy as the rightful King of France. As such, Joan had achieved the two main goals of her mission: lifting the siege of Orleans and securing the coronation of Charles VII.
Joan of Arc – Capture and Trial
Following the coronation, Joan continued to participate in military campaigns but her situation became increasingly difficult. For instance, an attempt to retake Paris in September of 1429 CE failed, and Joan was wounded in the fighting. As well, King Charles VII proved to be a cautious and indecisive ruler who was reluctant to press the military advantage that Joan’s victories had created. In the spring of 1430 CE, Joan was ordered to Compiegne to defend the town against a Burgundian assault. During the battle on May 23rd, 1430 CE, she was thrown from her horse outside the town’s gates and captured by Burgundian forces.
The Burgundians sold Joan to the English for 10,000 francs. King Charles VII, whom Joan had helped crown, made no effort to secure her release. The English handed Joan over to an ecclesiastical court controlled by French clerics who supported the English cause. The court was led by Pierre Cauchon, the Bishop of Beauvais, who was a strong supporter of the English. Joan was charged with seventy counts, including heresy, witchcraft and dressing in men’s clothing. Her trial began on January 9th, 1431 CE in the city of Rouen. Despite having no legal counsel and facing the most sophisticated legal minds of her day, Joan defended herself ably throughout the proceedings. For instance, the judges tried to trick her by asking whether she believed she was in a state of God’s grace, which was a question designed so that any answer would condemn her. She replied simply: “If I am not, may God put me there; if I am, may God keep me there.”
Joan of Arc – Death and Legacy
On May 29th, 1431 CE, the tribunal found Joan guilty of heresy. On the morning of May 30th, 1431 CE, Joan of Arc was led to the marketplace in Rouen and burned at the stake before an estimated crowd of 10,000 people. She was nineteen years old. To the very end, Joan maintained that her visions had been sent by God and had not deceived her. Her ashes were gathered and scattered in the Seine River.
Following Joan’s death, the Hundred Years War continued for another twenty-two years, ending in 1453 CE with a French victory. In 1456 CE, Pope Calixtus III ordered a review of Joan’s trial, and a papal court officially declared her innocent of all charges and designated her a martyr. She was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1909 CE and canonized as a saint on May 16th, 1920 CE by Pope Benedict XV. She remains the patron saint of France to this day.
Joan of Arc is remembered as one of the most significant figures of the Middle Ages and one of the most remarkable individuals in the history of the world. She rose from obscurity as a peasant girl with no military training to lead an army, turn the tide of a major war and help crown a king, all before the age of 18. As such, her life and legacy have inspired people across the world for centuries and she remains one of the most celebrated figures in the history of France and the Middle Ages.
