Joan of Arc

Lore & Background

Joan was born to a propertied peasant family at Domrémy in northeast France. In 1428, she requested to be taken to Charles VII, later testifying that she was guided by visions from the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine to help him save France from English domination. Convinced of her devotion and purity, Charles sent Joan, who was about seventeen years old, to Orléans as part of a relief army. She arrived at the city in April 1429, wielding her banner and bringing hope to the demoralized French army. Nine days after her arrival, the English abandoned the siege. Joan encouraged the French to aggressively pursue the English during the Loire Campaign, which culminated in another decisive victory at Patay, opening the way for the French army to advance on Reims unopposed, where Charles was crowned as the king of France with Joan at his side.

After Charles's coronation, Joan participated in the unsuccessful siege of Paris in September 1429 and the failed siege of La Charité in November. Her role in these defeats reduced the court's faith in her. In early 1430, Joan organized a company of volunteers to relieve Compiègne, which had been besieged by the Burgundians—French allies of the English. She was captured by Burgundian troops on 23 May. After trying unsuccessfully to escape, she was handed to the English in November. She was put on trial by Bishop Pierre Cauchon on accusations of heresy, which included blaspheming by wearing men's clothes, acting upon visions that were demonic, and refusing to submit her words and deeds to the judgment of the church. She was declared guilty and burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, aged about nineteen.

Reader's Guide

Joan of Arc's significance lies in her role as a military leader who helped turn the tide of the Hundred Years' War, boosting French morale and paving the way for their final triumph several decades later. Her insistence on the coronation of Charles VII solidified her as a defender of the French nation. After her death, an inquisitorial court in 1456 overturned her conviction, declaring it tainted by deceit and procedural errors. Joan has been described as an obedient member of the Catholic Church, an early feminist, and a symbol of freedom and independence. She is popularly revered as a martyr. After the French Revolution, she became a national symbol of France. In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized by Pope Benedict XV and, two years later, was declared one of the patron saints of France. She is portrayed in numerous cultural works, including literature, music, paintings, sculptures, theater, and film.

Did You Know?

• Joan's last name was usually written as 'Darc' without an apostrophe; she may never have heard herself called 'Jeanne d'Arc'.
• She referred to herself in letters as 'Jeanne la Pucelle' ('Joan the Maiden') and signed as 'Jehanne'.
• Joan was not taught to read and write in childhood, and so dictated her letters; she may later have learned to sign her name.
• The first written record of her being called 'Jeanne d'Arc' is in 1455, 24 years after her death.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"...you shall never hold the Kingdom of France from God, the King of Heaven, the son of St. Mary; but King Charles, the true heir, will hold it; for God, the King of Heaven wishes it so...." — Joan of Arc "From her ultimatum to the English commanders at Orleans, dictated to a scribe on 22 March 1429; excerpt from the translation in "Joan of Arc: Her Story" (1999) by Regine Pernoud and Marie-Veronique Clin, p. 34." — Joan of Arc "From her ultimatum to the Hussites, dictated to a scribe on 23 March 1430; excerpt from the translation in "Joan of Arc: Her Story" (1999) by Regine Pernoud and Marie-Veronique Clin, p. 259." — Joan of Arc "Children say that people are hanged sometimes for speaking the truth." — Joan of Arc