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Joan of Arc -

Joan of Arc was born sometime around 1412 in Domrémy (today called Domrémy-la-Pucelle), a small village in the Meuse valley in France.

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Domrémy -

She was born during the Hundred Years' War, a conflict between the kingdoms of England and France that had begun in 1337. The house in which Joan arrived in this world still stands, and today is a museum. Likewise, the village church where she was baptized and attended mass remains a cherished feature of the village.

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Early life -

Joan was the daughter of a tenant farmer who was loyal to the House of Orléans and the Armagnac cause, even though the surrounding lands were largely pro-Burgundian, the population supportive of the Duke of Burgundy. The Burgundian's opposition to the Armagnac party and to dauphin Charles, Duke of Orléans and the heir apparent to the French crown, ultimately led to civil war, itself part of the larger Hundred Years' War.

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Visions -

In 1425, aged 13, Joan had a vision of Saint Michael in her father's garden. Further visions of St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Margaret of Antioch convinced the teenager to undertake a mission to expel the English and their occupying Burgundian allies from the Valois kingdom of France.

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Vaucouleurs -

Prompted by the visions that had urged her to leave Domrémy and help the dauphin, Joan headed for Vaucouleurs in 1428, where she petitioned the garrison commander, Robert de Baudricourt, for an armed escort to take her to the Armagnac court at Chinon. Her request was denied.

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Chinon -

She returned to Vaucouleurs the following year, this time successfully persuading Baudricourt to let her go to Chinon. On February 13, 1429, she departed Vaucouleurs dressed in men's clothes and accompanied by half a dozen men-at-arms. She arrived at Chinon 11 days later, and went at once to the castle seeking an audience with Charles.

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An audience with Charles -

A skeptical Charles at first refused to meet Joan. He eventually granted her an audience and listened incredulously as the 17-year-old set out her plan to raise the siege of Orléans and to lead him to Reims for his coronation. Now highly suspicious of her intent, Charles ordered Joan's interrogation by a council of theologians to verify her morality and ensure her orthodoxy.

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Departure from Blois -

Convinced of her mission, Charles gave Joan command of a small Armagnac force. On April 27, 1429, having earlier dictated letters of defiance to the English warning them that she had been sent by God to drive their forces out of France, Joan of Arc set out from city of Blois to relieve the French royal army at the siege of Orléans. Pictured is a plaque unveiled in 1929 to mark the 500th anniversary of Joan of Arc's arrival in Blois on April 25, 1429 and her subsequent departure on April 27 for Orléans.

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Siege of Orléans -

Joan of Arc and the French military commander La Hire arrived at the head of their armies in Orléans on April 29, 1429. They were told to wait for reinforcements, but on May 4, in a sudden flash of inspiration, Joan led an attack on the English. Pictured is Joan of Arc leading the attack on the main English stronghold, les Tourelles, during which she was wounded.

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Decisive battle -

The siege of Orléans (October 12, 1428–May 8, 1429) proved a decisive battle in the Hundred Years' War. The siege collapsed just nine days after Joan arrived at Orléans. It was the French royal army's first major military victory after the crushing defeat at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Had the French not won, it's very likely that the English regent, John of Lancaster, would have succeeded in conquering all of France.

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Entering Orléans -

A victorious Joan of Arc entered Orléans after the capitulation of the English on May 8, 1429. Over the next couple of days, to boost morale, Joan, resplendent on horseback, periodically toured the streets of Orléans, distributing food to the people and salaries to the garrison.

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Battle of Patay -

On May 9, Joan met Charles at Tours, where she asked the dauphin to travel immediately to Reims to be crowned. However, before the coronation, a little housekeeping was decided upon—a mopping up after Orléans and the clearing out of the English from other towns along the Loire Valley. The cleanup operation culminated with the Battle of Patay on June 18, 1492, where the English army was routed and with it, finally, its reputation for invincibility.

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Arrival at Reims -

On July 16, the dauphin's army reached Reims. Joan of Arc was at Charles' side as it entered the historic city.

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Charles VII of France -

One day later on July 17, 1429 in Reims cathedral, the dauphin was crowned Charles VII of France.

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Place of honor -

Joan was present at the consecration, accorded a place of honor at the ceremony standing with her banner not far from the altar. She declared that God's will had been fulfilled.

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Charles VII (1403–1461) -

Rather than attack Paris, the royal court negotiated a truce with the Duke of Burgundy, after which the king retreated to Loire. However, the Burgundians quickly reneged on the peace promise. This breach of trust prompted the Armagnacs to advance on the French capital.

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Siege of Paris -

On September 8, 1429, the Armagnacs attacked Paris, directed between the gates of Saint-Honoré and Saint-Denis. Leading the charge was Joan of Arc and her comrade-in-arms, John II, Duke of Alençon. The city, though, was heavily defended by the English, and, despite a gallant effort during which Joan was again wounded, the Armagnacs were forced into retreat. Paris remained in the hands of the Duke of Burgundy. The peace treaty was eventually renegotiated and extended to Easter 1430.

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Ennobled -

For her loyalty and services to king and court, Joan of Arc and her family were ennobled by Charles VII in December 1492.

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Compiègne -

Early in 1430, the Duke of Burgundy began to reclaim towns that had been ceded to him by treaty but had not submitted to him. Compiègne was one of the towns that refused to submit, and it prepared for a siege. Joan's forces arrived at the town to defend it on May 14. On May 23, she led a sortie and twice repelled the Burgundians. But a flanking maneuver by English reinforcements compelled the Armagnac forces to retreat. During the withdrawal Joan was wounded and unhorsed.

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Capture and imprisonment -

Dismounted and surrounded, Joan of Arc was captured by Burgundian forces, her army defeated. She surrendered to a pro-Burgundian nobleman named Lyonnel de Wandomme, a member of Jean de Luxembourg's contingent, and was imprisoned in several castles, during which she made two escape attempts before being transferred to the Burgundian town of Arras. Charles, who was working toward a truce with the Duke of Burgundy, made no attempts to save her.

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Rouen -

After negotiating a ransom payment with their Burgundian allies, the English moved Joan of Arc to Rouen for interrogation before her trial. Pictured is the keep of the castle of Rouen, the surviving remnant of the fortress where Joan was imprisoned during her trial. It has since become known as the "Joan of Arc Tower."

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Interrogation -

News of Joan of Arc's capture had reached Paris. There, theologists at the University of Paris insisted she be tried as a heretic. Joan was subsequently questioned at length in her cell, interrogated by, among others, the Cardinal of Winchester (pictured).

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Bishop of Beauvais (1371–1442) -

Joan was further quizzed by Pierre Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais. Cauchon would eventually preside over her trial, which began on January 13, 1431.

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Trial -

By all accounts the trial was a sham. The charges were based mainly on the contention that Joan's behavior showed blasphemous presumption, and that she preferred to follow the direct commands of God to those of the Church. Furthermore, she was not read the charges against her until well after her interrogations began, and there is evidence that the trial records were falsified.

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Abjuration -

Exhausted and threatened with torture, Joan declared she would do all that the Church required of her. This included submitting and signing an abjuration, essentially admitting her crimes. By signing this document and admitting her guilt, Joan remained under ecclesiastical authority and would not be killed.

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Conviction -

Joan was initially condemned to perpetual imprisonment. She was returned to jail and ordered to change into women's clothing. She complied, but days later was found once again in male attire. She had also rescinded her abjuration, the voices of St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Margaret of Antioch apparently having censured her "treason" in signing the document in the first place. This change of heart sealed her fate. On May 29, 1431, Joan of Arc was transferred from ecclesiastic to secular authority. Pictured is her official conviction notice.

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Execution -

Public heresy was a capital crime. As such, Joan of Arc was sentenced to death. On May 30, 1431, she was executed, burned at the stake in Rouen's Vieux-Marché (Old Marketplace).

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Aftermath -

Twenty-two years after Joan of Arc's death, the Hundred Years' War ended with a French victory at the Battle of Castillon in 1453. Shortly afterwards, the English were all but expelled from France. Earlier in 1450, Charles VII had ordered an inquiry into the trial, not least because he feared his consecration as the King of France had been achieved through the actions of a heretic.

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Pope Callixtus III (1378–1458) -

Subsequently, Pope Callixtus III granted permission for Joan's rehabilitation trial in 1455 after receiving a petition from her family.

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Rehabilitation trial -

The proceedings instituted in 1455–56 and held at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris ultimately revoked and annulled the sentence of 1431.

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Sainthood -

The complete rehabilitation of Joan of Arc began in 1909 when she was beatified by Pope Pius X. On May 16, 1929, she was canonized by Pope Benedict XV (pictured).

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Joan of Arc today -

Among the numerous monuments celebrating the life of Joan of Arc is no less than 36 equestrian statues, of which 26 are located in France and 10 in other countries. 

Sources: (History) (History Today) (Famous Trials) (Catholic News Agency)

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