Saint Joan of Arc (1412–31), the Maid of Orléans, is a national heroine in France. She was a peasant girl who inspired the French army to win a great victory against the English at Orléans, in 1429. She was later captured by the English and burned to death at the stake for heresy (breaking religious law). She was not yet 20 years old. In 1920, centuries after her death, Joan was made a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

Also at this time the French king, Charles VI, was unable to rule because of his bouts of insanity. The king’s brother, the Duke of Orléans, and his cousin, the Duke of Burgundy, quarrelled over who should govern until the king’s young son, Charles, the dauphin (the French name for the heir to the throne), was old enough to be able to rule France himself.

In 1415, the English king Henry V took advantage of the chaos in France. His army invaded and defeated the French army at Agincourt. The Duchy of Burgundy formed an alliance with the English, and together they conquered large parts of northern France. Henry V became the heir to the French throne instead of the dauphin. Both Charles VI and Henry V died in 1422. The dauphin claimed to be the rightful heir to the French throne. But he was unable to go to Reims, the traditional place for the crowning of the kings of France, because it now lay in enemy hands.

Domrémy remained loyal to Charles. In around 1424 Joan began to have visions. St Michael, St Catherine and St Margaret told her to go to the dauphin. Guided by their voices, she was determined to go to him. Eventually, she was allowed to make the dangerous journey across enemy territory, disguised in men's clothes, to the dauphin’s court in Chinon in 1429.

She told the dauphin that she wanted to go into battle against the English and see him crowned king at Reims.

To Reims

Joan now urged Charles to march on to Reims. Along the way, the dauphin’s forces fought the English, defeating them at the Battle of Patay on 18th June. The royal army finally entered Reims on 16th July, and Charles was crowned king the following day. Charles VII still did not have control of all of his kingdom, much of which still lay in the hands of the English and the Duke of Burgundy.

Capture

In spring 1430, the armed forces of the Duke of Burgundy began to attack French towns once again. Joan took troops with her to one of these towns, Compiègne, to help the townspeople defend themselves. While she was there, she fell from her horse and was captured. She was taken to the English, who imprisoned her at Rouen Castle.

Death of Joan

Joan’s trial took place in Rouen. She was held in terrible conditions and questioned over and over again. Finally, she was sentenced to death. On 30th May 1431, at the age of 19, she was burned at the stake as a heretic.

Years later, in 1456, a Church court decided that Joan had been wrongly convicted, and declared her innocent.