Introduction


Joan of Arc

"I have come to raise the siege of Orléans and to aid you to recover your kingdom. God wills it. After I have raised the siege I will conduct you to Reims to be consecrated. Do not distress yourself over the English, for I will combat them in any place I find them." Joan of Arc's statement to Charles VII.
One of the most illustrious figures of the medieval period, Joan of Arc continues to fascinate historians and students to this day. This French national heroine took to the field of battle during the Hundred Years War. She claimed that the “voices” of saints had told her she was called on by God to aid her country. At the time, the desperate French army had suffered a number of losses to the English, but Joan brought renewed confidence by lifting the siege of Orleans in nine days and taking back the city of Reims. Also known as the “Maid of Orleans,” she was soon captured by the English, who had her burned at the stake as a witch. But they were too late. Joan had already turned the tide of the war.

Essential Facts

  1. Joan of Arc began hearing the “voices” of saints when she was 13. She was 17 in 1429 when she left her home on her mission and was only 19 in 1430 when she was burned at the stake.
  2. Her victory at Reims was key because it was there in the cathedral that Charles VII was crowned King of France. But for some reason, he refused to take her advice after that time.
  3. Joan wore a suit of armor in battle. During her trial, the English said that her wearing of “male” clothing was “unbiblical.”
  4. In 1455, her family asked the church to review the charges against her. In 1456, Pope Callistus II pronounced her innocent, and she was declared a martyr for her faith. She was beatified in 1909 and made a saint in 1920.
  5. Joan of Arc has been the subject of many plays, including George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan and Friedrich Schiller’s The Maid of Orleans. She has also been the subject of more than twenty movies as well as countless books and articles.