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Fifteenth-century miniature depicting Joan of Arc

A fifteenth-century manuscript miniature depicting Joan of Arc. Unknown manuscript illuminator. Public domain.

Historical person · Medieval

Joan of Arc

c. 1412–1431

French visionary who became a military and political symbol during the Hundred Years’ War.

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Biography

Joan of Arc: life and legacy

Early life

Joan was born around 1412 at Domrémy, a village on the contested frontier of the Hundred Years' War. She later testified that she began hearing the voices of saints as a young teenager. Her own trial testimony is unusually valuable, but it was recorded under hostile interrogation and must be read with care.

Mission and recognition

In 1429 Joan persuaded local commander Robert de Baudricourt to send her to the dauphin Charles. Clerics examined her at Poitiers, after which she joined forces carrying supplies to Orléans. She did not command the entire French army, but her presence, confidence and insistence on offensive action had political and moral importance.

Orléans and coronation

French forces lifted the siege of Orléans in May 1429 and won further victories along the Loire. The campaign opened a route to Reims, where Charles VII was crowned in July. Joan's mission connected military success with the sacred legitimacy of the Valois claim to the French throne.

Capture and trial

Burgundian troops captured Joan near Compiègne in 1430 and transferred her to English custody. A church court led by Bishop Pierre Cauchon tried her at Rouen. The proceedings focused on her voices, authority and male clothing. After an abjuration and relapse process, she was condemned and burned on 30 May 1431.

Rehabilitation

A later inquiry ordered under Charles VII reviewed the case. In 1456 the rehabilitation court nullified the original verdict, identifying procedural failures and injustice. That decision served religious, familial and royal interests, so it too requires contextual reading rather than being treated as a transparent modern appeal.

Legacy and debate

Joan has been claimed by monarchists, republicans, nationalists, Catholics and resistance movements. The primary records establish a remarkable life but do not resolve the supernatural claims at its centre. Historians distinguish what participants believed, what the documents can demonstrate and how later political cultures remade her image.

Key moments

Timeline

  1. Born at Domrémy

    Grew up in a village exposed to the Hundred Years' War.

  2. Siege of Orléans lifted

    French forces broke the English siege.

  3. Coronation at Reims

    Charles VII was crowned with Joan present.

  4. Captured

    Burgundian forces seized her near Compiègne.

  5. Executed at Rouen

    Condemned by an English-backed church court.

  6. Verdict nullified

    A rehabilitation trial overturned the 1431 judgement.

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Evidence

Sources and further reading

  1. Primary sources and trial recordsJoan of Arc Archive
  2. The Trial of Joan of ArcHarvard University Press
  3. Joan of ArcThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Biographical records and portraitsNational Portrait Gallery
  5. Historical people and primary sourcesLibrary of Congress

Biographical claims are summarised from the sources above. Interpretation and disputed reputations are identified in the text rather than presented as settled fact.