Joan of Arc: Life, War, Trial and Legacy

Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl who led French troops to lift the siege of Orleans in 1429, helped crown Charles VII king of France, and was burned at the stake in 1431 after a trial for heresy. The Catholic Church declared her innocent in 1456 and made her a saint in 1920.

This page covers her life, the war she fought in, her military campaign, her capture and trial, and what happened to her name after her death.

Who was Joan of Arc?

Joan of Arc was a peasant girl born around 1412 in the village of Domremy in northeastern France, who said she heard the voices of saints instructing her to help save France (Britannica). She had no formal schooling and worked at home like other peasant children of her time, but she was known for spending long hours in prayer.

This section does not cover the medical or psychological explanations some historians have proposed for her visions, since those remain debated rather than settled fact.

What was the Hundred Years’ War, and why did it matter to Joan?

The Hundred Years’ War was a long conflict between England and France over who should rule France, and by the time Joan was born it had already lasted about a century. English forces controlled large parts of northern France, including Reims, the city where French kings were traditionally crowned, which left the French heir Charles uncrowned and his claim to the throne in doubt.

Joan said her voices told her to help the French heir, known as the Dauphin, reach Reims and be crowned king. This section does not cover the earlier decades of the war before Joan’s involvement, which had their own separate battles and treaties.

What happened at Orleans in 1429?

In 1429, Joan led French troops to break the English siege of the city of Orleans, a turning point that gave French forces momentum they had lacked for years (Britannica). She had convinced Charles and his advisors that her voices were genuine, and he gave her a small force to lead.

After Orleans, French troops under Joan’s influence won further battles, including at Patay, and English control in the region weakened quickly. This section does not cover the individual tactics of each battle, only the overall outcome of the campaign.

How was Charles VII crowned, and what happened to Joan after?

With Reims back in French hands, Charles VII was crowned king of France in July 1429 at Reims Cathedral, with Joan present at the ceremony. Once crowned, Charles was less willing to keep fighting and began considering negotiation with the English, while Joan wanted to continue the military campaign.

Joan kept fighting without the same royal support and was captured by Burgundian troops, allies of the English, in 1430. This section does not cover the political relationship between Charles VII and the Duke of Burgundy in later years, which continued well past Joan’s death.

What happened at Joan’s trial and death?

The English handed Joan to a church court that tried her for heresy at Rouen in 1431, and she was found guilty and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431 (Britannica). The court that tried her was controlled by clergy loyal to the English side of the war, and the trial is widely viewed by historians as politically motivated rather than a fair religious proceeding.

This section does not cover the full legal arguments used at the original trial, which involved dozens of formal charges, most of which do not affect the outcome recorded here.

What was the 1456 rehabilitation, and when was she canonized?

On July 7, 1456, a panel of judges in Rouen nullified the results of her 1431 trial and formally rehabilitated her name, based partly on an official inquest, held between 1449 and 1456, that gathered testimony from 115 witnesses (University of Notre Dame, Church Life Journal). This 1456 ruling cleared her of guilt but did not make any statement about her sainthood, which came separately and much later.

The Catholic Church canonized Joan of Arc as a saint on May 16, 1920, nearly 500 years after her death (Britannica). This section does not cover the full canonization process or the centuries of popular legend about Joan that grew between her death and her sainthood.

Joan’s story sits within the broader period of medieval Europe, when wars over royal succession shaped much of the continent. For related history content, see our world history section and our page on explorers from the centuries that followed.

Sources

• Britannica. Saint Joan of Arc
• University of Notre Dame, Church Life Journal. God, Country, and Joan of Arc