Joan of Arc

The life of Joan of Arc was as dramatic as it was short-lived. At the age of 13, she heard voices and, by the time she was 19, she was burnt at the stake. Only 500 years later would she be recognised as a saint.

Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) was born in the village of Domrémy, on the border of Champagne and Lorraine in 1412. Her upbringing was simple and religious. At about 13 years old, Joan began to hear the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret, whom she believed had been sent by God. These voices told her it was her divine mission to free her country from the English and help the dauphin gain the French throne. They told her to cut her hair, dress in a man's uniform and take up arms.

Angel-in-arms
At this time, the English - with the help of their Burgundian allies - occupied Paris and all of France north of the Loire. Henry VI of England was making claims to the throne of France. Jeanne’s conviction was so strong, however, that she managed to win over the captain of the Dauphin's forces and then the Dauphin himself. After passing an examination by a board of theologians, the simple peasant girl was given troops to command, the rank of Captain and a suit of angelic white armour.

At the battle of Orleans in May 1429, Jeanne led the troops to a miraculous victory over the English. She continued fighting the enemy in other locations along the Loire. By July of the same year, Charles VII was crowned king of France in Reims Cathedral, where Joan was given a place of honour next to the king.

The perils of cross-dressing
After so much notoriety, things went disastrously wrong for Joan when, in 1430, she was captured by the Burgundians while defending Compiegne, near Paris. She was then sold to the English and handed over to the ecclesiastical court at Rouen, led by Pierre Cauchon, a pro-English Bishop, to be tried for witchcraft and heresy. Much was made of Joan’s insistence on wearing male clothing at the trial, which she was told was a crime against God. After a gruelling 14 months of relentless interrogation, Joan was burned at the stake in the Rouen marketplace in 1431. Her last word, as the smoke and flames leapt around her was "Jesus".

Even though he owed his position to her endeavours, the French king made no attempt to come to her rescue. Justice at last Twenty-five years after her death, a second trial was held and Joan was pronounced innocent of the charges against her. After being virtually forgotten by the French for 400 years, Joan of Arc was finally beatified in 1909 and declared a saint in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. Today, Joan of Arc continues to inspire and she remains France’s most popular historical figure – ahead of Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis XIV and Charles de Gaulle.