Joan of Arc
1412 – 1431 · France
Known for: Led French army at 17, Siege of Orléans, Martyr, Catholic saint, National heroine
“I am not afraid... I was born to do this”
Biography
Joan of Arc, also known as the Maid of Orléans, is a patron saint of France and a national heroine, honored for her role in the Hundred Years' War between France and England. Born to a peasant family in Domrémy, northeastern France, Joan claimed to have received visions from saints instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination. At age 17, she convinced Charles to allow her to lead a French army to the besieged city of Orléans, where she achieved a remarkable victory in 1429. This triumph turned the tide of the war and led to Charles VII's coronation at Reims. Joan's military success was attributed to her inspirational leadership, strategic insight, and the boost in morale she provided to French troops. She dressed in male military attire and cut her hair short, which later became one of the charges against her. In 1430, Joan was captured by Burgundian forces allied with the English. She was sold to the English, who arranged for her trial by an ecclesiastical court in Rouen. The trial was politically motivated, designed to discredit Charles VII by demonstrating that his coronation had been aided by a heretic and witch. Joan was charged with heresy and cross-dressing, found guilty, and burned at the stake on May 30, 1431, at age 19. Twenty-five years later, Pope Callixtus III authorized a retrial, which declared her innocent and a martyr. She was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1920. Joan of Arc remains a powerful symbol of courage, faith, patriotism, and the ability of an individual to change the course of history.