Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Joan of Arc
Top 10 Events of
Joan of Arc's Life
1 Born in Domrémy on
6 January 1412
2 Aged 13, hears voices
for the first time
3 Four years later, the
voices tell her to save
France from the English
4 Gains an audience with
Dauphin Charles on
9 March 1429
5 Leads the French to
victory at Orléans (8
May); Charles' corona-
tion follows (17 July)
6 Captured by the
Burgundians in May
1430; they sell her to
the English
7 Tried in Rouen for
heresy and witchcraft,
21 February to 23 May
1431
8 Burned at the stake in
pl du Vieux Marché on
30 May 1431
9 Rehabilitated in 1456
0 Canonized in 1920
Although the facts of Joan's life are well recorded,
she remains an enigma. The Maid of Orléans, as she
came to be known, was from a pious peasant family,
could barely read or write, yet succeeded in persuading
the Dauphin to let her lead his army. The image of
the androgynous, armour-clad Joan is iconic,
portrayed through the centuries by sculptors, painters,
playwrights and film-makers. She clearly had
conviction and charisma, but did the “voices” she
heard throughout her short life make her a visionary
or a schizophrenic? After her canonization, France
adopted Joan as her patron saint, whose feast day
(30 May) is celebrated throughout the country.
Execution in
Rouen
Joan of Arc's
execution was
originally to take
place on 24 May
1431, but at the
last moment she
broke down and
recanted. She
later retracted
that recantation,
and met her fate
on 30 May.
Joan of Arc welcomed to Loches by Charles VII
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