Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl, born around 1412, who became a military leader during the Hundred Years' War. She is famous for her role in the siege of Orléans and for insisting on the coronation of Charles VII, and she is honored as a patron saint of France.
When and how did Joan of Arc die?
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on the 30th of May 1431 in Rouen's Old Marketplace, at about the age of nineteen. She was executed after a heresy trial found her to have relapsed by resuming men's clothing and heeding her visions, and her remains were thrown into the Seine River.
Why did Joan of Arc wear men's clothes?
Joan of Arc began wearing men's clothes before traveling to Chinon, with garments provided by her escorts and the people of Vaucouleurs, and she wore them for the rest of her life. She testified it was her own choice by the command of God and his angels, and cross-dressing was the subject of five of the articles of accusation against her.
What did Joan of Arc do at the siege of Orléans?
Joan of Arc arrived at Orléans on the 29th of April 1429 as part of a relief army and rallied the demoralized Armagnac soldiers, flying her banner where fighting was fiercest. She was wounded by an arrow at les Tourelles on the 7th of May but returned to encourage the final assault, and the English retreated on the 8th of May.
Was Joan of Arc's conviction ever overturned?
Yes. In 1456 an inquisitorial court overturned Joan of Arc's verdict, declaring it tainted by deceit and procedural errors. The rehabilitation trial ran from the 7th of November 1455 to the 7th of July 1456 and heard from about 115 witnesses.
When was Joan of Arc made a saint?
Joan of Arc was canonized by Pope Benedict XV on the 16th of May 1920. Two years later, in 1922, she was declared one of the patron saints of France, and her feast day is the 30th of May, the anniversary of her execution.