English kings fought with French kings over control of much of what is now France starting in 1337. By 1412, when Joan of Arc was born, the English controlled most of northern France with the help of their friends the Burgundians.
Joan’s Birth and Childhood
Joan was born in the rural village of Domremy about 190 km (120 mi) southeast of Reims . Her parents were farmers.
In 1412, the
When Joan was 12 years old, she was sitting alone in her father’s garden. Suddenly the angel Michael, with saints Catherine of
Joan’s Rise to Glory
In 1428, when Joan was 16, she went to the nearby town of Vaucouleurs . She asked the leader of the small group of French soldiers there to take her to see the king of France . He laughed. She then predicted that French soldiers fighting for the city of Orleans would soon lose a battle against the English army. When they did, the army leader in Vaucouleurs agreed to take Joan to see the French king.
Charles 7th was very impressed with Joan. He really wanted his army to win a battle. He wanted this so much that he even agreed to let Joan lead his army into battle. Who knew? Maybe the angel Michael really did talk with her. What did he have to lose?
An English army had made a complete circle around the city of
Six hard months later, the people of
From Orleans to Reims
Tradition said that a man must get crowned in the cathedral in Reims to become the true king of France . Joan wanted Charles to be crowned in Reims . That way everyone would accept him as the one true king. But the city of Reims was controlled by the enemies of Charles. So Joan next led the French army to Reims to take control of it.
Beginning on June 12, Joan again led the French army in another series of battles. On June 18 it beat the English army at Patay very badly. After that, city after city surrendered to Joan and her army with little fighting. On July 16, Joan led the army into
From Reims to Prison
No one knew it at the time, but that was the last great success that Joan would enjoy.
After Charles had been crowned, Joan wanted to quickly attack
Meanwhile, Joan slowly led the army of
On September 8, the French army finally attacked
So Joan actively led the army of
Seven months passed. In April 1430, soldiers of
On May 23, Joan was captured by soldiers of
From Prison to Death
Charles had been crowned king of France . But powerful men in England still wanted to control France. To get the crown from Charles, these men had to get people to think that Charles should not be king of France . To get people thinking that way, they had to get people thinking that Joan was a bad person.
To get people thinking that Joan was evil, English leaders accused Joan of being a heretic. A heretic is someone who speaks and acts against the teachings of the Church.
In 1430,
The point of the trial was not to find out whether Joan was guilty of being a heretic. The point was to kill her and to kill her good name as well. That way powerful English men could get rid of Charles more easily.
It was no surprise, then, that her judges said Joan was guilty. On May 30, 1431, she was murdered by being burned to death.
Her death did the English no good. Charles remained king of
Copyright © 2012 by Steven Farsaci. All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.