On this day in the 15th Century, Joan of Arc, remembered as a French Hero for her role in aiding France during the Hundred Years War, was captured by Burgundian forces (French lords allied with the English) and subject to interrogation over claims of heresy. Her imprisonment and interrogation would span multiple days, resulting in her being found guilty and burned at the stake.
The Hundred Years War was a conflict between the French and English monarchs from the years 1337-1453. The War was fought on the basis of a feud between English King Edward III and French King Philip IV, begun by territorial disputes in southwestern France. The feud would develop into a full fledged conflict for the French throne. The war was not constant battling for a period of one hundred years, but instead involved long periods of intermittent peace split up by three distinct phases of conflict. ‘The Edwardian War’: Begun by the feuds over southwestern France. ‘The Caroline War’: A period of French revival and the recovery of land. ‘The Lancastrian War’: The entrance of King Henry V and the later inclusion of Joan of Arc. The Lancastrian War (1415-1453) is the main focus of this piece due to the eventual role played by Joan of Arc. This period of the war was initiated by Henry V’s renewal of the conflict with his entrance into French territory. His invasion of France resulted in England gaining large regions of France, a result of the distinguished Battle of Agincourt. He would have ascended to the throne of France, as well as holding his English title, if it had not been for his premature passing. Instead, the English throne would land in the hands of his son, King Henry VI (one of the prominent figures of the War of the Roses). It was Henry VI’s ineffectual rule in France that would allow for the French resurgence.
Even with poor English leadership, French forces struggled to repel the English stationed in France, to the point that the French regime had begun to come near collapse. The fate of France would be changed due to a most unlikely figure. Joan of Arc grew up on a farm in territory controlled by English allies. Despite her unassuming beginnings, it was during her trial that she claimed to have received her first vision of Christian Saints at the age of 13. She claimed that these visions led her to the conclusion that she must play a role in the extrication of France. After predicting the outcome of a battle days before the news reached her town, Joan of Arc was granted an audience with King Charles VII, an audience she had requested on numerous occasions. Following the meeting with Joan of Arc, Charles and his advisors decided it was in their best interest to utilize the work of the visionary. Joan of Arc had made the war out to be a religious conflict and she had all intentions to be France’s savior. She was assigned to the siege of Orleans. In this now acclaimed battle, upon the arrival of Joan of Arc, French forces attacked the English defenders of the castle, forcing them to retreat and giving the French control of the stronghold. Joan of Arc had shown herself to be a symbol of French hope. Following the victory at Orlean, Joan of Arc marched with the French army, garnering six victories over English forces in the following weeks, ending with the French army reaching the gates of Paris (though they would be forced to withdraw). She had given way to a most unexpected French success. Though in 1430, in an attempted defense of the city of Compiegne, Joan of Arc was captured.
Captured by the Burgundian forces allied to the English, she would eventually be transferred into the imprisonment of English forces after multiple attempts to escape. During her time in imprisonment and even after the events of her trial, French forces attempted to push into the English stronghold of France to rescue her. Most likely afraid of what Joan of Arc meant to the French people and the heroism she had displayed on the battlefield, the English put her on trial for 12 counts of heresy. the events of 21st of February, 1431 showed to be a rigged trial from the start. Founded on baseless claims and with the desire of making Joan of Arc look foolish, there was no intention of her innocence being proved. Despite all of this, she was recorded to have maintained a composure that shocked many witnesses of the trial, proving herself to be a devout and loyal Christian. She could do nothing against the fraud that had been committed against her and was found guilty of heresy. And so, she was sentenced to be burned at the stake. On May 31st, 1431, Joan of Arc was executed at the recorded age of 19.
The events of her trial were seen to have been a set up, using a culmination of falsified documents and lies to meet an end that had been intended by English forces. In 1456, after a retrial had been declared by Pope Callixtus III, Joan of Arc was found innocent, absolved of the false sentence that had been placed upon her more than 25 years prior. In 1920, Joan of Arc would be canonized as a saint of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XV. The life of Joan of Arc is not just remembered as that of a hero of France, but a figure that has been looked to for strength and a demonstration of unconditional piety. Her legend has survived more than 500 years, cementing her name in history for the role she played for both her nation and religion in the Hundred Years War.
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