Famous or Infamous? — Joan of Arc

The Saint Who Burned

Joan of Arc (1412–1431) was a peasant girl who became a general, a heretic, a saint, and a symbol. To the French, she was the Maid of Orléans, savior of their kingdom. To the English, a witch and cross-dressing heretic. To history, she is both flame and ashes — a teenager who lit up Europe and died in fire.

Voices from Heaven

Born in Domrémy during the Hundred Years’ War, Joan said that at age thirteen she began hearing Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret urging her to drive out the English and bring Charles VII to his coronation. A neighbor later testified, “She would go often to the church and weep before the saints… she said France would be delivered by a maid.” Supporters called it a miracle; skeptics called it delusion or worse.

Before the Dauphin

In early 1429 Joan convinced local officials to escort her to the Dauphin. When Charles tested her by standing in the crowd in plain clothes, she walked directly to him. Some swore she repeated secrets “only he and God could know.” A courtier wrote, “She seemed but a simple maid, yet there was fire in her words that made men believe.”

The Warrior Virgin

Joan cut her hair, donned armor, and rode at the head of French troops carrying a white banner bearing the names of Jesus and Mary. She lifted the siege of Orléans in nine days, then pressed for swift, risky assaults that stunned veteran captains. Soldiers said she drove out camp followers, demanded confession, and wept for the wounded.

Admiration was not universal. An English captain spat, “She is no saint — she is a witch, a strumpet in armor, and the devil rides with her.” Even some French nobles resented her influence and independence.

Betrayal and Capture

In May 1430, near Compiègne, Burgundian allies of England dragged her from her horse and captured her. Rather than ransom her, the king she had helped crown left her to her enemies. She was sold to the English for 10,000 livres and transferred to Rouen for trial.

Trial of the Maid

Joan faced some seventy clerics and lawyers. The trial record preserves her voice.

Q: “Do you know if you are in the grace of God?”
Joan: “If I am not, may God place me there; if I am, may God so keep me.”

Even hostile judges called the answer “a marvel.” They charged her with heresy, sorcery, and the crime of wearing men’s clothes. She insisted her voices “never failed” and that she wore soldier’s dress for safety and modesty in a military camp and prison.

Pressed about her visions speaking French, she shot back, “Why should they not? They are not on the side of the English!” The defiance did not help her cause; the verdict, many believed, had been arranged from the start.

The Flames of Rouen

On May 30, 1431, in Rouen’s marketplace, Joan asked for a cross; a soldier fashioned one from sticks. A priest held a crucifix high as the fire rose. Witnesses said she cried “Jesus” until her voice failed. An English soldier later confessed, “We have burned a saint.” The executioner reportedly wept and begged forgiveness, convinced he had killed a holy woman.

Rehabilitation and Sainthood

In 1456, a papal retrial declared the first proceedings null and her judges corrupt, restoring Joan’s name. Centuries later she became a French national icon; in 1920 the Catholic Church canonized her as Saint Joan of Arc.

Rumors and Legends

Stories spread that a double died in her place and Joan escaped — a rumor that lingered for years.
Modern skeptics have recast her voices as epilepsy, psychosis, or trauma; believers still see divine guidance.
Her gender, armor, and authority challenged medieval norms as much as her voices did.

Symbols & Associations

Color: White — purity, courage, and divine fire.
Symbols: Banner, sword, flames of martyrdom.
Title: The Maid of Orléans.