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Profile of the Day: Joan of Arc

On this day in 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy by an English tribunal.

Profile of the Day: Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc / Wikimedia Commons

A peasant girl from France, Joan of Arc was the daughter of poor tenant farmers Jacques d’ Arc and Isabelle Romée. At the age of 16, she claimed to hear the voices of the Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria, which told her to help Charles VII recapture the French throne and help lead the French to victory during the Hundred Years’ War.

Dressed as a man, Joan of Arc was sent to the Siege of Orléans as part of a relief mission. Her arrival proved to be a turning point in the longstanding conflict between the French and the English. Just nine days after her arrival, the French army had decisively defeated the English forces. Joan helped lead the French army to several more victories, paving the way for Charles VII’s coronation in 1429 at Reims.

However, on May 23, 1430, she was captured by the Burgundian faction, who were allied with the English. Turned over to the English, Joan was put on trial and declared guilty of heresy and sentenced to be executed by burning. She was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431 at the age of 19.

Remembered as one of the greatest figures in French history, Joan of Arc was canonized in 1920.

How are you related to Joan of Arc? Explore her family tree and discover how you’re related to the Maid of Oléans.
 

View Joan of Arc’s Geni Profile

 

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Source: Geni.com

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