Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc was a French military and religious figure who helped lift the English siege of Orléans in 1429 and supported Charles VII’s claim to the French throne.

Battle of Patay: A French victory over English forces near Patay in June 1429. The victory followed the relief of Orléans and opened the route toward Reims.
Charles VII of France: King of France from 1422 to 1461, crowned at Reims in 1429. Joan’s support helped him secure recognition and strengthen his campaign.
Domrémy: A village in northeastern France where Joan of Arc was born and grew up. Joan’s family and early life were rooted in this borderland village.
Rehabilitation trial of Joan of Arc: A 1455–1456 church inquiry that annulled the judgment condemning Joan of Arc. The inquiry reversed the verdict that had authorized her execution.
Divine revelation: Communication of knowledge or guidance from a deity to human beings. Joan’s claims rested on messages she said came from saints.
Coronation of Charles VII: The 1429 coronation of Charles VII at Reims Cathedral, affirming his claim to the French throne. Joan’s expedition to Reims helped make Charles’s coronation possible.
John of Luxembourg, Count of Ligny: A Burgundian nobleman who captured Joan of Arc at Compiègne in 1430. He held Joan before she was transferred to English custody.
Visions of Joan of Arc: Joan’s reported experiences of hearing voices and seeing figures she identified as saints. She said these experiences directed her to aid the dauphin and deliver France.
Canonization of Joan of Arc: The Catholic Church’s recognition of Joan of Arc as a saint in 1920. Canonization formalized the religious veneration that grew after her rehabilitation.
Heresy: Belief or teaching judged by a religious authority to contradict established doctrine. Her trial treated the interpretation of her voices and obedience as questions of heresy.

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