About
Joan of Arc (c. 1412–1431) was a 17-year-old peasant girl from Lorraine who, claiming divine visions, convinced the French Dauphin to let her lead his armies. She inspired French forces to lift the siege of Orléans in 1429 — a turning point in the Hundred Years' War — and personally accompanied the Dauphin to his coronation as Charles VII. She was captured by Burgundians, sold to the English, and burned at the stake as a heretic at age 19.
Joan of Arc was convicted by an all-French church tribunal under English influence; a posthumous retrial in 1456 exonerated her. She was canonized as a Catholic saint in 1920. She has become France's national symbol — invoked by everyone from French republicans to Catholic monarchists, and a feminist icon for her defiance of gender norms.
# Top 10 Joan of Arc facts
- 1Joan of Arc was 17 when she led armies — and 19 when she was burned at the stake
- 2She was convicted of heresy partly for wearing men's clothing — her cross-dressing was cited in the trial
- 3The church that condemned her reversed the verdict 25 years later — and she was made a saint 490 years after her death
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Joan of Arc was 17 when she led armies — and 19 when she was burned at the stake
- ◆She was convicted of heresy partly for wearing men's clothing — her cross-dressing was cited in the trial
- ◆The church that condemned her reversed the verdict 25 years later — and she was made a saint 490 years after her death
More in People4 related
6
People
Elon Musk
The world's most ambitious entrepreneur — reshaping electric vehicles, space, and AI.
Interest92/100
16
People
Albert Einstein
The greatest physicist of the 20th century, who reimagined space, time, and gravity.
Interest87/100
51
People
Leonardo da Vinci
The ultimate Renaissance man — painter, scientist, engineer, and visionary.
Interest87/100
52
People
Isaac Newton
The father of classical physics — gravity, calculus, and the laws of motion.
Interest86/100