A simple peasant girl born in a small #French village,

A simple peasant girl born in a small #French village,

Joan of Arc seemed an unlikely figure to become both a military hero and a martyr for the French nation. But from a young age, Joan claimed to receive divine visions instructing her to help the future King Charles VII reclaim his rightful throne from English occupation during the Hundred Years' War.

Convincing the uncrowned prince to allow her to lead troops, the teenage Joan achieved astonishing victories on the battlefield while dressed in male clothing. Her liberation of Orleans and other strategic wins paved the way for Charles VII's coronation in 1429. However, Joan's string of successes came to an end when she was captured in 1430 by the forces of the Duke of Burgundy.

Put on trial by English clergy and Frenchupportive of the English throne, Joan was interrogated relentlessly about her visions and gender-defying decision to wear men's clothing. 

According to the trial transcript, Joan was questioned repeatedly not only about the voices she heard, but on why she chose to dress as a man.

“It is both more seemly and proper to dress like this when surrounded by men, than wearing a woman’s clothes,” she told the judges. “While I have been in prison, the English have molested me when I was dressed as a woman. (She weeps.) I have done this to defend my modesty.”

Though she attempted to revoke her claims for a time to avoid execution, the 19-year-old ultimately reasserted her divine motivations. On May 30, 1431, the young woman was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake in Rouen.

Joan's dramatic trial and brutal death by fire made her an instant martyr for resisting the English occupation. While the church had condemned her, her name and deeds lived on to inspire the French forces that eventually prevailed over their English rivals, leading Charles VII to reopen an investigation that overturned the guilty verdict in 1456.

In the centuries since, the legend of the "Maid of Orleans" has only grown. Joan was beatified in 1909 and canonized as a Catholic saint in 1920.