St. Joan of Arc

Introduction & Top Questions
Joan’s mission
- Action at Orléans
- Victories and coronation
- Ambitions for Paris
- Further struggle
Capture, trial, and execution
- The trial
- Abjuration, relapse, and execution
Character and importance

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

Painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres showing Joan of Arc in armor holding a banner at an altar during the coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral, with figures praying behind her.

Domrémy-la-Pucelle: St. Joan of Arc's birthplace

Painting by Gillot Saint-Evre showing Joan of Arc standing and speaking before a seated Charles VII and a group of prelates and courtiers in a grand, dimly lit hall.

Color-printed wood engraving depicting Joan of Arc falling from a horse during battle, surrounded by soldiers and chaos, with arrows flying overhead.

At a Glance

Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral, oil on canvas by J.-A.-D. Ingres, 1854; in the Louvre Museum, Paris. 240 × 178 cm.

Saint Joan of Arc summary

Quizzes

Vikings. Viking warriors hold swords and shields. 9th c. AD seafaring warriors raided the coasts of Europe, burning, plundering and killing. Marauders or pirates came from Scandinavia, now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. European History

European History

Joan of Arc at the Coronation of King Charles VII at Reims Cathedral, July 1429 by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Oil on canvas, 240 x 178 cm, 1854. In the Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

Heroes, Rebels, and Killers

Saladin, the leader of Islamic forces during the Third Crusade; undated engraving.

Religion, Violence, and War Quiz

41 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular World History Quizzes

Asphalt Jungle (1950) Movie scene of actress Marilyn Monroe as Angela Phinlay in an early film career appearence with actor Sterling Hayden as Dix Handley in movie directed by John Huston.

Famous Deaths in History Quiz

Related Questions

Did St. Joan of Arc end the Hundred Years’ War?
How did St. Joan of Arc identify Charles VII at Chinon?
How did St. Joan of Arc persuade Robert de Baudricourt to help her?
How did St. Joan of Arc try to escape from John of Luxembourg’s castle?
How long did St. Joan of Arc’s journey to Chinon take?
How long had the English besieged Orléans before St. Joan of Arc arrived?
What charges were brought against St. Joan of Arc at her trial?
What did St. Joan of Arc’s banner look like?
What happened to St. Joan of Arc after the failed attack on Paris?
What mission did St. Joan of Arc say she had been given?
What role did St. Joan of Arc have at Charles VII’s coronation?
What was St. Joan of Arc’s abjuration?
What was St. Joan of Arc’s childhood like in Domrémy?
When is St. Joan of Arc’s feast day?
When was Charles VII crowned at Reims?
When was St. Joan of Arc canonized as a saint?
When was St. Joan of Arc’s conviction annulled?
Where was St. Joan of Arc born?
Where was St. Joan of Arc tried in 1431?
Which voices did St. Joan of Arc say guided her mission?
Who was Pierre Cauchon?
Why did Charles VII ennoble St. Joan of Arc and her family?
Why did Charles VII not attempt to rescue St. Joan of Arc?
Why did Pope Calixtus III order a new investigation into St. Joan of Arc’s trial?
Why did St. Joan of Arc go to Compiègne in 1430?
Why did St. Joan of Arc refuse to pursue the retreating English army after Orléans?
Why did St. Joan of Arc refuse to reveal everything she had told Charles VII?
Why did St. Joan of Arc travel from Vaucouleurs to Chinon?
Why did St. Joan of Arc urge Charles VII to go to Reims?
Why did St. Joan of Arc wear men’s clothing during her journey and military campaigns?
Why did St. Joan of Arc’s judges object to her wearing men’s clothing?
Why did church officials question St. Joan of Arc at Poitiers?
Why did the English lift the Siege of Orléans in 1429?
Why was Charles VII unsure about trusting St. Joan of Arc?
Why was St. Joan of Arc declared a relapsed heretic?
Why was St. Joan of Arc tried in a church court?
What is St. Joan of Arc patron saint of?
What miracles did St. Joan of Arc perform?
What were St. Joan of Arc’s beliefs?
What was the trial of St. Joan of Arc, and how did it lead to her death?
Who was the Marquis de Lafayette?
What role did Lafayette play in the American Revolution?
How did Lafayette contribute to the French Revolution?
Who was Napoleon III?
How did Napoleon III die?
When did Charles de Gaulle become famous?

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External Websites

ABC listen - Overnights - Talking Point - The Virgin Warrior: The Life and Death of Joan of Arc
Library of Congress - Research Guides - French Women and Feminists in History: A Resource Guide - Joan of Arc
Order of the Temple of Solomon - Saint Joan of Arc and the Knights Templar
LiveScience - Joan of Arc: Facts and Biography
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Undiagnosing St Joan
World History Encyclopedia - Joan of Arc
Potters Wax Museum - Joan of Arc

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Joan of Arc - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Joan of Arc - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

St. Joan of Arc

French heroine

Also known as: La Pucelle d’Orléans, Sainte Jeanne d’Arc, The Maid of Orléans(Show More)

Written by

Malcolm G.A. Vale

Fellow and Tutor in History, St. John's College, Oxford; Lecturer in Modern History, University of Oxford. Author of War and Chivalry and others.

Malcolm G.A. ValeAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

History

St. Joan of Arc (born c. 1412, Domrémy, Bar, France—died May 30, 1431, Rouen; canonized May 16, 1920; feast day May 30; French national holiday, second Sunday in May) is a national heroine of France, a peasant girl who, believing that she was acting under divine guidance, led the French army in 1429 to momentous victory at Orléans that repulsed an English attempt to conquer France during the Hundred Years’ War. Captured by Burgundian forces...

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