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What charges were brought against St. Joan of Arc at her trial?
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St. Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral, by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1854; in the Louvre, Paris.
St. Joan of Arc was brought to trial before a church court in Rouen primarily on charges of heresy.12
The proceedings were driven by theologians from the University of Paris who sought to discredit her and, by extension, Charles VII by labeling her a heretic or a witch. Specific concerns included:1
- Direct Communication with God: Her claim to receive visions and voices from divine sources was viewed as a threat to the authority of the church hierarchy.1
- Unorthodox Beliefs: Her actions and beliefs were deemed inconsistent with the criteria for orthodoxy established by theologians of the time.1
- Additional Charges: Records also indicate she faced accusations of suicideâlikely stemming from her attempt to escape by jumping from a towerâand other unspecified crimes.2
Following an initial abjuration, she was later charged with heretical relapse after she resumed wearing male attire and reaffirmed that her voices were sent by God, which ultimately led to her execution.32