Joan of Arc

Era: Medieval

Location: France

Date: 1431

Role: Military Leader

Joan of Arc, also known as the Maid of Orléans, was a peasant girl from medieval France who claimed divine visions instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination during the Hundred Years' War. Born in 1412, Joan led French troops to crucial victories, most notably lifting the siege of Orléans in 1429. Her influence significantly boosted French morale and legitimacy. However, in 1430, she was captured by Burgundian forces and handed over to the English. She was tried for heresy and witchcraft by an ecclesiastical court and was burned at the stake in 1431 at the age of 19. In 1456, she was posthumously declared innocent and later canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1920. Joan remains a national heroine of France and a symbol of courage, faith, and patriotism.