Joan lived in a small town of Domremy, and claimed she heard voices from god. When she was 16, she heard the voices assign her a mission - to save the city of Orleans. For years, the French had been at war with the English. Additionally, France had been at civil war with itself: the Burgundian and Armagnac factions had been bickering over their power. When Joan came into the story, both factions had weakened - the Burgundians, allied with the English, supporting the 9 month old heir (Henry V’s son), and the Armagnacs supporting the disinherited dauphin (Charles).
Joan traveled from her small town to Chinon in 1429, where she met with Charles’s court. That was not enough, she was then ordered to be checked by theologians in Poitiers. After some more examinations, they weren’t able to verify the voices Joan heard, but they decided to send her to Orleans as a test. The dauphin gave her armor and a sword, ordered her to be quickly trained, and gave her her own banner.
The English king Henry V had conquered a large portion of France already. Joan, being seen as a religious figure, brought with her a huge boost of morale to Armagnac troops. She led the army to rescue Orleans from its siege under the English, and much to everyone’s surprise, the Armagnacs gained their first victory in months. Any doubts about her instantly vanished. After Orleans, Joan and the army traveled to the different castles along the Loire river, and took them one by one.
By this time, the French had taken the city of Reims, where the dauphin was crowned as King Charles VII of France. After a few political negotiations, it was time to take Paris. Paris was heavily defended by the Burgundians, and Joan suffered her first defeat. She was then captured by the Burgundians in Margny. She was imprisoned in Beaurevoir Castle, tried to escape, and then sold to the English and transferred to Rouen.
Opposition to Joan was rising. She was put on trial, charged with witchcraft and heresy. The English and the Burgundians hope to destroy her for good, and discredit Charles VII’s coronation at the same time. On May 30, 1431, the Maid of Orleans was taken to a marketplace at Rouen and burned at the stake. Charles VII wasn’t there to defend her. After her death, she was remembered as a martyr.