Joan of Arc

Joan is born

Jan 6, 1412

Jeanne D'Arc was born on January 6, 1412 in the village of Domremy, France. She was born during the Hundred Year's War, a series of several battles over a hundred year time span between France and England (Knight 192).

John the Fearless is assasinated

Sep 10, 1419

John the Fearless was the duke of Burgundy during the early 15th century. After much of Burgundian land was in English control, the dauphin arranged a meeting with John the Fearless on September 10, 1419, on the bridge of Montereau. John the Fearless went, but was murdered by the dauphin's companions on the bridge. He was succeeded by Philip the Good (Dijkstra 1427).

The Great Temple of the Dragon is erected

Jan 1, 1420

The Great Temple of the Dragon, or the epresent-day Temple of Heaven, was constructed in 1406 and was finished in 1420. The temple was in Peking, or present day Beijing, China. This temple was visited by the Ming and Qing dynasties and traces back to Taoism (Grun 203).

Wood-block print is publsihed in Europe

Jan 1, 1423

The first evidence of wood-block printing being published in europe traces back to 1423. Wood-block printing originated in China at around 200, however it was not until the 15th century that it was introduced to Europe. It was used to print textiles on cloth and paper, similar to stamps (Wetteraw 179).

Joan begins to hear voices

Jan 1, 1424

Around the age of 12 or 13, Joan began to hear voices, later described as Catholic saints. The voices told her to lead the French to victory in the Hundred Year's War. She decided to listen to what the voices told her and set off to become the commander of th French military (Lace 115).

Louvain University is founded

Jan 1, 1425

The Louvain (or Leuven) University was founded at the beginning of the 15th century. It is in the town of Leuven, which was in Burgundian Neatherlands, or present-day Belgium. It was closed in 1797 as a result of the cession of the French Republic of the Austrian Netherlands (Grun 204).

Itzcoatl becomes king of the Aztecs

Jan 1, 1427

Itzcoatl became king of the Aztec empire by challenging Tepances to a battle and defeating him. Under Itzcoatl, the Aztec empire continued to expand and gain power (Grun 204).

Arab observatory's construction begins

Jan 1, 1428

The famous Arab observatory at Samakand, in present day Uzbekistan was just beginning to be built in 1428. This observatory was built by the Islamic astronomer Ulugh Beg. This observatory became a hub for scholars and astronomers of this time (Wetteraw 179).

Joan got a meeting with the king

Jan 1, 1429

After trying convincing her uncle and eventually wearing him down, Joan was given a meeting with the king. The king put her through a series of several tests and questioning, but after a while he finally allowed her to lead the French military. He was desperate at this point and willing to try anything, which worked in Joan's favor (Knight 193).

Joan takes the village of Patay

Jul 17, 1429

Joan and her army were able to take the village of Patay in the Battle of Patay on July 17, 1429. This victory was a major win for the French and in many ways turned the tides of the war. The battle occured in northern France and this victory was as great a victory for the French as the Battle of Agincourt was to the British (Knight 194).

Joan fails to take Paris

Sep 22, 1429

During this battle, Joan was defeated by the British. She was wounded during the battle and the French faced a crushing loss. However this battle in no way indicated the future of the French and the results of the war (Knight 195).

Joan arrives at Orleans

May 4, 1430

Joan and her army entered the city of Orleans on May 4, 1430. The battling between the French and the British began shortly after. During the series of battles, the French were clearly dominating and their future looked good (Lace 115) ("Joan of Arc Archive").

The French win the Battle of Orleans

May 8, 1430

After a series of crushing losses, the English lifted the Siege of Orleans. This was a monumental win for the French and put them on track for winning the entire war. It was not the final battle of the war, but it had the greatest impact on the war for the French and ultimately lead to the French victory (Lace 115) ("Joan of Arc Archive")

Joan is captured

May 23, 1430

Joan was captured by John of Luxembourg, a Burgundian leader. She was captured during the battle at the Fortress of Compiegne. She was later sold to the English for a great deal of money (Knight 195) (Lace 116).

Joan dies

May 30, 1431

After being captured an sold to the English, persecuted for going aginst the Church, and when she refused to take back what she had said about hearing voices, she was burned at the stake in front of the town of Rouen (Knight 196-197).

Joan is declared a Catholic saint

May 16, 1920

As a result of Joan's efforts the French won the Hundred Year's War in 1453. In 1456, Pope Calixtus declared that the actions of the English court was unjust and wrongly obtained, and declared her innocent. On May 16, 1920, Joan was cononized, or declared a saint. She is recognized as a saint becauser her heroic leadership, listening to the voices, her unyielding faith, and dying as a martyr. She is now one of the patron saints of France (Knight 198).