Joan of Arc

Hundred Years War Begins

Jan 1, 1337

The Hundred Years' War begins between England and France.

Joan of Arc's Lifetime and Beyond

Period: Jan 1, 1337 to Jan 1, 1928

France is Divided

Jan 1, 1382

From here on out France is divided because of the conflicts between the dukes of Orleans and Burgundy.

Birth

Jan 1, 1412

Joan of Arc was born somewhere in the year 1412. Daughter of a farmer. Born in Domremy, a small village in northern France. Not taught to read and write. Very involved with the Catholic Church. Her father was Jaques d'Arch, and her mother's name was Isabelle.
As a child she was called Jeannette. She was known in the village to be polite, well behaved, and popular. She was even more enthusiastic about attending church than her peers, and would escape the farm whenever she could just to go.

Henry V Becomes King

Jan 1, 1413

And plans to attack France.

France Wins the Battle of Angicourt in Northern France

Oct 25, 1415

The Great Schism is Ended

Jan 1, 1417

Martin V is elected pope and ends the Great Schism which has divided the Catholic Church.

King Henry V Conquers Normandy

Jan 1, 1417

Philip the Good Becomes Duke of Burgundy

Jan 1, 1419

And makes it one of Europe's most powerful states.

Treaty of Troyes

Jan 1, 1420

Brings a brief peace, making Henry V heir to the French king, Charles VI.

France and England Are Brought Closer Together

Mar 1, 1420

When Henry V marries Catherine, Charles' VI daughter.

The Duke of Bedford Is Ruling France

Feb 1, 1422

King Henry VI (England) is a baby, so John, the duke of Bedford is appointed to rule both France and England.

Domremy Is Attacked

Jan 1, 1425

Domremy is attacked by a group of English and Burgundian raiders. Joan and her family remain unharmed.

Joan Hears Voices

Feb 1, 1425

Not too long after the raid on Domremy, Joan begins to hear voices. They were the voices of Saints Catherine, Margaret, and Michael. In the beginning, they are telling her to be a diligent worshiper and to pray more often. As time goes on, they tell her to go lead the French army and defeat the England and Burgundy.

Joan Visits Robert de Baudicourt

May 1, 1428

A 16 year old Joan visits Robert de Baudicourt to ask if he will help her in meeting Charles. She needs Charles' permission and advice before she can act on her plans of leading an army. Robert thinks that her idea is ridiculous and turns her away.

Joan Makes Her Way To Chinon

Feb 22, 1429

Joan hears that Charles will be at the castle of Chinon, very close to Domremy, and decides that she must go there. Robert de Baudicourt agrees to send some of his knights to make the journey with her.
*Charles is the Dauphin of France

Joan Arrives In Chinon

Mar 6, 1429

Everyone in the court is suspicious of Joan, so they set up a trick for her. In the castle there was a man dressed up as Charles, and then there was the real Charles. Joan walked right past the fake man, and headed straight for Charles. She had never seen Charles before.

Charles Doubts Joan

Mar 11, 1429

Charles thought that Joan's "powers" might be the work of the devil. He sends her to Poitiers (a town), and she is questioned further. She likely passed the test.

Joan Prepares For Battle

Mar 24, 1429

Joan returns to the castle of Chinon, and Charles approves her and she is sent to prepare for battle.
There had been a prophecy that a maiden would come to save France. Was Joan's situation just a coincidence, or something more?

Joan Recieves Her Armor

Apr 1, 1429

Joan recived her suit of armor.

Joan Begins The March Towards Orleans

Apr 21, 1429

With 4,00 men, Joan departs on her march to Orleans. She was respected by the men because she did not act helpless. She never asked for any special treatment.
Alongside her rode Jean d'Aulon, her two brothers Pierre and Jean, two pages, and two heralds.
Heralds served as messengers.

Joan And Her Men Arrive In Blois

Apr 25, 1429

This would be the final stage of their march to Orleans.
At teh time, Orleans had a population of 30,000 people. It was considered a large city for its time. Orleans was surrounded by a stone wall, many towers, and 21 cannons.

Joan Enters Orleans

Apr 29, 1429

Joan enters Orleans via the Burgundy Gate.
Joan's presence inspired the people of Orleans and gave them charisma to fight the English, who were starving them out by surrounding their stone wall so no one could exit.

Joan's First Victory

May 4, 1429

Joan's first victory at St. Loup.

Another Victory

May 7, 1429

Joan and her men attacked the English who were surrounding Orleans.

The English Lift The Seige Of Orleans

May 8, 1429

The French take both sides of the river and the English walk away. Joan orders her men not to further attack them because it was Sunday.
Joan did not like to see all of the violence going on around her. But she knew it was a necessary evil if she wanted to free France from England and allow Charles to be the king of France.

Not Too Many Casualtie Of War

Period: Jun 11, 1429 to Jun 18, 1429

The French Attack Jargeau, Meung-sur-Loire, Beaugency, and Patay. In Patay, more than 2,000 men from the English army died, but only 3 men from France.

Charles Is The Ruler Of Troyes

Jul 10, 1429

Charles Is Crowned King Of France

Jul 16, 1429

Charles is crowned king of France in the cathedreal at Rheims.

French Attacks Paris

Sep 8, 1429

Charles Calls Off The Attack

Sep 10, 1429

Two days later, Charles calls off the attack.

Seige Of La Chartire

Nov 1, 1429

French beleige La Charite, but the seige is abandoned by Christmas.

Joan Hears More Voices

Mar 1, 1430

Joan hears voices that tell her she will be taken as a prisoner by the summer of 1430.

Joan Is Captured

May 23, 1430

Joan and some of her men traveled to Compiegne to attack the Burgundians. She was outnumbered and tried to retreat, but the English blocked off her path, trapping her.
She was taken by the Burgundian captain Jean de Luxembourg. She was sent to Beaulieu and was imprisoned in a cell.

Joan Imprisoned In Beaurevoir

Period: Jul 11, 1430 to Nov 11, 1430

Joan Leaves Beaurevoir

Nov 12, 1430

English leaders paid John of Luxembourg to give them Joan. They took Joan into their custody, wanting to convict her of a religious crime. If she was found guilty, she would be killed and the English would have gotten rid of their biggest enemy.

Joan Arrives In Rouen

Dec 30, 1430

The Trial Begins

Jan 9, 1431

Joan's trial begins.
Her charges: her beliefs contradicted those of the church (she was a heretic; she practiced witchcraft; she was guilty of idolatry; wore men's clothes.
Idolatry was used because she heard voices that her enemies tried to say were voices of false gods.

Joan Is Threatened With Torture

May 9, 1431

Joan Breaks Down

May 24, 1431

Joan signed a confession saying that the voices were not from God. She immediately took it back once she realized she had been tricked.

Joan Is Burned At The Stake

May 30, 1431

Joan is handed back to the English as a guilty woman. She was burned at the stake in a marketplace at Rouen. She was forced to wear women's clothing. She requested to have a cross held in front of her, so a crucifix was placed before her. The last thing she saw was Jesus on the cross.

Joan's Trial And Death Is Investigated

Jan 1, 1455

The church starts an official investigation of Joan's trial and death.

Retrial

Nov 7, 1455

Guillaume d'Estouteville, cousin of Charles VII is in charge of Joan's retrial.

Final Decision

Jul 7, 1456

It is determined that Joan was wrongly executed.
Statues of her were made and put up around France. She was seen as a national hero.

The Maid of Orleans

Jan 1, 1801

Friedrich Schiller, a German writer, features Joan as a main character in his play "The Maid of Orleans".

Giovanna d'Arco

Jan 1, 1845

Guiseppe Verdi, an Italian composer, composes Giovanna d'Arco, an opera about Joan.

Joan Declared A Saint Of The Catholic Church!

Jan 1, 1920

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Jan 1, 1928

"The Passion of Joan of Arc", the first feature film about Joan, is released in France.

Victor Fleming's "Joan of Arc"

Jan 1, 1948

The film featured Ingrid Bergman as Joan.