On May 30, 1431, France lost one of its greatest heroines, Joan of Arc, burned at the stake in Rouen at the age of 19, accused of witchcraft. The life and death of Joan of Arc is one of the most dramatic and inspiring chapters in French history, symbolizing courage, faith and patriotism.
Joan of Arc was born in 1412, in Domrémy, a small village in Lorraine, during the final phase of the Hundred Years' War between France and England. From a young age, Joan claimed to hear divine voices that instructed her to free France from English rule and restore the Dauphin Charles (future Charles VII) to the throne.
In 1429, at the age of 17, Joana presented herself to the Dauphin Carlos in Chinon, convincing him of her divine mission. Dressed as a soldier and wielding a sword, she inspired the French armies and led several crucial victories. The most notable was the liberation of Orléans, which reversed the course of the war in favor of the French and prompted the coronation of Charles VII in Reims.
Despite her military victories and her vital role in restoring French morale, Joan was captured in 1430 by Burgundian troops allied with the English. Sold to the English, she was tried by an ecclesiastical court in Rouen on charges of heresy, witchcraft and dressing as a man.
Joana's trial was a farce, marked by irregularities and a clear political bias. The English and their allies wished to demoralize the French cause and discredit Charles VII by painting Joan as a heretic. Despite her strong defense and firmness of faith, Joana was sentenced to death.
On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in the old market square of Rouen. Her last words were of devotion, crying out the name of Jesus. Her death, however, was not the end of her influence. She became a martyr and a symbol of French resistance.
In 1456, an inquiry ordered by Pope Callixtus III reviewed Joan's trial, declaring her innocent and recognizing her as a martyr. Centuries later, in 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized by the Catholic Church, becoming Saint Joan of Arc.