Joan was a simple peasant girl who claimed to hear the voices of saints telling her she must help the Dauphin gain the throne of France. This she did, leading armed men during thee Hundred Years' War and inspiring her countrymen in the process. Joan was eventually captured by Burgundian forces, who turned her over to their English allies. An English court of Church officials tried her for heresy, and she was ultimately burned at the stake. She was 19 years old.
Joan's martyrdom did much to unite and invigorate the French, who turned the tide of the war and at last drove the English out of France 20 years later.
The images here depict Joan at various phases of her short life. There are also several statues, monuments, and a copy of her signature. There are no contemporary portraits, and Joan was described by some as rather plain and somewhat masculine; so the lovely feminine images appear to be inspired by her legend more than by the facts.
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