French saint and savior who is known as the Maid of Orleans or La Pucelle D’Orleans, a national heroine and a history phenomena.
A peasant girl, she was the daughter of Jacques d’Arc, a plowman and tenant farmer, and of Isabelle Romée de Vouthon. Inspired by her visions and voices, she led the French armies to momentous victory, marking a turning point of the Hundred Year’s War. Her victory at Orleans in 1429 opened the way for the coronation of Charles VII at Reims. Joan said that she heard the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret, who divinely inspired and instructed her. The French crown was in dispute between the Dauphin, Charles, son and heir of the Valois king, Charles VI, and the English king, Henry VI. Charles cause seemed hopeless at the end of 1427 as he was not yet crowned five years after his father’s death. Reims, the city where coronations were customarily held, was held by his enemies. Domremy was on the frontier and, in 5/1428, led by her voices, Joan put on men’s clothes and traveled to Vaucouleurs where she asked the Captain of the garrison to see the Dauphin. She was refused and sent home but, in 1/1429 she went again. Charles’ advisors agreed to give her an audience so she went on to Chinon, reaching it in late February. He kept her waiting two days then concealed himself among his couriers. She went directly to him and said she wished to go to battle and would have him crowned. In 1429, she set off for Orleans with several hundred troops on April 27. On May 4 they took the fort, with another battle on May 6, and one on May 7 in which she was wounded. When the armies met on June 18, she had a great victory over the English.
Charles was crowned with Joan present, a coronation held on 7/17/1429. Charles left Reims July 20, traveling through his country in a celebratory parade for a month. Joan had more battles and sorties, attacking Paris 9/8/1429, where she was wounded and routed. In late December 1429, King Charles ennobled her and her family. During a siege of 5/23/1430, Joan was unhorsed and when she could not remount, was captured by the Bergundians. As Charles was working toward a truce with the Duke of Bergundy, he made no attempt to save her. Joan was tried as a heretic with opening statements on 1/13/1431. She appeared a dozen times at interrogations between February 21 and March 24. As she refused to promise to not attempt escape, she was often put in irons in the cold dungeon. The original 70 charges were reduced to 12 and, in May, she became very sick in prison. Thinking herself near death, she begged for the last rites of the church. On May 29, the Judges agreed to turn her over to secular officials.
The following day she was allowed to hear a Mass before she was taken to the stake and burned to death on 05/30/1431, Rouen, France.
For this quote, and the entire letter from which it is taken, see Paine’s “Joan of Arc: Maid of France”, Vol. I, p. 353 [the letter runs from p. 352 – 358)
“Her childhood was spent among the forests and strawberry-covered fields of the Meuse river valley, far from the northern regions where the political situation had become increasingly troubled. The throne at that time was occupied by Charles VI de Valois (aka Charles “the Mad”), whose frequent delusional periods rendered him unfit to govern. The monarchy had therefore been placed in the hands of several members of the Royal family (the Dukes of Orléans, Burgundy [Bourgogne], Berri, and Bourbon, plus Queen Isabel), and this warm extended family had become embroiled in an ugly civil war after Duke Louis of Orléans was assassinated on the orders of his cousin Duke Jean-sans-Peur de Burgundy in 1407. France would henceforth be divided between the Orléanist (or Armagnac) faction and their Burgundian rivals. In May 1413, when Jehanne was still a baby, the conflict produced the Cabochien Revolt in Paris. For several weeks the city was subjected to a violent uprising engineered by the Duke of Burgundy, led by a butcher named Simon Caboche, and egged on by a young clergyman and Burgundian partisan named Pierre Cauchon, whom Jehanne would later meet during a less pleasant period of her life.”
From the same website above, we find this chronology which also shows different years for her birth and for the death of Henry IV. I show the whole chronology as it would be useful in an attempt to rectify her chart.
Events in the life of Joan of Arc (Jehanne Darc)
Events in Jehanne’s life Parallel events of the Hundred Years War
1410, 11, 12, or 13, Jan 6 – Born at Domremy to Jacques Darc and Isabelle Romée
1413 – Death of Henry IV, accession of Henry V; Armagnacs gain control of Paris *More specifically Mar 20 – England’s King Henry IV died of an epileptic seizure while praying at Westminster Abbey; he was succeeded by his son Henry V. (AP, 3/20/97)(MWH, 1994) – [my italics – MB; this is unquestionably one year after Joan’s birth.] 1415 ?? – Birth of her childhood friend, Hauviette
1415 – Henry V invades France
1415, Sept 23 – English forces capture Harfleur
1415, Oct 25 – The French army is crushed at the battle of Aginçourt
1417 – Henry V begins the conquest of Normandy; Jean-sans-Peur de Burgundy sets up a rival French government at Troyes
1418 – Jean-sans-Peur gains control of Paris; the Dauphin Charles flees south of the Loire
1419 – Assassination of Jean-sans-Peur at Montereau during a meeting with the Armagnacs; his successor, Philippe-le-Bon, allies himself with the English
1420 – Treaty of Troyes, allowing Henry V to marry Catherine, daughter of King Charles VI, and become king of France upon the latter’s death
1422 – Death of Henry V and Charles VI, producing a disputed kingship between the infant Henry VI and the Dauphin Charles VII; John, Duke of Bedford, becomes Regent of France
1422-1429 – English make slow gains in Northern France
1424 (?), Midsummer – First hears her Voices
1428, May – Goes to Vaucouleurs
1428, July – Takes refuge at Neufchâteau; Domremy is raided
Campaign against Vaucouleurs by Antoine and Jean du Vergny
1428, October 12 – The English begin the siege of Orleans
1429, Jan-Feb – Returns to Vaucouleurs
1429, February – Visit to Nancy, meets with Charles II de Lorraine
1429, Feb 12 – Battle of Rouvray (“Battle of the Herrings”)
1429, Feb 23 – Leaves for Chinon
1429, Feb 24 – At St. Urbain
1429, c. Feb 27 – At Auxerre
1429, c. March 1 – At Gien
1429, March 4-5 – At St. Catherine de Fierbois
1429, March 6 – Arrives at Chinon
1429, c. March 9 – Meets with Charles VII
1429, early-March – March 21 – Examined by the theologians at Poitiers
1429, March 22 – Dictates her first letter to the English
1429, late March-April – At Tours and Blois
1429, April 25 – Leaves for Orleans
1429, April 28 – Arrives outside of Orleans; her army returns to Blois to gather reinforcements.
1429, night of April 28-29 – Sleeps at Chéchy
1429, April 29 – Slips into Orleans
1429, April 30 – Consultation with the captains at Orleans; skirmish led by La Hire against the English in Saint Pouair; attempts by Jehanne to negotiate with the English
1429, May 1 – Dunois and d’Aulon set out for Blois; more attempts by Jehanne to negotiate / trade insults with the English
1429, May 2 – Inspects the English positions, hears Vespers at Orleans’ cathedral
1429, May 3 – Arrival of the French garrisons from Gien, Montargis, Château Reynard and Châteaudun
1429, May 4 – Dunois returns to Orleans with a reinforced army and launches an assault on the English-held Bastille de Saint Loup; Jehanne shows up and evidently encourages the French to victory, capturing Saint Loup and opening the eastern road into Orleans
1429, May 5 – Since this was Ascension Day, Jehanne declares a truce in honor of the holy day; orders the prostitutes to be expelled from the army’s camp; agrees to the attack planned for the next day; writes another letter to the English
1429, May 6 – French troops cross a pontoon bridge in preparation for an attack upon the Bastille de St. Jean le Blanc; the English fall back to the Bastille des Augustins. Jehanne and La Hire join the French troops at this point and lead them against the English, capturing Les Augustins. Jehanne steps on a caltrop and is wounded in the foot; that night she predicts a more serious wound to be suffered on the next day.
1429, May 7 – The French assault the English-held Bastille des Tourelles from 7 in the morning until around 9 in the evening. Jehanne is wounded by an arrow between the shoulder and neck; eventually returns to the battle and encourages the troops to make a final assault in which Les Tourelles is finally taken.
1429, May 8 – The English offer battle; Jehanne refuses to attack out of regard for the Sabbath. The English fall back to Meung.
1429, May 10 – Travels from Orleans to Tours
1429, May 10-11 – At Tours to meet with Charles VII; meanwhile, an army under Dunois, Poton de Saintraille and the Maréchal de Sainte-Sévère launches an unsuccessful attack on the English fortress of Jargeau
1429, May 12-23 (?) – At Loches
1429, May 24 – June 6 (?) – At Selles-en-Berri
1429, June 6 – At Romorantin
1429, June 9-10 – At Orleans
1429, June 11-12 – Capture of Jargeau
1429, June 13-14 – Back at Orleans
1429, June 15 – At Meung-sur-Loire
1429, June 16-17 – Capture of Beaugency
1429, June 17 – Between Beaugency and Meung
1429, June 18 – Battle of Patay
1429, June 19-24 – At Orleans, Sully, St Benoit, and Châteauneuf
1429, June 24-27 – At Gien
1429, June 27-29 (?) – In camp
1429, June 30 – Travels to Reims
1429, July 1,2 or 3 – Near Auxerre
1429, July 4 – At St Florentin
1429, July 5 – At St Phal
1429, July 5-11 – Near Troyes
1429, July 5-12 (?) – Entry into Troyes
1429, July 13-14 – At Bussy-Lettré
1429, July 14-15 – At Chalons-sur-Marne
1429, July 16 – At Sept-Saulx
1429, July 16-21 – At Reims for the coronation; Charles VII is crowned on July 17
1429, July 21 – At Cerbeuy
1429, July 22 – At Vailly
1429, July 23-38 – At Soissons
1429, July 29 – At Château-Thierry
1429, August 1 – At Montmirail-en-Brie
1429, August 2-5 – At Provins
1429, August 7 – At Coulommiers and Château-Thierry
1429, August 10 – At La Ferté Milon
1429, August 11 – At Crépy-en-Valois
1429, August 12 – At Lagny-le-Sec
1429, August 13 – At Dammartin and Thieux
1429, August 14 – At Baron and Montepilloy
1429, August 14-15 – Battle of Montepilloy
1429, August 16-17 – At Crépy-en-Valois
1429, August 18-23 – At Compiègne
1429, August 26 – September 8 – At St. Denis and La Chapelle
1429, September 8 – Attack on Paris; Jehanne is wounded in the thigh while trying to locate a spot for her troops to cross Paris’ inner ditch.
1429, September 9 – At La Chapelle and St. Denis
1429, September 10 and 13 – At St. Denis
1429, September 14-21 – At Lagny, Provins, Bray, Sens, Courtenay, Châteaurenard, Montargis, Gien
1429, October – At Meung-sur-Yèvre and Bourges
1429, October and early November – At St. Pierre-le-Moutier
1429, November 9 – At Moulins
1429, November 24 – Attack on La Charité-sur-Loire
1429, early December – At Meung-sur-Yèvre
1429, December 19 – At Orleans
1429, December 25 (?) – At Jargeau ?
1429, December 29 – Ennobled along with her family, given a coat of arms and surname “du Lys”
1430, March 3-28 – At Sully
1430, early April – At Lagny; battle of Lagny
1430, April 17-23 – At Melun
1430, late April – At Senlis, Compiègne, Berenglise, Ste Marguerite, Soissons, Crépy-en-Valois
1430, May 14-15 – At Compiègne and Pont l’Evêque
1430, May 18 (?) – At Soissons
1430, May 19(?) – 22 – At Crépy-en-Valois
1430, May 23 – At Compiègne; assault on Margny; Jehanne captured.
1430, May 23-25 – At Clairoix
1430, late May – July – Held prisoner at Beaulieu
1430, mid-July – mid-November – At Beaurevoir
1430, late November – At Arras, St Riquier, Drugy, and Le Crotoy
1430, December – At St Valéry, Eu, Dieppe, and Rouen.
1430, December 25 (?) – Held in a tower at Rouen, where she would stay until May 30
1431, January 3 – Transferred to the custody of Bishop Cauchon
1431, January 9 – Beginning of the 1st trial (Trial of Condemnation)
1431, February 21 – First public session of the trial
1431, March 10-17 – Closed sessions of testimony
1431, March 27 – Libellus read
1431, April 18 – Admonished to recant
1431, May 19 – Reading of the University of Paris’ condemnation
1431, May 23 – Conclusion of the trial
1431, May 24 – Taken to a platform and threatened with execution; recants and is given the sentence of life in prison
1431, May 28 – Rejects her previous abjuration and accepts a death sentence.
1431, May 29 – The assessors vote to turn her over to secular justice
1431, May 30 – Execution (from what I found, ‘In the middle of the morning’).
(As an aside comment, many of you may have heard that transits continue to impact the birth chart even after the native’s death – so here they go.)
Related events after her death ———–
1435, Sept 21 – Treaty of Arras between Charles VII and Philippe-le-Bon de Burgundy, effectively dooming the English cause
1436 – Paris surrenders to the French
1448 – Rouen taken by the French
1450 – English driven out of Normandy; the process of retrying Joan of Arc’s case begins under the direction of Guillaume Bouillé
1450, March 4 & 5 – Preliminary witness depositions are taken, beginning with the testimony of Guillaume Manchon, one of the notaries at the original trial.
1452 – Joan of Arc’s retrial process continues under Cardinal d’Estouteville and Inquisitor Jean Bréhal
1452, May 2 & 3 – Five witnesses questioned.
1452, May 8 – More testimony, with depositions from seventeen witnesses
1453 – English driven out of Guyenne; most historians consider this to be the end of the “Hundred Years War”
1455, June 11 – Pope Calixtus III authorizes Jehanne’s mother, Isabelle, to open the suit
1455, November 7 – The opening session of the retrial (“Trial of Rehabilitation”), held at Notre Dame in Paris
1455, November through 1456, May – Witness testimony
1456, May 14 – The witness testimony is concluded
1456, May 30 – Hearings resumed
1456, June 2 – As no further evidence was submitted, the existing body of testimony was accepted into the record.
1456, June 5 – The counsel for the plaintiffs, Guillaume Prévosteau, submitted his documents to the tribunal
1456, June 10 – Final session during which all the various documents were collected.
1456, June 18 – The plaintiffs, in the form of Jehanne’s brother Jean Darc, the family’s lawyer, and the Promoter for the case, pay a visit to the commissioners, expressing the wish that the latter would speed up their final deliberations
1456, June 24 – Final call for any objections, with presentation of final evidence against Jehanne set for July 1
1456, July 1 – No one showed up.
1456, July 2 – The plaintiffs formally ask the judges to annul the original verdict and declare Jehanne innocent.
1456, July 7, beginning at the hour of 8 am – Public announcement of the judgment of the court, in which the original verdict is thrown out and Joan of Arc is declared innocent.
Related events in our own era ——-
1903, February – Formal proposal for canonization
1904, January – Pope Pius X awards her the title of “Venerable”
1909, April 11 – Beatification
1920, May 16 – Canonized as a saint by Pope Benedict XV
Link to Wikipedia biography
Link to Astrodienst forum archive