One of the most famous executions to have taken place throughout history saw a young
French girl who had led the French Army against the English during the 100 years war being
burned alive.
Joan of Arc is remembered as a saint of France today, and she was deemed a martyr after her
burning.
Many of those English soldiers who witnessed her death that day claimed that they had burned
a saint and not a witch, and they immediately regretted their actions.
But what was the story of Joan of Arc and what led to her horrific execution?
Join us today as we look at the Execution of Joan of Arc, and remember to support our
channel please make sure to subscribe.
Conflict between England and France was on-going for centuries by the time the 100 Years War
came around.
It began in 1337 after a dispute as to who was the rightful claimant and heir to the
French throne.
Initially the English had a significant amount of success against the French and they won
most of the battles.
They almost got their wish, establishing a dual monarchy over France and England.
When Joan of Arc was born, the French King was Charles VI and he wasn’t the most stable
King as he often went absent after suffering from bouts of ill health and insanity.
In 1420, the Queen of France following the spectacular English victory at Agincourt granted
King Henry V what he wanted.
She was willing to leave the French crown to the King of England and his heirs rather
than her own son.
Henry V died in 1422, and following this Henry’s son Henry VI became the King of England and
France, despite only being a very young child himself.
Because of this, his uncle John of Lancaster acted as the regent.
But Joan herself was the daughter of Jacques D’Arc and Isabelle Romee, and they lived
in Domremy.
Joan’s parents its believed owned around 50 acres of land, and her father was a farmer
and a tax collector in the town and area.
They lived in part of France that was faithful to the French King throughout the conflict,
but there were many raids in the area.
During one of these, Joan witnessed her village being burned to the ground by rebels.
Joan was not highly educated, and its claimed that she could not read or write, but she
was a very different child to many others in the village.
At the age of 13, Joan of Arc had her first visions which would make her very famous across
the country.
She said that in her father’s garden she had a vision of Saint Michel, Saint Catherine
and also Saint Margaret.
During this episode, it was claimed that the saints had told her that she was the one to
force the English out of France for good, and to take the Dauphin of France to his consecration
once they were defeated.
She said the saints were beautiful, and when she was 16 she asked a family member to take
her to visit the commander of a local garrison.
She asked for an armed escort to take her to the French royal court, and the commander
refused to begin with but Joan persisted and came back a few months later.
She then got the support of the commander’s soldiers, and she then met with the commander,
and this meeting coincided with a slight change in France’s fortunes in the 100 years war.
There had been some improvement near to Orleans, and Joan had predicted this.
Because of this, she was considered to have been sent from God, and the commander was
persuaded to take her to the French Royal Court.
Joan went with the commander and her escort through dangerous lands, and she was disguised
as a male soldier in armour.
It was a dangerous thing to do to escort the young girl across a war zone, but Joan first
met with the Dauphin Charles at the royal court in 1429 aged 17.
She made an impression on Charles and Joan asked the Dauphin to accompany the army and
she was also given permission to wear armour.
She was seen as captivating, but the French had been suffering so much during the 100
years war, and because of this the Crown were willing to take risks and chances to reverse
their fortunes.
Many could have viewed Joan as a witch or a heretic, but through her visions and her
involvement in the 100 years war, she began to turn the tide of the conflict.
She claimed the saints had sent her to improve France’s chances, and this is what she did.
Dauphin Charles did order an investigation of Joan though to see what her personality
and morals were to see if she was trustworthy.
It was deemed that she was a good christian, and was humble, honest and her intentions
were good.
With this Charles used her in a military detachment, and she was sent to see if she could help
to lift the Siege or Leons.
The English had been besieging the town since October 1428, and the city was of importance
to both sides and the English were heading to victory.
Joan was given armour and a horse and her first action was to join a convoy and to bring
supplies into the town.
She wanted to face the English from the north, but the commander decided to go to the south.
Joan did not like this, and she ordered an attack on the nearest English Bastille.
It was here where one of Joan’s miracles its believed occured when the wind changed
direction, and the French ships were brought upriver, and the convoy was allowed to sail
back to Orleans quickly without arousing any suspicion.
Joan of Arc then entered the town on the 29th April at 8pm and there were wild celebrations.
She was paraded as a hero isn the streets, and she gave out food and pay for the soldiers.
She also sent a detachment of messengers to the English to tell them to leave.
When she arrived things changed, and the French then began to capture different fortifications
and positions.
Joan did get injured when she was hit by an arrow between the neck and shoulder, but she
recovered very quickly, and the French believed that God had healed her and she went back
fighting.
When the final assault was launched, the French managed to lift the siege and the English
retreated.
Joan had done it.
When she lifted the siege it gave her an immense amount of celebrity and support across the
country, but the English deemed that she must have been a witch or must have been possessed
by the devil.
This was because they could not deal that a young peasant girl had defeated their mighty
army, and some believed that God was on the side of the French.
More success came for Joan and the English then conceded more lands, and Charles was
then consecrated as the King as Joan had seen in her visions.
Her arrival and leading of the army was a big turning point, and Joan was even there
when he was consecrated standing with her banner near to the altar.
Further military campaigns continued when the French attacked Paris, and Joan was injured
again by a crossbow bolt hitting her leg.
The assault on Paris did fail and a truce was agreed, but Joan then began to become
involved in further religious matters.
She criticised the Hussites who broke from the Church, and told them if they did not
recant then Joan and her Army would kill them.
The truce with England di fail, and Joan went to Compiegne to help defend against the English
and the Burgundians.
She was involved in a group that tried to attack the Burgundian camp, but she was ambushed
and was then captured.
Joan stayed near the rear of her army, but the Burgundians surrounded her and pulled
her off her horse and she then surrendered.
He was then imprisoned in a castle, and did try to escape a number of times including
one where she jumped from her 70 feet tower.
After this she was moved, and the English saw her worth as a prisoner, and negotiated
a transfer from the Burgundians to the English.
It cost them 10,000 Livre, and Joan was transferred to Rouen.
The French did try to rescue her, but the attempts failed and Joan was then put on trial.
She was accused of heresy, and the trial was supposed to bring Joan embarrassment and shame.
It began in February 1431, and Joan was not allowed a legal advisor but it was guaranteed
that she was going to die.
The English could not let Joan leave a free woman, and she was accused of a huge number
of charges including wearing mens clothes and witchcraft.
Nuns who visited her claimed she was pure, and at trial she defended herself in a mature
and well spoken way, and she got the upper hand over her prosecutors.
She claimed the English had abused her in prison, and that she dressed as a man to defend
her modesty.
Her trial was then held in private, and she was interrogated a great deal, and was held
in a military prison and was threatened with torture.
On the 29th May 1431, Joan of Arc was found guilty of heresy.
On the morning of the 30th May her death sentence was carried out.
She had been sentenced to death to be burned at the stake as a witch would be.
Joan when she heard of this became very distressed, and said she would prefer to be beheaded.
Her guards laughed and made fun at her, but one took pity on her and gave the 19 year
old woman a wooden cross before she was tied to the stake.
She was led out to the marketplace in Rouen and a scaffold was there to greet her with
a large stake ontop of it.
Joan kissed the wooden cross she had been given, and she was surrounded by soldiers
and a crowd of over 10,000.
She was then tied to the stake.
An eyewitness account stated of the events that, ‘‘I was present at the last sermon
on the day she was burnt.
There were three galleries of scaffolds, one where the judges sat, one where many bishops
sat, and one where wood was prepared for the burning of Joan.
At the end of the sermon the sentence was pronounced which delivered Joan to secular
justice.
After this sentence was pronounced, Joan began to make many pious exclamations, and among
other things she said that nothing she had done, either good or ill had been suggested
by the King.
Thereupon I left, not wishing to see the burning of Joan, Is aw many of the bystanders weeping.’
The fires were lit, and the flames rose heavily.
Man was tied to the pillar and she asked the clergy to hold a crucifix in front of her
as she stared at the symbol and the flames rose higher.
She prayed as she war burning, and there was some horror in the crowd.
Someone tried to throw extra kindling on the fire but was stopped from doing so.
Within minutes, Joan of Arc was dead, and the English went further burning her body
twice more to make sure there was nothing left of her to stop any relics being collected,
and her ashes were thrown in a river.
The execution of Joan of Arc was an incredibly brutal one, but for many the young 19 year
old was deemed to have been sent by God to help the French war effort.
Even the English worried about burning her, and they claimed they had burned a saint and
they would be damned for doing it.
Joan today is remembered as the warrior girl who led the French against the English in
the 100 years war, and she’s considered an important figure in Medieval history.
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