Trial of Joan of Arc

The trial of Joan of Arc, which was overseen by an English-backed church court at Rouen, Normandy in the first half of 1431, was one of the more famous trials in history, becoming the subject of many books and films. It culminated in the execution of the person known to history as Joan of Arc, the young French peasant girl who was the defendant in the case. The trial verdict was later reversed on appeal by Jean Bréhal, the Inquisitor-General in 1456, thereby completely exonerating her. Considered a French national heroine, she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1920.

In the spring of 1429, in obedience to what she said was the command of God, Joan inspired the Dauphin's armies in a series of stunning military victories which lifted the Siege of Orleans and destroyed a large percentage of the remaining English forces at the Battle of Patay, reversing the course of the Hundred Years' War. The Dauphin - Charles VII - was crowned a few months later at Reims.

However, a series of military setbacks eventually led to her capture. First, there was a reversal before the gates of Paris in September of that same year. Then, she was captured in the spring of 1430 in a minor action near Compiègne by the Burgundians, a faction led by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, who was allied with the English.

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