Trial of Joan of Arc facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Part of the Hundred Years' War
Joan of Arc is interrogated by The Cardinal of Winchester in her prison, 1431. Painting by Paul Delaroche (1797–1856), Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen.
Native name	Jeanne d'Arc
Date	9 January – 29 May 1431 (1431-01-09 – 1431-05-29)
Duration	Four and a half months
Location	Rouen, Normandy, France
Cause	English defeat at Compiègne
Outcome	Guilty
Convicted	Yes
Charges	Heresy
Verdict	Joan of Arc found guilty of heresy
Sentence	Death by burning at stake

The Trial of Joan of Arc was a major legal event in the 15th century. It involved Joan of Arc, a young French military leader. She fought for King Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War. In 1430, she was captured by Burgundian soldiers. They were allies of the English. Joan was then sold to the English.

She faced a church court in Rouen, Normandy, in 1431. This court was mostly made up of people who supported the English. They found her guilty of heresy, which meant going against the rules of the church. Because of this, she was burned at the stake. Years later, in 1456, her verdict was overturned. This happened at a special trial called a rehabilitation trial. Joan of Arc is now a French national hero. The Roman Catholic Church declared her a saint in 1920. Her trial is one of the most famous in history.

Joan's Story and Capture

In 1429, Joan of Arc said that God had given her a mission. She helped the French army win big battles. These victories changed the course of the Hundred Years' War. One huge success was lifting the Siege of Orléans. She also helped defeat many English soldiers at the Battle of Patay. A few months later, Charles VII was crowned king at Reims.

After her mission, Joan wanted to go home. But the new king asked her to keep fighting for France. She agreed, but things became harder. First, the French army faced a setback at the gates of Paris in September 1429. Then, in May 1430, Joan was captured. This happened during the siege of Compiègne. She was taken by the Burgundian group. Their leader was Philip III, the Duke of Burgundy. He was allied with the English.

The Burgundians gave Joan to the English. They received 10,000 francs for her. King Charles did not try to get her back. In December 1430, Joan was moved to Rouen. This city was the English headquarters in France. She was put on trial for heresy. The English wanted to prove that King Charles's crowning was not valid. The court was led by Bishop Pierre Cauchon. He was a strong supporter of the English.

Joan in Prison

The "Joan of Arc Tower" in Rouen. It is part of the old castle where Joan was held during her trial.

Before the main trial, there was an investigation. This was to learn about Joan's life and character. They collected information from witnesses. Then, Joan herself was questioned. She had to give answers that could be used against her.

First Investigations

The trial officially began on January 9, 1431. The first step was to check Joan's character. They also checked if she was a virgin. This was done before January 13. The Duchess of Bedford oversaw this check. She was the wife of John, Duke of Bedford, the English ruler in France. The Duchess announced that Joan was indeed a virgin.

At the same time, people from the court went to Joan's home village. This was Domrémy. They asked about her life and behavior. Many witnesses were interviewed. The results of these checks were surprising. They found nothing bad about Joan. Nicolas Bailly, who collected the information, said he wished his own sister was as good as Joan. This made Bishop Cauchon angry. He wanted something to use against her. He even refused to pay Bailly.

Joan's Questioning

Joan of Arc (1882) by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

On February 20, 1431, Bishop Pierre Cauchon called for Joan's first public questioning. He said Joan was "strongly suspected of heresy." He also mentioned that "rumors of her acts and sayings wounding our faith had spread." This was the reason for bringing charges against her. Joan agreed to appear in court. She asked for French church leaders to be present too. She also asked to attend Mass. But the prosecutor, Jean d'Estivet, said no. He said it was because of her "improper clothes." Her soldier's clothing became a big issue during the trial.

First Session: February 21, 1431

Joan was brought before the court. The rules were explained to her. Bishop Cauchon asked her to swear to tell the truth.

• Question: Do you swear to speak the truth?
• Joan: I don't know what you will ask. Maybe I won't tell some things.

• Question: Will you swear to tell the truth about your faith?
• Joan: About my family and what I did since I came to France, I will tell the truth. But about my messages from God, I have only told King Charles. I will not tell them, even to save my life.

The court kept asking about the oath in later sessions. Joan was then asked about her name, birth, and family. She said her mother taught her prayers like the Pater Noster and Hail Mary. Cauchon asked her to say the Pater Noster. She said she would, but only if she could go to Confession first.

Finally, Joan was warned not to escape. They said if she did, she would be guilty of heresy. She disagreed. She said she had not sworn anything about escaping. She added, "It is true that I wished and still wish to escape, as any captive would."

Second Session: February 22, 1431

Statue of Joan of Arc inside Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

The Vice-Inquisitor, Jean Lemaitre, was finally there. He had tried to avoid coming. After more talk about the oath, Joan was asked about her childhood. She said she learned to "spin and sew." She confessed her sins once a year or more. She also received the Eucharist at Easter. Then, the questions turned to her visions.

She said that at age twelve or thirteen, she "had a voice from God to help and guide me." She was "much afraid" at first. She added that the voice "seldom came without a light." She heard the voice often when she came to France. She then told about her journey from Domrémy to Chinon. She wore soldier's clothes and carried a sword given by Robert de Baudricourt.

Third Session: February 24, 1431

The session started again with arguments about the oath. Then, Jean Beaupere asked many questions about Joan's voices. She was asked where the voice was, what it said, and if she could touch it. Joan said she asked the voice for advice about the questioning. The voice told her to "answer boldly and God would comfort [her]." She also said the voice "never gave two different opinions." She believed "this voice comes from God."

Then came some difficult religious questions. One was:

• Question: Do you know if you are in God's grace?
• Joan: If I am not, may God put me there; and if I am, may God so keep me. I would be the saddest person if I knew I were not in His grace.

This question was a trap. The church taught that no one could be sure of God's grace. But saying "no" could also be used against her. Joan's answer surprised the court. One notary said they were "stupefied." She added that if she were in sin, the saints would not come to her. She wished everyone could hear them like she did. She thought she was about thirteen when they first appeared.

The questioning then went back to Joan's childhood. They asked about the "Ladies Tree" and local customs. The session ended with a question about wearing women's clothes. She replied: "Give me [a dress] and I will take it and go; otherwise, I am content with this [her male clothes], since it pleases God that I wear it."

Fourth Session: February 27, 1431

Joan of Arc in prison, by Gillot Saint-Evre (1833).

Joan took a limited oath again. Beaupere led the questioning. He asked about her voices. Joan said she had heard them many times since the last session. She said they were St. Catherine and St. Margaret. Their voices had guided her for seven years. But the first voice she heard, at age 13, was St. Michael. She said St. Catherine and St. Margaret had "beautiful crowns." She refused to answer some questions.

They asked again about her soldier's clothes. She said: "Everything I have done is at God's command." About meeting Charles VII, she said the "King had a sign about my mission before he believed in me." She also said her supporters believed her mission was good.

Questions followed about her sword and flag. The court asked for many details. The session ended with questions about the siege at Orleans. She said she knew she would be wounded there. She told her king this. She was indeed hit by an arrow between her neck and left shoulder.

Fifth Session: March 1, 1431

After the usual arguments about the oath, they discussed letters. These letters were between Joan and the Count of Armagnac. They were about which of the three Popes was the real one. Joan said she "believed in our Holy Father the Pope at Rome." She said she "had never written anything about the three Popes."

Other letters she had dictated were brought up. She said that "before seven years are past the English will lose a greater stake than they did at Orléans." She added, "they will lose everything in France." She knew this from a revelation.

Joan was then asked many detailed questions about the saints. The questioner called them "apparitions." She was asked if they were male or female, if they had hair, and what language they spoke. When asked if St. Margaret spoke English, Joan replied: "Why should she speak English when she is not on the English side?"

They asked about her rings. They wanted to know if she used them to heal people. She replied: "I never cured anyone with any of my rings." They also asked if she had a mandrake. This was a figure used to call demons. She replied: "I have no mandrake, and never had one."

Finally, she was asked again about the sign she gave to the King. This sign made him believe in her mission. Again, she refused to answer. She said, "Go and ask him."

Sixth Session: March 3, 1431

Statue of Joan of Arc in Washington, D.C..

After taking the oath, questions turned to the Saints she saw. She stated: "I saw them with my two eyes. I believe it was they I saw as firmly as I believe in God." She added that God created them in the form she saw.

About a future escape, she said her visions "told me that I shall be delivered." But she did not know when.

They asked again about her soldier's clothes. She said she started wearing them at Vaucouleurs. This was when she traveled through enemy land to Chinon. She had been offered women's clothes many times. But she said she "would not put it off without God's leave."

Many other questions followed about her flag and those of her followers. She said they were "white satin, and on some there were fleur-de-lis."

The session ended with questions about Joan's escape attempt. This was from the castle at Beaurevoir. She said her visions told her not to. But "from fear of the English, I leaped and commended myself to God." She was wounded in the leap. She said she would "rather surrender her soul to God than fall into the hands of the English."

Prison Sessions

Seventh Session: March 10, 1431

Questioning continued in her prison cell. Only a few people were present. Joan described her capture by the Burgundians near Compiègne. She said her voices told her she would be captured. This was during Easter week. They told her not to be upset. They said God would help her. She knew she would be captured, but not the exact day or time.

She was then asked about her banner and its designs. Finally, they asked about the sign she gave to King Charles.

Eighth Session: March 12, 1431 (Morning)

Joan was questioned about her first meeting with the King. They asked if her voices had ever failed her.

• Question: Did the angel fail you when you were captured?
• Joan: Since it pleased God, it was better for me to be captured.

She also said her saints "often come without my calling." But if they didn't, she would pray for them. She added, "I have never needed them without having them."

Joan said she was "thirteen years old, or thereabouts" when she first heard her voices. She had not told anyone about them, except Robert de Baudricourt.

They asked if it was right to leave her parents without permission. She said she did so at God's command. So, "it was right to do so." She added that she "wrote to them, and they forgave me."

Ninth Session: March 12, 1431 (Afternoon)

Joan was asked about a dream her father had. He dreamed she would "go off with men-at-arms."

The questioning then returned to her male clothing. She said she chose to wear it "of her own accord." She added, "Everything I have done I have done at the instruction of my voices." This was in response to whether her voices told her to wear soldier's clothes.

Tenth Session: March 13, 1431

This session focused on the "sign" shown to King Charles. Joan was asked if she swore to St. Catherine not to tell the sign. Joan replied, "I have sworn and promised not to tell this sign of my own accord."

However, she then described the sign in detail. She said an angel brought the King a crown of pure gold. It was put in the King's treasury. She told the King, "Sire, this is your sign; take it." When asked why God chose her, she said, "It pleased God so to do, by a simple maid to drive back the King's enemies."

The questioning then moved to the attack on Paris. She said she went to Paris at the request of nobles. She added that after she learned she would be captured, she "usually deferred to the captains on questions of war."

Eleventh Session: March 14, 1431 (Morning)

The morning session began with questions about Joan's leap from the tower at Beaurevoir. She said she knew she "had been sold to the English." She "would have died rather than fall into the hands of my enemies the English."

Asked if she expected to die, Joan replied, "No, for as I leaped I commended myself to God." She hoped to escape.

Questions then turned to her Saints and the light with them. She said they came every day with light. She asked three things of her voices: to be freed, for God to help the French, and for her soul's salvation.

She was asked about a warning she gave Bishop Cauchon. She said:

• Joan: (to Cauchon) "You say that you are my judge; I do not know if you are: but take good heed not to judge me ill, because you would put yourself in great danger. And I warn you so that if God punish you for it, I shall have done my duty in telling you."

She said St. Catherine told her she would get help. She would be freed by a great victory. She added, "Take everything peacefully; have no care for thy martyrdom; in the end thou shalt come to the Kingdom of Paradise."

The session ended with a question about mortal sin. She replied, "I do not know; but in everything I commit myself to God."

Twelfth Session: March 14, 1431 (Afternoon)

The assessors met again in Joan's cell. They continued with the question of her salvation. Joan added that her belief in salvation was "provided that I kept my oath and promise to Our Lord to keep safe my virginity of body and of soul."

Asked about confessing, she said she "did not know of having committed mortal sin." She added that if she were in mortal sin, her saints would leave her.

They read a list of charges. These were already discussed. She replied:

• Joan: I do not think I am in mortal sin. If I am, it is for God, and the priest in confession, to know it.

Her answers to the charges were similar to before. These included attacking Paris on a holy day, stealing a horse, leaping from the tower, and wearing male clothes. About the horse, she said she bought it.

Thirteenth Session: March 15, 1431

Joan had been asking to hear Mass. This was refused. She was asked if it was proper to attend church in men's or women's clothing.

• Joan: Promise me that I'll get to hear Mass if I wear woman's clothing.
• Interrogator: I promise that you will hear Mass if you wear women's clothing.
• Joan: And what do you say if I've promised our king and sworn not to remove these clothes? Nonetheless, I say, make me a long robe that touches the ground, with no train and give it to me for Mass. Then when I come back I'll put back on these clothes I'm wearing.

Joan told the inquisitors she was confident in her words. She said, "All my words and deeds are in God's hands. I wait on him in these things. I assure you, I would not do or say anything against the Christian faith. If I had said or done anything, or if there were anything on my body that clerks could say was against the Christian faith, I would not uphold it but would reject it."

Fourteenth Session: March 17, 1431 (Morning)

In one of the last sessions, Joan answered about her Saintly voices and male clothes. Asked if her Saints hated the English, Joan replied, "They love what God loves and hate what God hates." Asked if God hated the English, Joan said she did not know. But she believed the English would be punished for their sins. This session focused on Joan's military life. It also asked if she herself was worshipped. She refused to answer some questions about her banner and sword. She said she had already answered them.

Fifteenth Session: March 17, 1431 (Afternoon)

In the final session, Joan was questioned about her banner. The inquisitors suggested the banner brought her victories. But Joan gave all credit to God. Joan said Saints Margaret and Catherine gave her the banner, but it came from God. She explained that all its symbols were about God. Joan was asked if she had contact with fairies. They also asked why she looked at her ring before battle. And why the banner was at the King's crowning. These questions focused on accusations that Joan was a witch.

The Main Trial and Verdict

The main trial began on March 26. Seventy articles (charges) were prepared. These were later shortened to 12 main charges. If Joan did not answer them, it would be seen as admitting guilt. The next day, the charges were read aloud. Joan was questioned in French. The trial ended on May 24 with her abjuration.

Abjuration

On May 24, Joan was taken to a platform in a cemetery. She was told she would be burned right away. This would happen unless she signed a paper. This paper would say she gave up her visions. It would also say she would stop wearing soldier's clothes. Faced with immediate death, she agreed to sign the paper and change her clothes.

Execution

Joan of Arc being burned at the stake in Rouen, by François Chifflart.

On May 28, Joan changed her mind. She put on men's clothes again. When asked, she admitted listening to her voices again. She was accused of going back to her "errors." This meant she was "relapsing into heresy." Only those who had changed their mind and then gone back to their old beliefs could be sentenced to death by the Inquisition.

On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. This happened at the Old Marketplace in Rouen.

What Happened Later

Eighteen years after Joan of Arc's death, a church court started a new trial. This was at the request of King Charles VII. The court decided that the first trial's judgment was not fair. It had not followed the correct rules.

On May 16, 1920, Pope Benedict XV made Joan of Arc a Saint. She is now known as the patron saint of France, women, prisoners, and soldiers.

Images for kids

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  Capture of Joan of Arc by Adolphe Alexandre Dillens (c. 1850).

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  The Arrest of Joan of Arc by Adele Martin (1835).

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  Oil painting of Joan of Arc in armor, by John Everett Millais (1865).

This article incorporates material from the Citizendium article "Trial of Joan of Arc", which is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License but not under the GFDL.