2-714-140 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'Joan D'Arc, the Maid of Orleans', 1821. Portrait of St Joan (c1412-1431), French patriot and martyr. Claiming divine inspiration, Joan of Arc persuaded Charles VII to declare himself King of France (at the time France was ruled by England under the terms of the Treaty of Troyes signed in 1420). Charles gave Joan authority over the French army at the Siege of Orleans in 1429, which proved to be the turning point in the Hundred Years War in favour of the French. Joan was captured at Compiegne in May 1430 by the Burgundians, who handed her over to the English. Tried on a charge of heresy, Joan was executed and martyred in 1431, but Charles VII went on to regain all of France from the English, with the exception of Calais. From "Wonderful Characters: Comprising Memoirs and Anecdotes of the Most Remarkable Persons of Every Age and Nation", Vol. II, by Henry Wilson. [J. Robins and Co. Albion Press, London, 1821]