On this day in 1431, Joan of Arc- then just 19 years old- was put on trial in the city of Rouen, a moment that would seal her fate and define her legacy.
Known in court records as “Joan the Maid,” she had risen from a peasant background to become the most extraordinary military figure of medieval France, claiming divine guidance from saints that led her to lift the siege of Orléans and escort the Dauphin to his coronation as King Charles VII. By the time of her trial, however, Joan was no longer a symbol of hope for France, but a dangerous problem for her enemies.
Capture and a predetermined trial
Joan was captured in 1430 by Burgundian forces allied with England and sold to the English, who were desperate to destroy her reputation. Rather than treating her as a prisoner of war, they arranged a church trial, ensuring the verdict would carry religious and moral authority.
The court was dominated by pro-English clergy, led by Bishop Pierre Cauchon. From the start, the process violated basic legal norms of the time: Joan was denied proper legal counsel, kept in a secular prison guarded by soldiers, and interrogated repeatedly under pressure.
Charges of heresy- and much more
Joan faced more than 70 accusations, later reduced to 12, including:
- heresy for claiming divine visions
- blasphemy
- witchcraft
- refusing to submit to Church authority
- and even wearing men’s clothing
The charges were religious in form, but political in purpose. If Joan could be declared a heretic, then her visions were lies, and the French king she helped crown could be portrayed as illegitimate.
Confession, reversal, and execution
After months of interrogation, Joan was threatened with torture and execution. Exhausted and frightened, she eventually signed a confession, reportedly without fully understanding it. Her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Days later, after resuming men’s clothing- likely for protection from guards- the court declared her a relapsed heretic. That sealed her fate.
On 30 May 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen. Witnesses recorded her calling out the name of Jesus as she died. She was 19.
Vindication after death
History did not end with the fire.
In 1456, a posthumous retrial ordered by the Church examined the original proceedings. The verdict was clear: Joan’s conviction was nullified, her trial declared corrupt and unjust, and her execution acknowledged as a grave miscarriage of justice.
Nearly five centuries later, in 1920, Joan of Arc was canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Why Joan still matters
Joan of Arc’s trial remains one of the most well-documented legal cases of the Middle Ages- her trial transcripts still survive- and one of the most infamous. It stands as a reminder of how religion, law, and politics can intertwine, and how dangerous it can be when power fears a symbol it cannot control.
Put on trial on this day in 1431, Joan lost her life, but was immortalised in history.
Also read: ON THIS DAY: First photograph of the Moon, probably (1839)
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