The extraordinary story of the Maid placed in the France of her time, presenting her and her contemporaries in all their humanity to the general reader. Who was this notorious and enigmatic country girl, on trial for her life?

Joan of Arc or "The Maid of Orléans", is considered a heroine of France for her role during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years' War, and was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint. Joan of Arc was born to Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle Romée, a peasant family, at Domrémy in north-east France. Joan said she received visions of the Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent Joan to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief mission. She gained prominence after the siege was lifted only nine days later. Several additional swift victories led to Charles VII's coronation at Reims. This long-awaited event boosted French morale and paved the way for the final French victory.

Documents the life of the fifteenth-century French teenage peasant who led an army into battle and became a saint.

"Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d'Arc, IPA: [{7f0292}an dak]; ca. 1412[4] ? 30 May 1431), nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" (French: La Pucelle d'Orléans), is a folk heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. She was born a peasant girl in what is now eastern France. Claiming divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII of France. She was captured by the Burgundians, transferred to the English in exchange for money, put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon for charges of "insubordination and heterodoxy", and was burned at the stake for heresy when she was 19 years old. Twenty-five years after her execution, an inquisitorial court authorized by Pope Callixtus III examined the trial, pronounced her innocent, and declared her a martyr.[6] Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920."--Wikipedia.

Both a revered heroine and Catholic saint, Joan of Arc played a prominent part in the Hundred Years' War, and is remembered for her bravery both on and off the battlefield. In this title, students will discover the historical backdrop of the time in which Joan of Arc led the French army to victory, and will look at her continued prominence as both a religious and historical figure.

In a distinguished English translation, the bestselling French book now considered the standard biography of Joan published just in time for the upcoming film by Luc Besson.