Basic Info:
Jeanne d'Arc
Nickname- The Maid Of Orléans, La Pucelle
Mother- Isabelle Romée
Father- Jacques d'Arc
Born- January 6, 1412
Died- May 30, 1431

Early Years:
Joan was born into a peasant family in France in 1412. She was never taught how to read or write, but her mother taught her about Catholicism and instilled in her a great love for religion.

At this time, the Hundred Years' War was going on and England ended up occupying much of France, including the small village of Domrémy, (these French names are impossibly to pronounce) where Joan and her family lived. Many people in the village were forced to leave their homes.

Joan began hearing voices when she was thirteen years old (schizophrenia???) and she believed that these voices were the calls of God. She thought that he was giving her a mission to save France from the English invaders and make Charles VII king. She took a vow of chastity as a symbol of this divine task.

When she was 16 her father tried to push her into an arranged marriage, but she managed to convince the court that she shouldn't be married. (Just out of curiosity, what would you do if your family tried to arrange a marriage for you?)

Orléans:
Joan began her journey in May of 1428. She visited a stronghold of those loyal to Charles, but was rejected by them at first. Nevertheless, she persisted and soon gained a small band of followers who believed she was the virgin destined to save France (there had previously been a prophecy that had stayed this would happen). When the local magistrate, Robert de Baudricourt, refused her again, she cut off her hair and dressed like a man to make the journey across enemy lands in order to reach Prince Charles' palace.

She promised Charles that she'd send him crowned king some day and asked him to give her soldiers to lead to Orléans. Many of the prince's advisors and generals told him not to do this, but he gave her an army anyways.

In March of 1429, Joan set off for Orléans, dressed in white armor and mounted upon a white horse. She sent a defiant letter to the English, letting them know she was coming, then led several battles against them. She eventually forced the English to retreat across the Loire River.

Because of this miraculous victory, word of Joan began to spread like wildfire through all of France. She and her army escorted Prince Charles through English territory and into Reims. She and her army took towns that resisted them on the way.

Charles VII became crowned king of France in July of 1429. Joan was there to see it, just as promised.

Joan pressed the new king to retake Paris, which was being held by the English, but Charles didn't take her offer. One of the men at court, Georges de La Trémoille, had told him that Joan was becoming much too powerful.

Death and Downfall:
In the spring of 1430, King Charles ordered Joan of Arc to lead an assault against the English in Compiégne. She did as he asked, and while she was defending the town and civilians, her horse threw her. The gates of the town closed before she could enter safely.

The Burgundians (fancy term for the English political allegiance formed against France during the Hundred Years' War) captured her and brought her to the castle of Bouvreuil, much to joy of the English people.

Her capture was followed by a trial, in which she was forced to answer some of the 70 charges being pressed against her. These charges included dressing like a man, horse theft, heresy, and witchcraft. The English wanted so badly to get rid of Joan and King Charles, that Charles made no attempt to save her, knowing it would only anger the French and endanger his own life and people.

She spent a year in prison until finally, in May of 1431, she signed a confession stating that she had never received a message from God. She seemed to finally be close to her release as she was offered life imprisonment over death in exchange for a confession, but a few days later she wore men's clothing again, told people her voices were back, and was arrested. It's unclear why she did this. Possibly because guards had been threatening to kill or rape her. The authorities announced that she was to be executed.

On May 30, the nineteen year old Joan was taken to Rouen and burned at the stake.

Her death only increased her fame.

Charles VII cleared her name twenty years later by ordering that a new trial be done, Pope Pius X beautified her in 1909, and Pope Benedict XV declared her a saint in 1920. There's a statue of her beside Notre Dame cathedral.

Cools facts:
• in a private audience with Charles VII, Joan managed to make a good impression on him by revealing information that only God's messenger could know. No one knows what was said during this conversation
• some historians are unsure about what her real name was: Jehanne d'Arc, Jehanne Tarc, Jehanne Romée or possibly Jehanne de Vouthon. During her trial, she called herself Jehanne la Pucelle, and stated that she didn't know her last name. Some suggest that her mother was called Isabelle de Vouthon
• many modern doctors believe she had schizophrenia or epilepsy. She heard voices when she was around 12 or 13 and these voices reportedly were more clear to her when bells were ringing. Some experts say that she suffered from some sort of neurological and psychiatric medical condition. Others say she contracted bovine tuberculosis (which can cause seizures and dementia) by drinking unpasteurized milk.
• Joan actually never actively participated in combat and never killed any of her opponents. She joined her soldiers as a sort of mascot or cheerleader, carrying banners rather than weapons. However, she did create and outline military strategies and proposed diplomatic agreements with the English
• she was wounded twice during battle. Once, she took an arrow to the shoulder during her campaign of Orléans, and during her failed takeover of Paris, she was shot in the though with a crossbow
• she was famous for her bad temper, never hesitating to chew out French soldiers and knights. She even told French noblemen that they were spineless when dealing with the English, and some say she tried to slap a Scottish soldier during her trial. She supposedly chased away the prostitutes in her soldiers' camps, possibly even hitting a few in the process. While in one of her court hearings, a clergymen asked her what languages her voices spoke and she stated that they spoke far better French than he did.
• although witchcraft was one of the charges being pressed against her, the main reason she was executed and the main charges were wearing men's clothing and claiming she could hear the voice of God.
• Joan's brothers passed off an imposter between the years of 1434-1440, convincing people that Joan had survived. Several woman posed as Joan, including a woman named Claude des Armoises. She and Joan's brothers paraded around, and Claude was presented as Joan and they stated hat she escaped her death and married a knight. People have them money and gifts and they travelled to many different locations. Claude finally admitted to Charles VII and despite their deception, they played a significant role in Joan's retrial.
• she inspired the bob haircut. Voices commanded her to wear men's clothing and ordered her to cut her hair short. She wore it this way until guards shaved her head during her imprisonment. In 1909 a hairdresser called Monsieur Antoine began cutting hair into Joan's iconic pageboy style, citing Joan as the inspiration. This look became more popular in the 1920s

Movies:
Several movies and television shows have been made about her. I haven't seen any of them though, so I don't know if any good ones to recommend.