Joan of Arc (January 6, 1412-May 30, 1431) was a French heroine, military strategist, and Catholic saint (women were called saint). During the Hundred Years War between Britain and France (1337 - 1453), she led an army of French civilians to resist the British invasion, and was eventually captured and executed.

Joan was originally an ordinary little girl born in Domémie, a rural village in Dulumy, on the border between Champagne and Lorraine in France. At that time, northern France was occupied by the British, which in turn allied with the Duchy of Burgundy. At that time, Domémie belonged to the territory of the Duke of Barre, a member of the pro-British-Burgundy Alliance.

She claimed that one day when she was sixteen years old, she met the angels St. Michael and St. Maguelides under a big tree behind the village, and received "divine inspiration" asking her to lead troops to recover the lost French territory occupied by the British at that time. Later, she made several changes and gained military power. In 1429, she relieved the siege of Orleans and led her troops to defeat the British invaders many times. It also facilitated the coronation of Charles VII, who had the right to succeed to the throne, on July 16 of the same year. However, Joan of Arc was captured by the Duchy of Burgundy at the Battle of Compiegne in 1430. She was soon purchased by the British at a large amount of money. She was sentenced to death at the stake by the Inquisition under the control of the British authorities for heresy and witchcraft. She was publicly executed in Rouen, France on May 30, 1431. She was rehabilitated by the Inquisition led by Charles VII in 1456 and was canonized by the Pope in 1920.

On the Epiphany in 1412 AD, Joan of Arc was born in the small village of Dauremy in Champagne, France. Her father made a living in farming, and her mother was kind and raised her five children. Joan learned housework such as sewing and spinning since childhood. She said: "In sewing and spinning, she will never be worse than any woman.¡»

Joan of Arc loved chanting scriptures and praying since childhood, frequently received Holy Communion, and collected flowers for the temple. Waiting on patients and providing food and accommodation to poor tourists, Joan was a very kind child and the whole village liked her.

In Joan's childhood, her family life was very happy. Unfortunately, the situation in the country became worse and worse day by day. King Henry V of England invaded and occupied Normandy in an attempt to overthrow the throne of King Charles VI. At that time, there was a civil war between the King and Duke of Pu Gongtian. The Duke was assassinated, and the people of Pugongtian allied with the British army and united in resisting the French King.

The two kings of England and France died one after another, and the British Duke of Beaufort continued to fight against the French army as regent. The French army was defeated and major cities fell one after another. Charles VII, the new king of France (who had not yet been crowned at that time), saw that the situation was over, and his plan to drink alcohol every day and regain his lost territory had long been forgotten.

When Joan was 14 years old, she began to receive transcendental enlightenment. At first, what she heard was a voice talking to her nearby; what her eyes saw was a strange light. Later, there were more and more sounds, and gradually, she could distinguish the face of the person who appeared. Among them were St. Michael, St. Gallina, St. Magalita and other saints. Now she began to realize that an arduous and great task awaited her; she, a farm girl, had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of resisting strong enemies and defending the country. She no longer hesitated and went to Huaguliu City to pay an audience with General Balingu. When the general saw the village girl's big words, he laughed them off.

At that time, the French army was at the end of its tether. Orleans, France's last fortress, was heavily surrounded by the British and could fall at any time. As soon as Joan of Arc returned to Doremy, a magical voice urged her to go to Orleans to command the army in battle. Joan said: "I am a weak woman who cannot ride or use weapons. How can I command an army? "Qi Sheng said to her," It is not you who are commanding the war, but God." "So Joan went to see General Balingu again. The last time Joan met with Balincourt, she predicted that the French army would suffer a major defeat. This prediction has been completely fulfilled. So this time Balincu was impressed by Joan and sent three warriors to escort Joan to the king's compound. Joan of Arc changed into men's clothes, and a party of four arrived at the king's quarters on March 6, 1429. On the day of the audience, the king deliberately adapted himself and mixed himself among the ministers, but Joan recognized him at a glance. The magical voice told Joan of Arc a secret in Charlie's heart. Only Charlie knew about it. Now that Joan had revealed it in one word, he couldn't help but admire him very much and believe that Joan was a special envoy of God. Joan asked Charlie to send an army to lead her to Orleans to relieve the siege. All the ministers of the court expressed opposition to this plan. They suspected that the village girl might be mentally abnormal and asked a theological expert to review whether Joan's words were credible.

After three weeks of detailed review, the theologians agreed that Joan's words were credible and recommended that the king adopt them. An army was quickly organized and ready, with a specially made flag with the two holy names "Jesus and Mary" written on it, and another painting with the holy face of the Holy Father, with two gods kneeling and holding lilies.

The army set out from Boroy on April 27 and arrived in Orleans two days later (April 29). Before May 8, the British fortresses surrounding Orleans were conquered one after another, and Joan herself was injured by an arrow. Joan of Arc had predicted all these things beforehand, and they would come true one by one. Joan took advantage of the victory to pursue the enemy and destroy the main force of the enemy. The road to Rice has been fully opened. Joan urged King Charles to come to Les for his coronation.

On July 17, 1429, Charles was crowned at Les. At her coronation, Joan of Arc stood next to the king holding the military flag. Her task has now been completed.

The war is temporarily in a stalemate. In May 1430, the war resumed, and the people of Pugongtian launched an offensive. Gongbi Aicheng was in emergency, and Joan of Arc led his army to reinforce. On May 23, the two armies began to fight, and Joan returned to the city with a small number of soldiers. Unexpectedly, the suspension bridge outside the city gate had been removed, and the enemy quickly surrounded her. Joan was alone and surrendered without a fight. When the ingratitude Charlie learned that Joan of Arc had been captured, he did not think of any way to save her. The people of Pugongtian handed Joan of Arc over to the British army. Prisoners of war could not be sentenced, so they accused Joan of witchcraft.

Two days before Christmas, Joan of Arc went to Luhong. She was locked in a small room, locked with chains, guarded by soldiers day and night. On February 21, 1431, the trial began, and the judge repeatedly questioned the nature of the magical voice and attempted to frame the accusation and sentence Joan of Arc to death. Joan of Arc was an illiterate village girl, but she was able to fight against scholars and refute the judges. speechless.

As a result of the trial, the court convicted Joan of heresy. If she refuses to repent, she shall refer it to the administrative authority and be dealt with in accordance with the law. Joan firmly denied that she had committed a heresy, and of course her confession was rejected. She claimed in prison that she was sent by God and that the magical voice came from heaven. All this was true.

On May 29, 1431, the judge ruled that Joan of Arc was transferred to the administrative authorities. At 8 o'clock on the morning of the 30th, Joan was sent to the execution ground. Joan of Arc was calm and brave in the execution ground, and when people saw it, they were moved to tears. When the firewood was lit, a Dominican came forward and held a cross high. The flames rose fiercely and surrounded the saint's body. People heard her chanting the holy name of Jesus. The ruthless flame swallowed this loyal and passionate woman, and a strand of fragrant soul soared to heaven.

Joan of Arc died when she was less than 20 years old. Her ashes were thrown in the Seine River. But at that time, there were many people present who expressed sympathy for the Holy Maiden. These people were represented by King Henry's secretary Dysa: "We have been in trouble, we have killed a saint."¡»

Twenty-three years later, Joan's mother and brother applied to review Joan's case. In 1456, the Pope ordered the organization of a committee to conduct a review. The results of the review were unanimously recognized that Joan was indeed innocent, and the so-called heresy charges were all fabricated. On May 16, 1920, Joan of Arc was honored as a saint.

At the Joan of Arc Festival in Reims, France, people dressed up as various images of people living in France during the Middle Ages to commemorate this hero in history and their ancestors. It is said that more than 2000 people participate in this kind of makeup parade every year. Looking at this long parade of makeup, you seem to have traveled through a time tunnel and arrived in medieval France. In this land, Gauls, Romans, Franks, Burgundies, Goths, Vandals, etc. all left their mark. For those who are visiting and participating in this festival for the first time, it is really dazzling to see this unique style of figure spanning different historical periods.