Background and Context
Joan of Arc entered history in spectacular fashion during the spring of 1429. In obedience to what she claimed was the command of God, Joan led the Dauphin's armies in a series of stunning military victories which resulted in reversing the course of the Hundred Years' War.
However, a series of military setbacks eventually led to her capture. First, there was a reversal before the gates of Paris in September of that same year. Then in the Spring of 1430, she was captured in a minor action near Compiègne by the Burgundians, a faction led by the Duke of Burgundy who was allied with the English.
The French King, Charles VII, failed to ransom her from the Burgundians who then delivered her to the English in exchange for a large sum of money. In December of that same year, she was transferred to Rouen, the military headquarters and administrative capital in France of King Henry VI of England, and placed on trial for heresy before a Church court headed by Bishop Pierre Cauchon, a supporter of the English.
Read more about this topic: Trial Of Joan Of Arc
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