Joan of Arc Enters Besieged Orléans

Context

By the late 1420s the Hundred Years’ War had entered a phase of English dominance in northern France. English armies, allied with the Burgundians, controlled Paris and much of the Loire valley after the Treaty of Troyes had disinherited the French dauphin in favor of the young English king Henry VI. The uncrowned Charles VII, derided by opponents as the “King of Bourges,” held only scattered territories south of the Loire and faced repeated military setbacks that undermined his legitimacy.

What Happened

In early 1429 Joan, a peasant girl from Domrémy who reported visions from saints directing her to aid the dauphin, reached Charles at Chinon. After examination by royal officials and theologians, she received a small escort and joined a supply convoy assembling at Blois. The convoy took a southern route along the Loire to avoid English strongpoints. On 29 April a French sortie on the western side of Orléans distracted the besiegers while Joan, accompanied by a handful of men, crossed the river and entered the city through the eastern gate in the evening. She was greeted by the garrison commander Jean de Dunois, known as the Bastard of Orléans, and by cheering crowds. Joan immediately oversaw the distribution of grain and wages to the defenders.

Aftermath

Her presence quickly raised spirits among the weary garrison and citizens. Over the following week Joan participated in several skirmishes, urging aggressive action against the English bastilles surrounding the city. English forces abandoned the siege on 8 May and withdrew northward. The relief allowed French commanders to launch the Loire Campaign, a string of victories that cleared English garrisons from the region.

Legacy

The successful defense of Orléans marked the first major French success in years and restored confidence in Charles VII’s cause. It paved the way for his coronation at Reims in July 1429, a ceremony in which Joan stood at his side. Historians view the episode as a turning point that transformed a defensive struggle into an offensive that ultimately contributed to the expulsion of English forces from most of France by the mid-fifteenth century. Joan herself became a lasting emblem of French resilience and has been venerated as a national heroine and, since 1920, a Catholic saint.