Joan of Arc Acquitted of Heresy in Posthumous Retrial

Context

By the mid-15th century, France had endured decades of conflict in the Hundred Years’ War against England, with shifting alliances and contested claims to the French throne. Joan of Arc, a peasant girl from Domrémy, had rallied French forces in 1429, lifting the siege of Orléans and enabling the coronation of Charles VII at Reims. Her capture by Burgundian troops in 1430 led to her transfer to English-controlled Rouen, where she faced trial before an ecclesiastical court heavily influenced by English interests and local clergy aligned with them.

What Happened

Joan’s mother, Isabelle Romée, and her brothers petitioned for a review of the case. Pope Callixtus III authorized a formal rehabilitation trial, placing Inquisitor-General Jean Bréhal in charge. The proceedings opened on November 7, 1455, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, with sessions continuing over subsequent months as witnesses testified to the irregularities of the original trial, including coerced testimony, lack of proper defense, and the dominant role of Bishop Pierre Cauchon, who had ties to the English. On July 7, 1456, the court assembled in Rouen and issued its verdict, declaring the 1431 sentence null and void due to fraud, calumny, and errors of fact and law. A copy of the original proceedings was publicly torn and burned by the executioner.

Aftermath

The acquittal provided immediate political value to Charles VII’s regime, reinforcing the narrative of divine favor during the war’s closing stages and undermining lingering English legitimacy in France. Isabelle Romée attended the verdict, and public celebrations followed in places such as Orléans, where the inquisitor was honored at a banquet. The decision restored Joan’s reputation among her family and supporters without addressing questions of her personal sanctity or orthodoxy.

Legacy

Over the following centuries, the rehabilitation trial helped transform Joan from a condemned heretic into a symbol of French resistance and national identity. The nullification set an early precedent for later papal reviews of controversial trials and contributed to her eventual canonization by the Catholic Church in 1920. Historians continue to view the 1456 outcome as a politically motivated correction that aligned with the consolidation of French royal authority after the war.