Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (Jehanne Darc) was important to the history of France because she was a tremendous help in the Hundred Years War. Joan of Arc was born a peasant girl in Domremy, France on January 6, 1412. Instead of attending school, she worked on the farm with her family, where she learned to sew and spin wool. Every time church bells rang, she prayed. When Joan of Arc was 13 she began hearing the voices from God. They were telling her to disguise herself as a man and join the French army to fight against England. At first she was very afraid, but she did what she was told to do because she was loyal to God and she knew it was him speaking. Joan of Arc thought she saw and heard St. Michael and St. Catherine too. In 1429 the voices told her to go see the future ruler of France, Charles VII. She convinced him that it was her divine mission to help save France. He made her talk to his priests and they decided that she was telling the truth. She was given troops to fight England and dressed as a man to lead them. Joan won many military victories over England and saved France from English rule. Her biggest victory was winning back Orleans from the English in 1429 when she was 17 years old. Joan of Arc was captured and sold to the English during a battle near Paris in 1430. They put Joan on trial because the English thought she was hearing voices from the devil and they thought she was a witch. They also thought that she was wrong to dress like a man. She was burned at the stake in 1431. In 1456, the people of France finally realized that Joan was innocent. In 1920 Joan was made a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and has been known as St. Joan of Arc ever since. St. Joan of Arc was a very caring and brave woman who helped France win the Hundred Years War.