Giovanna d'Arco's 1431 Execution Remembered on Artspecialday

On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc (Giovanna d'Arco), known as the Maid of Orleans, was burned at the stake in Rouen after being convicted of heresy and impiety by an ecclesiastical court. Born on January 6, 1412, to a peasant family in Lorraine, she was illiterate but claimed divine voices called her to lead the French army during the Hundred Years' War. In spring 1429, she lifted the siege of Orleans, and in July 1429, Charles VII was crowned king, though he failed to support her. Captured by the English in 1430 near Compiègne, she was handed over to church authorities. Her trial ended with execution on May 30, 1431. She was canonized in 1920. The article reflects on her legacy and the ignorance of her time, contrasting it with modern society.