Martyr and Saint, Savior of France, National Icon, All by the Age of Nineteen
Joan of Arc was born sometime in January of 1412, the date of the sixth is traditionally mentioned. Her parents, Jacques and Isabelle, were farmers who modestly tended a fifty acre plot in the village of Domremy. This tiny town was located in a remote area of Lorraine, a region loyal to the French monarchy but surrounded by territory controlled by the Duke of Burgundy
After six months of siege and with the fate of the kingdom of France hanging in the balance, a 17 year old girl freed Orleans in just four days of fighting, destroying the English myth of invulnerability. This news spread across France and throughout Europe, proof that The Maiden was the instrument of the almighty.
Clearly, the next military objective for the French army should have been the liberation of Paris, the largest city in France and most prestigious in Europe. But, at this critical juncture, the English dangled a truce in front of Charles, who sent his court chamberlain George de la Tremoille, to negotiate with the Duke of Burgundy.
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