90 Miles From Tyranny : This Day In History - May 30, 1431: Joan Of Arc Is Burned At The Stake

Saturday, May 30, 2026

This Day In History - May 30, 1431: Joan Of Arc Is Burned At The Stake

Convicted of heresy, Joan of Arc was made to stare at a crucifix as she was burned to death.

French warrior Joan of Arc is burned at the stake in Rouen, France at the age of just 19. After allegedly receiving “divine instruction” to help Charles d’Orleans take the French throne, Joan of Arc joined his campaign against the English. But after serving valiantly in battle, she was captured and found guilty of heresy for claiming to receive direct instructions from God.

The trial of Joan of Arc, a French military leader under Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War, began on 9 January 1431 and ended with her execution on 30 May.[1] The trial is one of the most famous in history, becoming the subject of many books and films.

Joan of Arc is interrogated by The Cardinal of Winchester in her prison, 1431. Painting by Paul Delaroche (1797–1856),

Joan was captured during the siege of Compiègne in 1430 by Burgundian forces and subsequently sold to their English allies. She was prosecuted by a pro-English ecclesiastical court at Rouen in 1431. The court found her guilty of heresy and she was burned at the stake. The verdict was later nullified at a rehabilitation trial, which was overseen by the inquisitor general Jean Bréhal in 1456. Considered a French national heroine, Joan was declared a saint by the Catholic Church in 1920.