May
23
/ 2025
On May 23, 1430, the most legendary figure of medieval Europe was captured during a failed sortie outside Compiègne. Joan of Arc - peasant girl, seer, soldier, saint, was seized by Burgundian soldiers and sold to her enemies. But why did this happen? And how did things change when the flame of France’s miracle maiden was quenched in chains? To understand the impact of Joan’s capture, we must begin with the war that shaped her destiny: the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) - a series of campaigns, truces, and betrayals between the Kingdoms of France and England. It stemmed from a dynastic dispute: Edward III of England claimed the French throne through his mother, a French princess. But the French upheld
