Who was Joan of Arc, really?

Heroine, martyr, and saint, Joan of Arc has been an incarnation of French national identity and pride for six centuries. Known as the Maid of Orléans for her role in the defeat of the English in 1429, Joan of Arc was later executed by her enemies for heresy. She was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint more than 500 years later, and remains one of France's most revered and celebrated figures. Indeed, her death on May 30, 1431 is commemorated annually as a national feast day. But who was Joan of Arc, and why is her life so ingrained in the country's national psyche?

Click through and find out more about the Maid of Orléans.

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