In 1412, Joan of Arc was born to Jacques Darc and his wife Isabelle de Vouthon, in the town of Domremy, France. Her childhood was spent attending her father's herds in the fields and learning religion and housekeeping skills from her mother. At the age of twelve, she started hearing voices in her head that belonged to St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret. Joan thought that they were bringing her messages from God. These voices told her that it was her divine mission to free her country from the English and help the dauphin, or eldest son of the king, gain the French throne. They told her to cut her hair, dress in man's uniform and to pick up the arms. In 1429, the English had occupied Paris and all of France north of the Loire, which is France's longest river. This capturing was due in most part to the lack of leadership within the French. It was a total sense of hopelessness among them. Joan then convinced the captain of the dauphin, and then the dauphin himself, of her calling from a higher power. After passing an examination, she was given the title of captain. At the battle of Orleans in May of 1429, Joan led the troops to a miraculous triumph over the English. She continued fighting the English in other locations along the Loire. The fear of the troops under her leadership was so formidable that when she approached Lord Talbot's army at Patay, most of the English troops, including a commander, fled the battlefield. Even with a good portion of her troops fleeing, she still went on to win this battle, capturing the Lord and killing 1800 of his soldiers. Charles VII was then crowned king of France, and at the coronation, Joan was given a place of honor next to the king. Later, she was ennobled for her services to the country. In 1430, Joan was captured by the Burgundy forces while defending Compiegne near Paris, and then sold to the English. The English then turned her over to the court, where she would be
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