IN THE EARLY 15TH CENTURY the French finally defeated the English, who ruled much of their country. The warrior who led them into battle was a woman who has since become one of the best-loved heroines of French history. Joan of Arc was born into a poor family in 1412. She never learned to read or write, but she was inspired and stubborn and could argue with educated people. When Joan was a young girl, she heard "voices" of saints and angels. The voices told her that she must restore the rightful king to the throne of France. Joan managed to convince the heir to the throne, later to be Charles VII, to support her, and in 1429, when she was only 17, she led the French army to victory at Orléans. Joan led her country's troops in other successful battles, but in 1430 she was caught by the Burgundians, a powerful group of the French people. They sold her to the English, who imprisoned her and then put her on trial as a heretic - a person who does not believe in the teachings of the Church. Joan was found guilty, and on May 30, 1431, she was executed in Rouen by being burned alive. A crowd of people watched Joan being burned to death. As the flames rose she begged for a cross, and a priest held up the crucifix from the altar of a nearby church. After her death the English were driven out of France, and Joan's reputation as a heroine grew. Legends grew up about Joan and in 1920 she was made a saint.
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