Le 8 mai 1429, les Anglais lèvent le siège d'Orléans après que Jeanne d'Arc soit montée à l'assaut de leurs défenses. C'est le premier succès de celle qui sera plus tard surnommée la Pucelle d'Orléans (pucelle au sens ancien de jeune fille).
Un enjeu stratégique
Cité importante et bien défendue par près de 3kilomètres de remparts, Orléans est un enjeu stratégique entre les possessions anglaises et celles du dauphin Charles.Elle tient un pont unique sur la Loire, défendu par la bastide des Tourelles.Mais les Anglo-Bourguignons, réunissant toutes leurs forces disponibles, attaquent ladite bastille et s'en emparent le 24octobre 1428.Dès lors commence le siège de la ville.
Les Anglais et leurs alliés bourguignons, au nombre de quelques milliers au total, sont trop peu nombreux pour encercler complètement la ville.Ils se contentent de la ceinturer avec une douzaine de bastilles plus ou moins solides. Malgré cela, la capitulation d'Orléans semble n'être plus qu'une question de jours et risque d'anéantir les dernières chances de Charles VII et de la dynastie des Valois.
C'est alors qu'intervient Jeanne d'Arc, missionnée par le roi.Quand elle se présente en avril 1429 devant les chefs de l'armée royale dans son armure de capitaine avec la prétention de libérer Orléans, ceux-ci la tournent d'abord en dérision. Mais son énergie et sa foi ont vite fait de lui rallier ces énergiques capitaines.
Orléans accueille Jeanne
Le 29 avril, la Pucelle fait entrer son armée dans la ville en évitant les Anglais et défile avec le Bâtard d'Orléans, qui défend la cité depuis plusieurs mois.
Après plusieurs sorties à la tête de ses troupes, elle oblige l'ennemi à s'enfermer dans les bastilles qui ceinturent la ville. Les assiégeants deviennent, à leur tour, assiégés.Sans relations entre eux, ils ont le plus grand mal à se soutenir les uns les autres. Les troupes du Dauphin décident d'attaquer l'une après l'autre ces bastilles.
Le 7mai, au petit matin, après la messe habituelle, Jeanne et ses troupes se lancent à l'attaque de la dernière bastille, les Tourelles. La Pucelle paye de sa personne en montant elle-même à l'assaut des murs. Elle est blessée d'une flèche à l'épaule, ce qui la fait s'évanouir et pleurer. Quand le soir tombe, les assaillants français sont épuisés et le Bâtard d'Orléans s'apprête à donner le signal de la retraite.
Jeanne, qui s'est retirée à l'écart pour se reposer et prier, voit cela. Elle agite sa bannière, donnant le signal d'un ultime assaut. Le capitaine anglais Glasdale, qui commande la bastille, tombe des murailles et se noie dans le fleuve. La bastille est prise. Les liaisons sont rétablies entre Orléans et le sud de la Loire.
Le lendemain, l'armée anglaise se met en ordre de bataille dans la plaine. Mais Jeanne refuse le combat car ce jour est un dimanche. Le capitaine John Talbot, qui commande l'armée anglaise, comprend qu'il n'a plus rien à gagner s'il reste là. Il lève le siège et se retire. Succès sur toute la ligne.
Publié ou mis à jour le : 2021-11-27 19:46:15
FAQs
By 1428, England controlled much of France, and the French king no longer ruled. So Joan persuaded a local government leader to escort her through English-held territory to meet with and convince King Charles VII to let her lead his armies and help him regain the throne.
What happened to Joan of Arc on May 7, 1429? ›
7th May, 1429 AD– Joan of Arc ended the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning, wounded, to lead the final charge. The victory marked a turning point in the Hundred Years' War between France and England.
Who won the Battle of Orleans in 1429? ›
What city did Joan of Arc fail to capture in 1429? ›
Convinced of her devotion and purity, Charles sent Joan, who was about seventeen years old, to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief army. She arrived at the city in April 1429, wielding her banner and bringing hope to the demoralized French army. Nine days after her arrival, the English abandoned the siege.
How did Joan change her appearance in 1428? ›
When Baudricort relented, Joan cropped her hair and dressed in men's clothes to make the 11-day journey across enemy territory to Chinon, site of the crown prince's palace.
What happened in 1429? ›
May 8 – The English, weakened by disease and lack of supplies, depart Orléans. June 18 – Battle of Patay: French forces under Joan of Arc smash the English forces under Lord Talbot and Sir John Fastolf, forcing the withdrawal of the English from the Loire Valley. July 17 – Charles VII of France is crowned in Rheims.
Did Joan of Arc marry? ›
Joan of Arc went on to live a modest life as a musician in the court of King Charles, and through royal proximity, gained the necessary titles to mother three sons who would go on to become a pope, a king, and an emperor, though she never married.
Who won the 100 Years' War? ›
The Hundred Years' War was a prolonged back and forth of victory between the English and French. The war was eventually won by the French at the Battle of Castillon in 1453. This was largely due to the French use of guns against the English.
Is Joan of Arc real? ›
Why is St. Joan of Arc famous? St. Joan of Arc is a national heroine of France. She was a peasant girl who, believing that she was acting under divine guidance, led the French army in a momentous victory at Orléans in 1429 that repulsed an English attempt to conquer France during the Hundred Years' War.
What did Joan of Arc look like? ›
We know that she was about five foot two in height, thickly made, muscular, and very strong. Her eyes were far apart, and somewhat prominent. Her hair was black. She was reasonably good-looking, but by no means pretty.
The succession of conflicts known as the Hundred Years War ended on October 19th, 1453, when Bordeaux surrendered, leaving Calais as the last English possession in France.
Was Joan of Arc poor? ›
Early life. Joan of Arc is estimated to have been born in 1412 to a poor family in Domremy, a French region that had suffered from the long conflict between England and France, according to Biography Online.
What crime was Joan charged with? ›
But a series of missteps, including her failure to liberate Paris followed, and on May 23, 1430, she was captured by the Duke of Burgundy's men, jailed for more than a year and put on trial for charges including heresy, witchcraft and violating divine law for dressing like a man.
Was Joan of Arc found innocent? ›
On July 7, 1456, Joan was proclaimed innocent of the charges brought against her, and the trial which resulted in Joan of Arc's death was annulled. She was subsequently declared a martyr.
On what day was Joan of Arc put to death? ›
On May 30, 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The Hundred Years' War waged on until 1453, with the French finally beating back the English invaders. In 1450, Joan's guilty verdict was overturned by a Rehabilitation Trial ordered by Charles VII.
What happened in 1453 in the Hundred Years' War? ›
The Battle of Castillon (1453) was the final major engagement of the Hundred Years' War, but France and England remained formally at war until the Treaty of Picquigny in 1475.
What major events happened in Joan of Arc's life? ›
Key events during the life of Joan of Arc:
| Year | Event |
|---|
| 1424 | Experienced her first of many visions of the saints |
| 1429 | Led an assault on the main English stronghold, won the battle for France |
| 1429 | Charles VII was coronated at Reims |
| 1430 | Captured by Burgundian troops, later purchased by the English |
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