Joan of Arc

She was a French peasant and saint canonized by the Catholic Church, considered a heroine of France for her deeds during the Hundred Years' War. She was born the daughter of Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle Romée, into a peasant family, in Domrémy in northeastern France. Joan claimed to receive divine visions from the Archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine, who instructed her to help the forces of Charles VII and liberate France from English rule. The uncrowned Charles VII sent Joan with an army to try to break the Siege of Orléans.[7] After only nine days of action, the battle ended with a favorable result for the French, and Orléans was liberated, thus elevating Joan's reputation to that of a national heroine in the eyes of the French people. A series of military victories followed for the forces of Charles VII, which allowed his coronation as king in Reims Cathedral. As a result, the morale of the French population improved, and the tide of the Hundred Years' War began to turn in favor of the French. Joan of Arc is currently one of the nine patron saints of France. She remains a popular figure in the country and worldwide, being depicted in numerous works of literature, paintings, sculptures, and other forms of art, and is a central figure in the work of several famous writers, artists, filmmakers, and composers.