The Trial of Joan of Arc

No account is more critical to our understanding of Joan of Arc than the contemporary record of her trial in 1431. Convened at Rouen and directed by Bishop Pierre Cauchon, the trial culminated in Joan's public execution for heresy. The trial record, sometimes preserving Joan's very words, unveils her life, character, visions and motives in fascinating detail. Here is one of our richest sources for the life of a medieval woman. Obscured by the passing of centuries and distorted by the lens of modern cinema, the story of the historical Joan of Arc comes vividly to life once again.