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1428October 1428 – 8 May 1429 · Orléans

Joan of Arc and the siege of Orléans

Fifteenth-century miniature of the siege of Orléans: soldiers with cannon and crossbows attack a fortified bastion
Archival image: Unknown author. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

English forces besieged Orléans, the key crossing of the Loire, from October 1428. In late April 1429 Joan of Arc, a peasant girl from Lorraine who had persuaded the dauphin Charles at Chinon to send her, entered the city with a relief convoy; within ten days the English forts fell and the siege was lifted. Charles was crowned at Reims that July, and Orléans still celebrates her every May.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Maison de Jeanne d'Arc, OrléansA rebuilt version of the house where Joan lodged, telling the story of the siege.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Orléans Cathedral (Sainte-Croix)Nineteenth-century stained glass recounting Joan's life.Map ↗
  3. Site 3: Royal fortress of ChinonThe castle where Joan first met the dauphin in March 1429.Map ↗

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