Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orléans (1429): The Turning of the Tide

By the autumn of 1428, the long shadow of the Hundred Years' War had stretched across France for generations. Following the catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Agincourt over a decade prior, the French cause seemed all but lost.

The English and their Burgundian allies controlled vast swathes of the kingdom, including the capital, Paris. The beleaguered Dauphin, Charles VII, held a fragile court south of the Loire River, his claim to the throne hanging by a thread.

Joan of Arc - John Everett Millais

It was against this backdrop of despair that the Siege of Orléans began. The city was the final major stronghold loyal to Charles, a crucial gateway blocking the English advance into the heart of what remained of France. Its fall would have been a death knell for French sovereignty.

For five grueling months, since October 1428, its defenders endured. But by the spring, supplies and hope were running perilously thin. The fate of a nation hung in the balance.

Joan’s Arrival: Birth of a Legend

Meanwhile, in the remote eastern village of Domrémy, a different kind of force was gathering—one that would irrevocably alter the war's trajectory. From the age of thirteen, a young peasant girl named Joan had been hearing voices she attributed to Saints Michael, Catherine, and Margaret. These visions delivered a divine mandate: she was to lift the siege of Orléans and see the Dauphin crowned as the rightful King of France.

Her initial attempts to gain support were met with understandable skepticism, but her unwavering conviction eventually persuaded the local garrison captain, Robert de Baudricourt, in Vaucouleurs. Provided with an escort and men’s clothing for protection, she embarked on the perilous journey through hostile territory to the Dauphin’s court at Chinon.

Joan of Arc entering Orléans (1843)

Her arrival there was a spectacle. Charles, wary of impostors and political traps, tested her. Yet Joan reportedly identified him immediately despite his attempt to blend in with his courtiers—a moment that struck a chord of belief in the skeptical prince. After rigorous theological examinations by clerics in Poitiers, who found nothing heretical but much that was extraordinary, she was cleared to accompany a relief army to Orléans.

Her presence was transformative. Clad in white armor and carrying a banner adorned with fleurs-de-lis and the names of Jesus and Mary, she was a figure unlike any the weary French soldiers had seen. She arrived at the city on April 29, 1429, not as a warrior herself, but as a unifying symbol and a tactical mind. Joan insisted on a direct assault through the English-blockaded Burgundy Gate, which somehow succeeded in delivering vital supplies.

Her mere presence electrified the garrison and citizens alike. She dismissed the camp followers, encouraged the soldiers to confess their sins, and brought a renewed sense of purpose and divine favor to a cause on the verge of collapse. The demoralized French troops, who had grown accustomed to defeat, were suddenly infused with a fierce, almost inexplicable confidence.

This was the true birth of the legend of the Maid of Orléans. The momentum she generated was so immediate and powerful that just nine days after her arrival, the impossible was achieved. On May 8, 1429, the English—bewildered and demoralized by this unexpected turn of events—withdrew from their fortified positions, ending the siege. It was a stunning reversal that seemed to defy all conventional military logic.

The Siege of Orléans Lifted: Tactics & Turning Point

The lifting of the siege was not a single miraculous event but a series of sharp, brutal actions masterfully executed. Joan’s arrival had provided the spark, but it was the French commanders' willingness to heed her aggressive counsel that changed their tactics from a cautious defense to an audacious attack.

The initial strategy focused on the English strongholds on the south bank of the Loire, which controlled access to the vital bridge into the city. The first major objective was the Bastille of Saint-Loup, captured in a fierce assault on May 4th. This first victory, achieved while Joan briefly rested, served as a potent proof of concept, demonstrating that the English positions were not invincible.

Joan of Arc at the Siege of Orléans by Jules Eugène Lenepveu, painted 1886-1890

The true crucible of the battle, however, was the twin fortified works of the Augustins and the Tourelles. The assault on these formidable structures began on May 6th. The fighting was savage and exhausting, lasting through the night and into the next day.

At a critical juncture, as French troops faltered under a hail of English arrows and were ordered to retreat, Joan stepped into the breach. Despite suffering a crossbow bolt wound to her shoulder, she refused to leave the field. Her presence became the rallying point. She planted her banner and urged the soldiers onward, her refusal to yield transforming their retreat into a renewed and desperate charge.

This moment, more than any other, turned the tide. The French soldiers, inspired by her sheer tenacity, swarmed the defenses and finally seized the Tourelles.

The fall of the Tourelles broke the English grip on the bridge and shattered their strategic advantage. On the morning of May 8th, 1429, the English army—now leaderless after the death of their commanding officer, the Earl of Salisbury, and utterly demoralized—marched out of their remaining fortifications and formed up in battle array.

Yet, in a stunning silent standoff that lasted for hours, the French, confident behind their walls, simply watched. The English, expecting an attack that never came, realized their position was hopeless and finally turned to retreat.

This was the undeniable turning point of the Hundred Years' War. The aura of English invincibility was broken, and for the first time in a generation, a victorious French army held the field—its belief in itself restored by the unwavering faith of a peasant girl.

Aftermath & Momentum: The Loire Campaign and Coronation

Buoyed by this unprecedented victory at Orléans, the French military command seized the initiative with a ferocity that had been absent for decades. The break in the siege was not an end but a beginning—the catalyst for what historians would term the Loire Campaign. With the Maid of Orléans now a central figure in both strategy and morale, the French army moved swiftly to clear the region of English strongholds and secure Charles's path to legitimacy.

The first target was Jargeau, which fell after a brutal assault on June 12th, where Joan herself was nearly struck by a stone that shattered her helmet. Days later, the bridges at Meung-sur-Loire and Beaugency were captured, systematically cutting off English supply lines and isolating their forces.

Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII (1854). Louvre, Paris

The climax of this campaign came on June 18th at the Battle of Patay. Here, the French vanguard caught a retreating English army under renowned commanders John Fastolf and Lord Talbot in open country. Unlike the defensive slaughters of Agincourt or Crécy, Patay was a swift and decisive French offensive. Their heavy cavalry smashed into the English before they could establish their iconic defensive palisades of sharpened stakes, leading to a rout.

Talbot was captured, and Fastolf fled—a humiliation that shattered the backbone of English military power in the region. The road to Reims, the traditional coronation city, was now open.

This was the ultimate fruit of the victory at Orléans: not just a city saved, but a king made. On July 17, 1429, in the cathedral of Reims, Charles VII was crowned King of France. Joan of Arc stood proudly beside him, her banner in hand, her divine mission to see the Dauphin crowned now fulfilled.

This moment was a potent political and psychological masterstroke. It transformed Charles from a disputed claimant into a consecrated monarch in the eyes of all France—a crucial step in ultimately unifying the fractured nation against its invaders.

Legacy & Commemoration: Memory Through the Centuries

The story of Joan of Arc did not end with the coronation at Reims, nor even with her tragic capture and execution by the English in 1431. In many ways, it was just the beginning. Her legacy, cemented by her pivotal role in the Siege of Orléans in 1429, has only grown more potent through the centuries, transforming her from a military figure into a global icon.

The Arrest of Joan of Arc, circa 1835, by Adèle Martin

The city she saved has never forgotten its liberator. Each year, Orléans hosts a magnificent festival in her honor, a multi-day celebration that is one of the oldest and most vibrant in France. This is not a somber historical reenactment but a living, breathing tradition where the city erupts in medieval markets, parades, and religious processions, culminating in a triumphant portrayal of Joan on horseback through streets packed with cheering citizens. It is a powerful fusion of deep historical memory and contemporary civic pride.

Beyond the annual pomp, her tangible presence is felt in exhibits worldwide, such as the British Library's display of her only known surviving signed letter—a fragile piece of parchment from 1429 that provides a direct, haunting link to the young woman behind the myth.

Her journey from a peasant girl to a commander who altered the course of a war has made her an enduring symbol of conviction and empowerment, claimed by causes across the political and social spectrum. She is a national heroine in France, a Catholic saint canonized in 1920, and a feminist icon who shattered medieval gender roles.

The Joan of Arc and Siege of Orléans story represents that rare moment in history where faith, nationalism, and individual courage collided to change destiny. Her story resonates because it is fundamentally human—a testament to the unbelievable power of unshakeable belief, a quality that continues to inspire long after the battles of the Hundred Years' War faded into history.