Joan of, generally called the Maid of Orleans, one of the most famed heroines in the annals of history, was born about the beginning of the 15th century at Domremy, near Vaucouleurs in Lorraine, where her father, a peasant, named James d'Arc, resided. When she was able in the least degree to earn a sustenance for herself, her parents, who were but poor, put her to service at a small inn, where she... formed several offices, more properly belonging to the other sex, such as riding the horses to water without a saddle, and attending them in the fields, and many other similar services, which greatly displayed her masculine habit of body. At the time when Charles VII. was reduced to a very low condition, and the greatest part of his country had been overrun by the English, Joan, probably then at the age of 27 or 28, imagined that she saw several visions, and that in one of these she was commanded by St Michael, to go immediately to the relief of Orleans, at that time closely besieged by the English army, and then to procure the consecration of the king at Rheims. In February 1429, her parents took her to the governor of Vaucouleurs, named Baudricourt, who at first held her pretended inspiration to be no more than an idle tale, and treated it with the contempt such a thing would have deserved; but at last induced by her entreaties, he sent her to Chinon, where the king then was, in order that she might be introduced to him. Charles, whether it proceeded from earnest or not, in order to find her, determined to present her to a company of his nobles, where no mark of dignity tended to distinguish him from them; and, it is asserted, that she immediately recognized him, and informed him of secrets which he had endeavoured to conceal from every person. She boldly engaged to accomplish the two objects of her mission, and required that they should arm her with a consecrated sword, which lay in the church of St Catherine of Pierbois; and although she had never seen it, she accurately described every particular concerning it. The manner in which she acted inspired many with confidence; and certain doctors of the church were appointed to inspect into the nature of her inspiration, and matrons to give proofs of her virginity. The report which they gave was very favourable; but being next put into the hands of the parliament, they treated her as frantic, and demanded that she should show them a miracle. She answered, that although she had not any at that time to present, she would soon accomplish one at Orleans. At length being fully armed and mounted, she was sent to Orleans along with the army destined for its relief. By displaying a consecrated banner, she soon cleared the camp of intemperance; and by her whole deportment, animated the soldiers by her exemplary enthusiasm. Entering Orleans, she introduced a convoy, and boldly attacking the English in their forts, she routed them with great slaughter, and struck them with such a panic that they were even obliged to raise the siege with great precipitation. The dignity of a superior mind and a brave heroism reigned through all her actions. Various other successes followed in a short time, and the dismayed English everywhere fled before the hand of a conquering enemy, whom they had but lately concerned. Joan now thinking it proper to perform her other promise of crowning the king at Rheims, proceeded with him through the kingdom, in order to receive submission of the towns as he marched, which he did without any opposition. Arriving at Rheims, the keys of the city were delivered to him, and entering the town, he was anointed and crowned with the holy oil of Clovis, Joan standing by his side in full armour, and displaying her consecrated banner. Charles filled with gratitude for her important services, ennobled her family, and conferred upon it the title of the Syr, with a conformable estate in land. The two objects of her mission being now accomplished, Joan prepared to retire into the country; but Dunois, the general, being sensible of her importance on account of her pretended inspiration, endeavoured to persuade her to remain in arms until the English should be fully driven from the country; which by his persuasions he effected. Advised by him, she cast herself into Compeigne, then closely besieged by the English and the duke of Burgundy. Having there made a fall upon the enemy, she drove them from their entrenchments; but being barely deserted by her followers, she was taken prisoner. Upon her capture, the English enjoyed a malignant gratification, and resolved to show her no mercy on account of the change she had occasioned in their affairs. The duke of Bedford, the regent, having ransomed her from the captors, appointed a criminal prosecution against her upon the charges of employing sorcery and magic, and of being impious. He was joined in the accusation by the clergy, and by the university of Paris. She was carried in irons before an ecclesiastical commission at Rouen, where several capricious interrogatories were put to her during a trial of about four months, to which she answered with steadfastness and gravity. Among several other questions, she was interrogated why she had affixed at the coronation of Charles with her standard in her hand. She boldly replied, "Because the person who shared in the danger, had a right to share in the glory." Her defence was not so strong concerning her pretended inspiration and visions, which were the most dangerous points of the attack. She appealed to the pope upon being accused of these grounds of impiety and heresy; but her appeal was not allowed. At length she was condemned of being a blasphemer and forcer, and accordingly delivered over to the power of the civil magistrate. A view of the dreadful punishment that awaited her, at last overpowered her resolution; and she endeavoured to escape it, by making a disavowal of her pretended revelations, and a full renunciation of her errors. Her sentence was then changed into perpetual imprisonment, but this punishment did not assuage the fury of her barbarous enemies. They craftily laid a man's dress in her chamber, and she, induced by the sight of an apparel in which she had gained so much honour, put it on; and upon being discovered, her enemies condemned her to the stake, interpreting the action into a relapse of heresy. She suffered her punishment in June 1431, at the market-place of Rouen, with great firmness; and even the English themselves beheld the scene with tears. Her death will forever cast an indelible stigma on the character of her cruel prosecutors. Charles did nothing towards avenging her cause; but ten years afterwards, contented himself with procuring the restoration of her memory by the pope, and a reverberation of the process. She was styled in that act, a "martyr to her religion, her country, and her king." In their enthusiastic admiration, her countrymen were not slow in honouring her memory. Many marvellous stories were related by them concerning her death. Some supposed that she was not actually dead, and continually expected, that, as formerly, she would come, and at their head lead them on to victory. A consist- ent and uniform judgment respecting the actions and adverses of this personage cannot be made by politery. That she gave herself up to the influence of a heated fancy, and that she was confident in the idea of her divine inspiration, and that this notion was so improved by certain favourites of Charles, as to excite the emo- tions of the public, seems to be the most probable sup- position. That the appearance of the Maid of Or- leans tended to give a decisive turn to the contest be- tween the English and the French, has never in the least been questioned.

The praise and exploits of this noble heroine have formed the subject of various works both in prose and verse. In verse, that of Voltaire is very licentious and burlesque, and is an injury to her memory; but it has in a great degree been repaired by that most spi- rited and sublime poem of Southey, in English, which represents her in the most lively and striking colours of heroism and virtue; and by that of Chapelain, although it did not meet with such success. (Gen. Biog.)