Editing Charles VII of France (section)

===Siege of Orléans===
Political conditions in France took a decisive turn in the year 1429 just as the prospects for the Dauphin began to look hopeless. The town of [[Orléans]] had been [[Siege of Orléans|under siege]] since October 1428. The English regent, the [[John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford|Duke of Bedford]] (the uncle of [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]]), was advancing into the [[Duchy of Bar]], ruled by Charles's brother-in-law, [[René of Anjou|René]]. The French lords and soldiers loyal to Charles were becoming increasingly desperate. Then in the little village of [[Domrémy-la-Pucelle|Domrémy]], on the border of [[Lorraine (province)|Lorraine]] and [[Champagne, France|Champagne]], a teenage girl named [[Joan of Arc]] ({{Langx|fr|Jeanne d'Arc}}), demanded that the garrison commander at Vaucouleurs, [[Robert de Baudricourt]], collect the soldiers and resources necessary to bring her to the Dauphin at Chinon,{{Sfn|Vale|1974|p=[{{Google books|6qwRJs3JkNIC|pg=PA46|plainurl=yes}} 46]}} stating that visions of angels and saints had given her a divine mission. Granted an escort of five veteran soldiers and a letter of referral to Charles by Lord Baudricourt, Joan rode to see Charles at Chinon. She arrived on 23 February 1429.{{Sfn|Vale|1974|p=[{{Google books|6qwRJs3JkNIC|pg=PA46|plainurl=yes}} 46]}}

Second-hand testimony by witnesses who were not present when Joan and the Dauphin met state Charles wanted to test her claim to be able to recognise him despite never having seen him, and so he disguised himself as one of his courtiers. He stood in their midst when Joan entered the chamber in which the court was assembled. Joan identified Charles immediately. She bowed low to him and embraced his knees, declaring "God give you a happy life, sweet King!" Despite attempts to claim that another man was in fact the king, thereafter Joan referred to him as "Dauphin" or "Noble Dauphin" until he was crowned in Reims four months later. After a private conversation between the two, Charles became inspired and filled with confidence.

After her encounter with Charles in March 1429, Joan of Arc set out to lead the French forces at Orléans. She was aided by skilled commanders such as Étienne de Vignolles, known as [[La Hire]], and [[Jean Poton de Xaintrailles]]. They compelled the English to lift the siege on 8 May 1429, thus turning the tide of the war. The French won the [[Battle of Patay]] on 18 June, at which the English army present lost about half its troops. After pushing further into English and Burgundian-controlled territory, Charles was crowned King Charles VII of France in [[Reims Cathedral]] on 17 July 1429.

[[Joan of Arc|Joan]] was later captured by Burgundian troops under John of Luxembourg at the [[Siege of Compiègne]] on 24 May 1430.{{Sfn|Pernoud|Clin|1999|p=88}} The Burgundians handed her over to their English allies. Tried for [[heresy]] by a court composed of pro-English clergymen such as [[Pierre Cauchon]], who had long served under English authorities,{{Sfn|Pernoud|Clin|1999|pp=103–137, 209}} she was burnt at the stake on 30 May 1431.