Customer center

We are a boutique essay service, not a mass production custom writing factory. Let us create a perfect paper for you today!

Example research essay topic: Joan Of Arc Burning At The Stake - 1,229 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

Joan of Arc or in French Jeanne d Arc, was born in 1412. She was a French peasant girl who led the French army against the English during the Hundred Years War. She is also called the Maid of Orleans. She is a French national heroine and patron saint. When Joan was about 13 years old she began to hear voices which some believe were those of Saint Catherine, Saint Margaret, and Saint Michael. The voices gave her the mission of liberating France from English domination.

She kept the messages secret for about 5 years, and only in 1429 did she leave her home in Domremy, Champagne, and travel with an escort to the court of the dauphin which was supposedly to be that of King Charles VII. The Treaty of Troyes of 1420 was had deprived King Charles of his rights as heir to the French throne. At that time the English were besieging Orleans. After a group of theologians tested her, Charles was persuaded to reassemble his troops and place them under Joan's command in an expedition to relieve the city. In 8 days during May 1429, she lifted the siege that had lain on Orleans for 8 months. In June 1429, Joan and her troops were able to free the French and consequently king Charles was coroneted.

After Charles became king, he and Joan disagreed on the future regarding the English and their allies and the Burgundians. Charles VII wanted to negotiate territorial boundaries but Joan wanted to continue fighting. Joan of arc lost some battles and was consequently captured in the spring of 1430. She was captured at Compiengne.

The town of Compiengne was guarded by a wall and a moat with a drawbridge being the only access into the town. Joan remained fighting outside the city walls while the drawbridge was withdrawn so as to protect the city and the people. So while most of the townspeople were safely inside the walls of Compiengne, Joan remained outside the walls, fighting and losing the battle. She was captured by the Burgundians on May 24, 1430. The Burgundians sold Joan of Arc to the English. Joan was ultimately taken to the English-controlled town of Rouen where she was shackled to the wall of a dungeon.

The English had lost more than their pride because a nineteen-year-old girl had defeated a number of its armies. So the only possible explanation they could come up with was that Joan of Arc was a witch. Hence Joan was accused of witchcraft and would therefore have to stand a trial for heresy. The English turned Joan over to the Church. Many charges were brought against Joan in addition to the charges of sorcery, heresy and witchcraft.

Joan was also tried for the offense of wearing mens clothing and armor, which at that time was considered an offense against the Church. The Bishop of Beauvis, Pierre Cauchon was one of the main accusers. Cauchon's ultimate objective was to become a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and saw Joan of Arc and her trial as the way to help him achieving his ambition. Cauchon's and the Inquisitor of France, Jean Lemaitre, would judge Joan.

This was unjust because Joan's accuser was also her judge. Joan's natural rights were also violated because she was not allowed to have a lawyer to represent her. Cauchon wanted Joan to confess to the accusations put forth by him and plead guilty. If this were achieved then it would prove that it was sorcery that put the dauphin on the throne. This meant that if the dauphin became Charles VII because of heresy, the English could once again make a claim for the throne of France and restart the wars and claim the lost land back. Cauchon had hoped she would break and confess but she did not.

Joan s trial began on Wednesday, February 21, 1431. After three weeks of cross-examination, Cauchon began to worry about his lack of evidence against Joan. She did not confess to any of her accusations. Cauchon needing more evidence turned to a method of cross-questioning and using Joan's answers came up twelve separate charges against her. Cauchon claimed that those charges were based on answers from Joan's own mouth. Joan, who could neither read nor write, could only respond to questions that were verbally put to her.

After all the evidence was presented against her, Joan was asked to sign a statement of faults or confession. Joan stood firm and resisted sighing the confession. Consequently on May 9, 1431, Joan was taken to a torture chamber in the bishop s castle. She was made aware of the terrible instruments of pain and was threatened to be a victim of them. However her captors never physically harmed her. She still did not agree to sigh the confession so on May 23 rd, Joan was taken to the cemetery at the Abbey where the bishop created a scenario that she was going to be burnt at the stake.

It was just an act just to frighten Joan whose greatest fear was of being burned alive. However all the efforts were futile and the confession was not achieved. Cauchon then deceived her by reading a short version of the confession. It stated that if she signed it, she would agree never to carry arms, wear soldiers clothes, or cut her hair short. Cauchon then read the sentence of the court: Death by burning at the stake. Cauchon took advantage of Joan's inability to read and verify the eight-line confession before she signed it, had Joan been represented by a lawyer, she would have discovered Cauchon's treachery and would never have signed the substituted statement.

Joan was not turned over to the church, as she was told she would be. Instead, was imprisoned in an English castle. Joan wore only womens clothing, as she had agreed, following her confession. However, Cauchon and the English were not finished with their treachery and she was framed.

One morning, soon after she had signed the statement of faults, Joan could not find the clothing she had taken off the night before. Unknown to her, the three English guards had removed all her clothes while Joan slept. Only the forbidden clothes, her soldiers clothes were left in her cell. Joan pleaded for her permitted clothes. The guards would not allow her to leave her bed until she was dressed and neither gave Joan her proper clothing. Consequently she put on her armor.

She failed to realize how perilous it was for her to wear soldiers clothes. Joan was charged as a relapsed heretic and was convicted. Cauchon did not want the responsibility of executing Joan, so he turned Joan over to the state. Her punishment would be death by burning at the stake in the marketplace of Rouen. Charles VII was ungrateful and did not even try to rescue her. Due to confusion at the scene, it is questionable whether the sentence of death was actually pronounced before the soldiers set the fire.

This was another violation of minimal due process. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431 at the age of nineteen. Twenty-five years latter in 1456 a second trail was held and she was pronounced innocent. She was also beatified in 1909 and latter canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.


Free research essays on topics related to: burning at the stake, charles vii, king charles, joan of arc, joan

Research essay sample on Joan Of Arc Burning At The Stake

Writing service prices per page

  • $18.85 - in 14 days
  • $19.95 - in 3 days
  • $23.95 - within 48 hours
  • $26.95 - within 24 hours
  • $29.95 - within 12 hours
  • $34.95 - within 6 hours
  • $39.95 - within 3 hours
  • Calculate total price

Our guarantee

  • 100% money back guarantee
  • plagiarism-free authentic works
  • completely confidential service
  • timely revisions until completely satisfied
  • 24/7 customer support
  • payments protected by PayPal

Secure payment

With EssayChief you get

  • Strict plagiarism detection regulations
  • 300+ words per page
  • Times New Roman font 12 pts, double-spaced
  • FREE abstract, outline, bibliography
  • Money back guarantee for missed deadline
  • Round-the-clock customer support
  • Complete anonymity of all our clients
  • Custom essays
  • Writing service

EssayChief can handle your

  • essays, term papers
  • book and movie reports
  • Power Point presentations
  • annotated bibliographies
  • theses, dissertations
  • exam preparations
  • editing and proofreading of your texts
  • academic ghostwriting of any kind

Free essay samples

Browse essays by topic:

Stay with EssayChief! We offer 10% discount to all our return customers. Once you place your order you will receive an email with the password. You can use this password for unlimited period and you can share it with your friends!

Academic ghostwriting

About us

© 2002-2024 EssayChief.com