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The Early Years

She was born on January 6th around the year 1412, to Jacques and Isabelle d'Arc in the little village of Domremy, in the Barrois region (now part of "Lorraine") on the border of eastern France.
The events in France during these years would set the stage for Joan's later life and the circumstances surrounding her death.
Although at the time she was born a shaky truce was still in effect between France and England, a civil war had erupted between two factions of the French Royal family which would allow the English to re-invade. One faction, called the "Orleanists" or "Armagnacs", was led by Count Bernard VII of Armagnac and Duke Charles of Orleans (whom Joan would later regard with special warmth); their rivals, known as the "Burgundians", were led by Duke John-the-Fearless of Burgundy. The forces of his pro-English son, somewhat ironically named Philip "the Good", would later capture Joan and hand her over to the English; one of his loyal supporters, an unscrupulous pro-Burgundian clergyman and English advisor named Pierre Cauchon, would later arrange her conviction on their behalf.
With the French divided into warring parties and negotiations to renew the truce with England a failure, King Henry V invaded France in August of 1415 after reviving his family's faded claim to the French throne. On October 25th an Armagnac-dominated French army was cut to pieces by Henry's forces at the battle of Agincourt. The English returned in 1417, conquering much of northern France and gaining the support (in 1419) of the new Burgundian Duke, Philip-the-Good, who agreed to recognize Henry V as the legal heir to the French throne while rejecting the rival claim of the man whom Joan would consider the rightful successor, Charles of Ponthieu (later known as Charles VII), the last heir of the Valois dynasty which had ruled France since 1328.

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