Joan of Arc's Trial Begins: Injustice Sealed
English commanders stacked a tribunal with pro-English clerics to condemn Joan of Arc for heresy, violating ecclesiastical law by denying her legal counsel and impartial judges. This rigged proceeding forced an illiterate woman to sign a false abjuration under threat of execution, securing a politically motivated conviction that the Church later condemned as illegal. The trial's blatant corruption ensured her execution while simultaneously discrediting the English occupation's claim to divine legitimacy.
May 30, 1431
595 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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