Joan of Arc was a woman.
Joan of Arc ( Jeanne d'Arc , [ ʒan daʁk ] ; 6 January c. 1412 -- 30 May 1431 ) , nicknamed `` The Maid of Orléans '' ( La Pucelle d'Orléans ) , is considered a heroine of France for her role during the Lancastrian phase of the Hundred Years ' War and was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint . Joan said she received visions of the Archangel Michael , Saint Margaret , and Saint Catherine of Alexandria instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination late in the Hundred Years ' War . In 1456 , an inquisitorial court authorized by Pope Callixtus III examined the trial , debunked the charges against her , pronounced her innocent , and declared her a martyr .