Rehabilitation trial of Joan of Arc
Encyclopedia
The Rehabilitation trial of Joan of Arc (also known as the Nullification trial of Joan of Arc), held in 1455-56, refers to the hearings conducted by a Papal Commission appointed by Pope Calixtus III for the purpose of examining the circumstances surrounding, and conduct of, the 1431 Trial of Joan of Arc
at which she was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake.
During the course of the hearings and the preliminary investigations preceding the hearings, a large amount of testimony from over a hundred witnesses was gathered. Much of what is now known about Joan's life and deeds stems from this body of evidence.
In the end, the Commission set aside the original sentence on Joan, declaring the original twelve articles of the indictment to be "iniquitous, false, prepared in a lying manner and without reference to Joan's confessions."
wound to a conclusion in the middle of the 15th century, the French
forces of Charles VII
entered the city of Rouen, the former administrative capital of the English
in France. As a result, the records of the 1431 Trial of Joan of Arc
on charges of heresy
became available to the French.
Charles owed his crown to Joan
who, in obedience to what she asserted to be a command from God
, had intervened on behalf of France two years prior to that to lift the English siege of Orleans and turn the tide of the war at the very moment when it appeared that the Anglo - Burgundian alliance would finally prove victorious. The outcome of the trial, which convicted Joan of heresy and had her burnt at the stake, left Charles in a position where it appeared that he owed his crown to a convicted heretic. This was, at least in part, the motive for the trial.
In order to remove this stain from his crown, Charles set in motion an investigation of the earlier trial which would, after a few years' time, lead to a re-opening of the case and a complete reversal of the previous verdict and the vindication of Joan in what has come to be known as the Rehabilitation Trial of Joan of Arc.
Over the next several months, the Commission took testimony from 7 individuals including Jean Beaupère who had been one of the principal questioners of Joan at her earlier Trial. In addition to Beaupère, the Commission also heard testimony from 4 Dominican Friars, namely, Jean Toutmouillé, Ysambard de La Pierre, Martin Ladvenu, and Guillaume Duval, and two secular priests, Guillaume Manchon, who had served as chief notary at the original Trial, and Jean Massieu, who was the clerk to the Court Promoter, Jean d'Estivet.
Among the witnesses interviewed by the Commission, Jean Beaupère stood out as the only one who did not denounce the original Trial verdict. Referring most questions to the Trial record, he further stated that he believed that Joan's voices and visions ("apparitions" as he called them) were of natural and human rather than supernatural and divine in origin. He did, however, testify to having been threatened by English soldiers when he went to see Joan following her abjuration and thus he did not see her before she was executed, by which time he had left town, or so he testified.
Trial of Joan of Arc
The Trial of Joan of Arc, which took place before an English-backed church court in Rouen, France in the first half of the year 1431 was, in the minds of many people, one of the most significant and moving trials ever conducted in human history. It culminated in the execution of the person known to...
at which she was condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake.
During the course of the hearings and the preliminary investigations preceding the hearings, a large amount of testimony from over a hundred witnesses was gathered. Much of what is now known about Joan's life and deeds stems from this body of evidence.
In the end, the Commission set aside the original sentence on Joan, declaring the original twelve articles of the indictment to be "iniquitous, false, prepared in a lying manner and without reference to Joan's confessions."
Background
As the Hundred Years' WarHundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
wound to a conclusion in the middle of the 15th century, the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
forces of Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
entered the city of Rouen, the former administrative capital of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in France. As a result, the records of the 1431 Trial of Joan of Arc
Trial of Joan of Arc
The Trial of Joan of Arc, which took place before an English-backed church court in Rouen, France in the first half of the year 1431 was, in the minds of many people, one of the most significant and moving trials ever conducted in human history. It culminated in the execution of the person known to...
on charges of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
became available to the French.
Charles owed his crown to Joan
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
who, in obedience to what she asserted to be a command from God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, had intervened on behalf of France two years prior to that to lift the English siege of Orleans and turn the tide of the war at the very moment when it appeared that the Anglo - Burgundian alliance would finally prove victorious. The outcome of the trial, which convicted Joan of heresy and had her burnt at the stake, left Charles in a position where it appeared that he owed his crown to a convicted heretic. This was, at least in part, the motive for the trial.
In order to remove this stain from his crown, Charles set in motion an investigation of the earlier trial which would, after a few years' time, lead to a re-opening of the case and a complete reversal of the previous verdict and the vindication of Joan in what has come to be known as the Rehabilitation Trial of Joan of Arc.
Royal Commission
As a first step in examining the case of Joan of Arc, Charles, in a letter of February 15, 1450, appointed a Royal Commission headed by Guillaume Bouillé, the Dean of Noyon Cathedral, and charged them with examining the Trial record to ascertain the facts about the trial.Over the next several months, the Commission took testimony from 7 individuals including Jean Beaupère who had been one of the principal questioners of Joan at her earlier Trial. In addition to Beaupère, the Commission also heard testimony from 4 Dominican Friars, namely, Jean Toutmouillé, Ysambard de La Pierre, Martin Ladvenu, and Guillaume Duval, and two secular priests, Guillaume Manchon, who had served as chief notary at the original Trial, and Jean Massieu, who was the clerk to the Court Promoter, Jean d'Estivet.
Among the witnesses interviewed by the Commission, Jean Beaupère stood out as the only one who did not denounce the original Trial verdict. Referring most questions to the Trial record, he further stated that he believed that Joan's voices and visions ("apparitions" as he called them) were of natural and human rather than supernatural and divine in origin. He did, however, testify to having been threatened by English soldiers when he went to see Joan following her abjuration and thus he did not see her before she was executed, by which time he had left town, or so he testified.
Further reading
- Pernoud, Régine, The Retrial of Joan of Arc (translated by J. M Cohen), Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York 1955.
Internet resources
- Jeanne-darc.dk Various materials including a complete English translation of the rehabilitation trial transcript.