The girl who commanded the armies of entire nation at the age of 17-Joan of Arc!

It is more than half thousand years since Joan of Arc died in the flames at Rouen. Why, then, do we remember her today? Because She lives forever a saint, conqueror of the forces of evil that killed her, a symbol of truth and courage.

When Joan was born in 1412, in the village of Domremy in Lorraine, France was in bloody turmoil. The Hundred Years' War between France and England had been going on for some 75 years. The crown of France was claimed by England. Much of France was ruled by the Duke of Burgundy, ally of the English; the rest was loyal to the Dauphine Charles, heir to the throne of France but not yet crowned.

By the age of 12, Joan was sturdy, dark-haired and devoutful, of whom nothing remarkable had been reported. One day in her father's garden a great brightness spread all about her and a voice spoke to her. This was the Archangel Michael, patron of the dauphine and beloved by all France. He was not alone but attended by heavenly ghosts-St Catherine and St Margaret. They asked Joan to follow what they said as it was Lord's command.

For the next four to five years the saints spoke to her often. Joan mentioned not one word of this to anybody but went on calmly about her work. The voice told her to go to Vaucouleurs, to rasie a siege and succour the Dauphine. But she was twice bluntly turned away when she told that she was divinely appointed to save France. But when she came again her unearthly assurance convinced the Baudricourt, captain of town who allowed her to meet the Dauphine at Chinon. Dauphine, though sceptical, cross questioned her and when fully convinced that she had no evil but only good agreed to give a large army to Joan. He gave Joan a suit of armour, polished steel. She had a white banner made, fringed with silk and sown with lilies, on it a painting of the Lord, an angel at each side.

Orleans, a key point in the English campaign to open up the Loire River valley, had laid under seige for six months. The defences of Orleans by English were formidable. Joan and her companions attacked the key fortress two days later. As she was about to climb a ladder against its wall, an arrow came whistling from the crossbow and struck her. But she refused to retreat and flashed her banner instead. Seeing the banner the soldiers rallied on and the bastion fell. Orleans was saved. The victory of Orleans made Joan dear among the crowned earning her the title-"Maid of Orleans". So ended the few days in which a girl of 17 recreated a morale of the French army and changed the course of the hundred years' war.

Joan wanted Dauphine to be crowned the King of France quickly as it was the only means to unite France under one force. The coronation was to be held at Reims, a town, who like many other towns, controlled by the foe. Joan took part in defeating all these towns and finally on 17, July 1429 Charles rode to his crowning. Beside his throne in the cathedral stood Joan. It had been less than five months since she left Domremy.

Charles, crowned at last, felt less need of Joan now. Soon he got his mind poisoned from the jealous advisors of Maid who now seeked to destroy her. In the Easter week of 1430, Joan's voices gave her a bitter warning that she was to be taken prisoner by the enemy. Still she rode dauntlessly to Paris and at the drawbridge of Compiegne she was caught between the English and the Burgundians. Joan the Maid was captive. The man she made King of France seemed not to have dared lift a finger to help her. The burgundians decided to sell her to the English.

The trial for heresy began which was a religious trial and not a political one at Rouen. No one spoke for her. She had no witnesses. So this illiterate peasant girl of 19 stood alone, abandoned, before the massed array of learned and priestly judges, and spoke for herself. She related the story of her brief strange career. She would admit to no heresy. They threatened to torture her and burn her alive but she did not waver.

So on a fair late day in May, the sentence was passed upon her. A document was produced and read to the girl who "knew not A from B". They asked her to either sign it or get burnt. With a strange smile she made her mark on it. Now Joan thought she was safe. Trusting the church she loved, she asked them to take her to prison. Where she was asked to were women's clothing. But at night the guards took the dress away and she was obliged to go forth from her cell in her tattered boy's clothing.

On that "sin" they convicted her as a relapsed heretic, the most dire sentence that could be pronounced. Doubly to seal her fate the Cauchon asked if she had heard her voices again. Joan told him they had reproached her for signing whatever she had signed. She had done for the fear of fire. She was convicted for being a heretic, relapsed sinner, apostate, idolater.

Robed, her head shaven, she was led into Rouen's market square on the morning of 30 May, 1431. In the crowd gathering, the Cauchon read the sentence. She begged for a cross, an English archer hastily made of