Joan of Arc

French, c.1412-31

An illiterate girl from Domrémy in Picardy might not have seemed like the most likely candidate to become a national heroine, however Joan of Arc acted as a beacon of hope at a time when her beleaguered country desperately needed divine inspiration. Claiming that she had experienced visions of various saints brought her to the attention of Charles VII, who had not yet been crowned despite inheriting the throne seven years earlier. With Joan’s assistance, Charles would be crowned in July 1429, but when she was captured almost a year later, he was unable to save her from the stake.

Joan of Arc claimed to have experienced her first divine vision of Saint Michael, Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret when she was just 13 years old.