Saint Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl born around 1412. She is best known for her role during the Hundred Years' War between France and England. Claiming to have received visions from saints, she led the French army to several important victories, including the lifting of the siege of Orléans in 1429. Captured by the Burgundians in 1430, Joan was handed over to the English and tried for heresy. She was executed by burning at the stake in 1431. In 1920, she was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, and she is now considered a national heroine of France.