St. Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl born around 1412. She claimed to have received visions from Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret, instructing her to support Charles VII in reclaiming the French throne during the Hundred Years' War. At just 17, she led French troops to several important victories, most notably the lifting of the siege of Orléans in 1429. Captured by the English in 1430, Joan was tried for heresy and witchcraft. She was found guilty and burned at the stake in 1431. In 1920, she was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, becoming a symbol of courage and faith.