Joan of Arc - Friends and Companions

Jacques d'Arc was the father of Joan of Arc and while initially against Joan leaving home because of a bad dream he had about her leaving he eventually came to be extremely proud of his daughter.

Isabelle Romeé was the mother of Joan of Arc and being a devout Catholic nurtured Joan while she was growing up in her faith and the ways of the Church.

Saint Michael the Archangel was the first spiritual being to visit Joan informing her of her mission to save France. St. Michael is referred to in the Bible as the commander of the army of God who will ultimately defeat Satan.

Saint Catherine was one of the Saints that Joan said was sent to her to help guide her in her mission. Saint Catherine of Alexandria was a Christian martyr of the early church killed be the Romans for refusing to renounce her faith in Christ.

Saint Margaret was the other Saint that guided Joan. St. Margaret of Antioch like St. Catherine was marytred by the Romans for her faith.

Charles VII became the King of France with the invaluable help of Joan of Arc. When Joan first journeyed to Chinon to see Charles in the spring of 1429 he was yet to be officially crowned king and was in jeopardy of having to flee France if the city of Orleans fell to the English. Joan changed everything for Charles who eventually came to be known as "Charles the Victorious" for ultimately winning the Hundred Years War.

Henry VI of England was just a young boy when Joan of Arc entered the Hundred Years War and therefore had little impact upon events and could personally do little as Joan of Arc ended his chances of ever successfully ruling France as stipulated by the treaty of Troyes.

John of Lancaster the Duke of Bedford was Joan of Arc's primary antagonist and the person most responsible for her trial and death by burning at the stake.

Jean Duke of Alencon was probably Joan's best friend whom she referred to as her "beau duc" for their close relationship. Alencon was officially the overall commander of the French forces at Orleans and during most of the Loire Valley campaign but ultimately allowed Joan to exercise great influence on the actions of the army and together they formed an unbeatable leadership team.

Robert de Baudricourt was the first noble that Joan approached about her mission to save France. At first skeptical, de Baudricout eventually believed in Joan enough to authorize an escort to take her to see Charles VII in Chinon.

Etienne de Vignolles or La Hire as he was called was one of Joan's best and most loyal captains. One of the first of the military captains to take Joan seriously he is with her in all of her major battles and along with Poton de Xaintrailles is instrumental in annihilating the English at Patay which was Joan's most overwhelming victory.

Poton de Xaintrailles was a professional soldier and one of the more loyal Captains who fought for Joan in most of her battles. Eventually honored as Master of the Horse of the King it his talent with cavalry that is instrumental in annihilating the English at Patay.

Jean Dunois Bastard of Orleans was the illegitimate son of the Duke of Orleans hence the title "Bastard of Orleans." Dunois was in charge of the defense of Orleans and first met Joan upon her arrival at Orleans where she famously rebuked him for changing her route of approach to Orleans. Dunois ultimately became one of Joan's more loyal supporters and was of great service to her in many of her battles.

Raoul de Gaucourt was a knight and the military governor of Orleans when Joan of Arc arrives to save the city. An experienced soldier he is at first skeptical of Joan's new ideas about warfare. He becomes a loyal follower Joan's and eventually is the messenger to the Pope asking for a new trial to overturn Joan's trial of condemnation.

Arthur de Richemont was at odds with Charles VII when he came to help the French forces during the Loire Valley campaign. Joan of Arc seems to have known of his importance to the ultimate success of the French cause as she openly welcomed him saying: "Ah, fair Constable, you did not come because of me, but since you are come, you are welcome."

Jean d'Aulon was the head of Joan's military household and essentially served as Joan's aide-de-camp in modern military terms. He also served as Joan's bodyguard and possible spent more time with her than anyone else. Later at Joan's Trial of Rehabilitation he furnishes some of the little physical descriptions we have of Joan describing her as "belle et bien formée" meaning beautiful and well-formed.

Jean de Metz was one of the first to believe in Joan and her mission and most likely the first knight. Upon meeting Joan he pledged his loyalty to her and promised to escort her to Charles VII in Chinon.

Bertrand de Poulengy was a squire in the service of Robert de Baudricourt when Joan first arrived at Vaucouleurs. He was part of the group along with Jean de Metz that escorted Joan to Chinon. He later testified at Joan's trial of rehabilitation that she was a good devout young woman "as good as a saint."

Guy de Laval was a young knight who fought with Joan of Arc during the Loire Valley campaign and became a great admirer of Joan's and left a living portrait of her in a letter he wrote to his Mother and Grandmother.

Saint Severe as he was known was a Marshall of France and distinguished himself fighting with Joan at the Battles of Orleans and Patay.

Regnault de Chartres, Archbishop of Reims was one of the power brokers in the court of Charles VII. At first he supported Joan of Arc but later became adversarial towards her as he pursued his objective of peace through negotiation rather than battle.

Georges de La Trémouïlle was another power broker in the court of Charles VII however he was unscrupulous and manipulated Charles VII for his own benefit. Never a friend of Joan he only supported her at times when it aligned with his own agenda and was overall her greatest adversary in the court of Charles VII.

Pierre & Jean d'Arc were Joan of Arc's brothers who followed her to war and served in Joan's military household. Pierre was with Joan when she was captured at Compiegne. Both brothers began to use the surname du Lys after Charles VII ennobled Joan and her family.

Father Jean Pasquerel was Joan of Arc's personal chaplain and part of her military household. Pasquerel joined Joan at Tours as she prepared for war and did not leave her side until her capture at Compiegne. He possible knew Joan better than anyone on earth and later gave detailed testimony about her life at her Trial of Rehabilitation.

Louis de Coutes was Joan of Arc's page and was a boy of "fourteen or fifteen" when he was appointed page in Joan's military household. He would serve Joan from just after her arrival at Chinon to the defeat at Paris.

Ambleville & Guyenne were the Heralds of Joan of Arc and it was quite an honor for her to have more than one. Heralds in medieval warfare played a vital role in carrying messages between the commanders of the opposing forces and were considered neutral and untouchable.

John Talbot - English Commander was considered one of the best of the English captains that Joan of Arc faced in battle. He was captured at the Battle of Patay were he famously attributed his capture to "the fortune of war."

Gilles de Rais was a knight who served with Joan of Arc in the Hundred Years War but is better known for his terrible crimes as a serial killer of children and is infamously referred to as "Blue Beard" for his reign of terror and perversion.

Pierre Cauchon the Bishop of Beauvais was Joan of Arc's primary antagonist at her trial. Working under the auspices of the Church, Cauchon rigged Joan's trial so that the English would have a legal basis for burning her at the stake. Some of Joan's last words were directed at Cauchon when she said: "Bishop I die through you."

Nicolas Loiseleur was a Church official who acted as a spy for Pierre Cauchon during Joan's trial. Disguising himself as a priest and fellow prisoner from Joan's home region of Lorraine he procured her trust and obtained damaging evidence later used against her in her trial. When Joan was being carted out to the pyre for her execution he famously ran out to her begging for her forgiveness.

Jean Beaupere was a Church official who essentially acted as a prosecutor in Joan's trial subjecting her to rigorous questioning. He was also involved in the overall dynamics of the trial and traveled to Paris to obtain the opinion of the University about Joan's case.

Guillaume Manchon was one of the Church court clerks who recorded the trial of Joan of Arc and appears to have been one of the few honest men involved in Joan's trial. He along with some of the other clerks accurately recorded Joan's words and the proceedings disregarding Pierre Cauchon's orders to alter the records.

Jean Massieu was the court bailiff at Joan's trial and provided extensive details of Joan's last day and moments on earth while testifying at Joan's Trial of Rehabilitation. He was highly critical of Cauchon and the English blaming them for Joan's unjust death.

John Carmichael Bishop of Orleans was originally from Scotland and also a knight who distinguished himself at the Battle of Bauge by unseating the duke of Clarence, the brother of Henry V. He became the Bishop of Orleans and helped in the fighting at Orleans with Joan.

Hauves Poulvoir (James Power) was a Scot living in Tours and a painter who created Joan's banner that she carried. Joan also became good freinds with his daughter Heliote who was about the same age as Joan.

John Stewart Duke of Darnley was in command of the Scottish contingent that arrived in Orleans February 8, 1429 but was killed four days later at the disastrous Battle of the Herrings along with his brother William.

Sir Hugh Kennedy was a Scottish Knight who first met Joan at Orleans. He served with Joan leading the Scottish soldiers in her army and was with her in almost all of her battles. Sir Kennedy continued to fight for the French after Joan was caputured and received many honors for his service to France including the honor of attending the wedding of Charles VII's son Louis XI to Princess Margaret of Scotland.