Joan of Arc

History has many examples of how the existence of a country depended on the will of ordinary people. One of them was Joan of Arc – the maiden warrior or the Maid of Orléans. An illiterate girl from a poor family became a symbol of French patriotism during the Hundred Years' War 1337–1453. Under her leadership, brave knights and peasant volunteers fought valiantly, her appearance restored the French people's faith in victory and turned the tide of the war. One of Mark Twain's best novels tells of the tragic fate of a young French girl who appeared at the most difficult moment for the French kingdom and was betrayed by the king and her companions when the danger had passed.