Born in 1412, 17-year-old Joan of Arc, obeying voices and visions from God and the saints, led the French army to victory over the English troops occupying France. But the angry English maneuvered to have her declared a heretic by the church, and she was burned at the stake in 1431. In a hearing 25 years later, Pope Callixtus III rectified the false accusations. Joan was declared a saint by the church in 1920. Her feast day is May 30th. She is recognized as having played a determining role in forming the modern concept of national sovereignty, a concept essential to the work of the United Nations today.
