History: Henry VI, Joan of Arc and the Origins of the Wars of the Roses

This course is an exploration of the period of history in England and France during the first half of the fifteenth century. It considers how, with no military training, Joan convinced the embattles French heir, Charles de Valois, to allow her to lead a French army to the besieged city of Orleans, where it achieved a momentous victory over the English and their French allies, the Burgundians. After seeing the prince crowned King Charles VII, Joan was captured by her enemies. We shall consider why she was tried for witchcraft and heresy and burned at the stake in 1431, aged nineteen, and the reasons why, having succeeded in establishing control over large swathes of France after Agincourt, England managed to lose these continental possessions. The course overview will look at how these events contributed to instability at home, which ultimately underpinned the origins of the dynastic conflict called the Wars of the Roses. No previous knowledge of fifteenth-century history is needed. Everyone is welcome to join this fascinating course!