Joan of Arc at the siege of Orleans (painting by Jules Eugène Lenepveu). The English siege of Orleans was broken by Joan of Arc and the French army on 7 May 1429. This was the watershed of the Hundred Years' War between France and England. It was the French royal army's first major military victory to follow the crushing defeat at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and also the first while Joan of Arc was with the army. For half a year the English appeared to be winning but the siege collapsed nine days after Joan's arrival.
