Capture of Joan of Arc
In 1430, King Charles VII ordered Joan of Arc to Compiegne, where the English and their Burgundians allies were besieging the town. During the fighting to break the siege, she was thrown off her horse and was taken captive by the Burgundians. The English entered into negotiations with the Burgundians for Joan. They had recognized that she had inspired the French army and they saw her as a clear threat to their position in France. The Burgundians did not know what to do with the young girl- who was considered divinely inspired by the common people in France. They wanted to get rid of the girl they did not want to imprison her as this could have meant that they would have angered the peasants. Negotiations between the Burgundians and the English began. The leader of the English in France was particularly keen to have the young woman who had done so much damage to their cause in their dungeons. After a period of negotiations, the Burgundians gave Joan to the English for the sum of 10,000 francs. This was a really big sum of money at the time.