Charles VII was the French king’s son known as the Dauphin when Joan of Arc met him at Chinon.
Joan met Charles at Chinon in 1429, when he was the uncrowned heir of the French monarchy. His father, Charles VI, had accepted the Treaty of Troyes, which recognized the English king Henry V and his heirs as successors to the French throne. Charles therefore faced a severe legitimacy crisis.
Joan supported Charles’s claim and urged him to proceed to Reims for coronation. He was crowned Charles VII at Reims on 17 July 1429. A common mistake is to call him king at the moment of their first meeting; although he claimed the French crown, his formal coronation came later.