Joan of Arc entered Orléans after crossing the Loire during the campaign to relieve the city.
The English and their Burgundian allies had besieged Orléans for months in 1429. The city was strategically important because it controlled a major crossing of the Loire and its fall could have threatened the remaining territory loyal to Charles VII.
Joan reached the French-held side of the river and entered the city on the night of 29 April 1429. Her arrival boosted morale, although French commanders had already organized resistance and supplies. Over the following days, French forces captured several English positions around the city.
The siege was lifted on 8 May 1429. Joan’s role became central to the victory in contemporary accounts, but the campaign involved many commanders and thousands of troops. Orléans is distinct from nearby Blois, where supplies and soldiers were assembled before the relief effort.