King Henry V

Born in 1387, Henry V was the oldest son of Henry IV and Mary Bohun. His reign over England lasted from 1413-1422. As King, he broke the traditional Plantagenet goal of simply maintaining French possessions, and attempted to conquer France. He was successful in occupying half of France, a feat which, from a military standpoint, marked the high point of the war for the English. Henry V depended on his alliance with Burgundy and on the Burgundians' naval power. He attacked and garrisoned towns in Northern France and won a major victory at the battle of Agincourt. The fall of Rouen completed his conquest of Normandy, following which he advanced into France and negotiated with Charles VI to arrive at the Treaty of Troyes. The Treaty arranged his marriage to Charles VI's daughter, Katherine, and Henry became the heir to the dual monarchy of France and England. Henry ruled until 1422, when he died of dysentery at the age of 45.

Henry VI

Henry VI was born in 1421, nine months before his father's death in 1422. He was raised by his mother, Katherine, and his uncles, Cardinal Beaufort and Humphrey, duke of Gloucester. His uncles ruled for him until he came of age. By the time he became an active ruler in 1436, his kingdom had been reduced to the duchies of Normandy and Antiquaine.

In 1445, Henry VI married Margaret of Anjou. When Henry went insane in 1453, Queen Margaret controlled the kingdom without much success. In 1460, Henry VI was captured at Northampton by York's allies and was forced to accept York as his heir.

Edward IV took over the kingdom, and had Henry VI imprisoned in the Tower. However, he was restored to the throne in 1470, only to be murdered in 1471. His body was buried at Chertsey Abbey, and then transferred in 1484 to Windsor.

Thomas Montacute (Montagu), 4th Earl of Salisbury

One of the English commanders during the Hundred Years' War. Joan never met or fought against Thomas Montacute, but against the siege that he began at Orléans. The siege began on October 12, 1428. One the 27th, the chronicler Mostrelet reports that :

"[Salisbury] studied the land around that fort carefully to imagine how he could take that city. While he was at the window, the stone of a cannon from the aforesaid city struck the window where the earl was, at the noise of which he pulled back; nevertheless, he was wounded most grievously and mortally and had a large part of his face carried away by it." (Mostrelet, Chroniques)

The date of Salisbury's death is reported as November 3, 1428 in Meung.

Born in 1388, Salisbury was granted part of his father's estate in 1409, and finally received the remainder in 1421. This was due to the support of Richard II by John, the 3rd earl of Salisbury. He was knighted by the Order of the Garter in 1414 and began his service in France shortly thereafter. Salisbury fought at the battle of Agincourt, and participated in the sieges of Caen, Harfleur, and Rouen. In 1419 he was named lieutenant general of the king and remained in France. Salisbury was also part of the making of the Treaty of Troyes, and later became the governor of Champagne. He returned to England for a year's visit, and arrived in France to begin the campaign of Orléans in July 1428.

John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury

Chief commander of English forces during the Hundred Years' War. Talbot was born to Richard, the 4th Baron of Talbot around 1373. He served in campaigns in Wales (1404-1413) and Ireland (1414-11419) before fighting in France. He fought at Verneuil in 1424 and thus earned the Order of the Garter. He was among the English in the unsuccessful siege of Orléans in 1429. Talbot did earn respect from the French, however, for waging war in an honorable fashion, and is mentioned often in the French documents of Orléans. He continued to defend Meung and Beaugency after the siege. Talbot was taken by the French at Patay in June 1429. After his release in 1433, he continued fighting for the English. Among his victories were Clermont, Le Crotoy, and Harfleur.

In 1442 Talbot became the Earl of Salop, which he called Shrewsbury. Shortly thereafter he left France for a two year period as lieutenant of Ireland. After his return, the French captured Shrewsbury and held it hostage in 1449. England then gave up its hold on Normandy and began to lose Aquitane. Talbot died on July 17, 1453 while trying to relieve the siege of Castillon without artillery cover for his forces. Without Talbot , the English began to yield most of their French holdings, and this became one of the last battles of the Hundred Years' War.

Richard Beauchamp, 5th Earl of Warwick

The jailer of the Maid during her trial. Joan was lodged in the castle of Bouvreuil when she was taken to Rouen on December 23, 1430. Beauchamp was among those who paid the judges at Rouen, but he did look out for the welfare of his prisoner. His interventions when Joan was attacked by her guards and also during her illness show this.

Beauchamp was born 1380 at Salwarpe in Worcestershire. At the age of sixteen he was given the Order of the Garter. Following his father's death in 1401, he was given knighthood in the Order of the Bath. Beauchamp led a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land in 1408, and became a member of the King's Council upon his return. He helped arrange the marriage of Catherine of France to Henry V. Other duties included the captainship of Calais and the chief lay representative at the council of Constance. Due to his faithful service and close friendship to Henry V, Beauchamp was named as the young Henry VI's mentor and protector by his dying father. Both Beauchamp and the young king were in France during the trial of Joan, and Beauchamp himself was present during the trial and execution.

Beauchamp's first wife was Elizabeth Berkeley, an extremely rich young woman of England. One of their three daughters, Margaret, married John Talbot. His second wife was Isabel Despenser, another wealthy heiress. A son and a daughter were born of this marriage. Due to these marriages, Beauchamp handsomely enlarged his estates in England. He died in Rouen on April 30, 1439 and was buried in the castle chapel in Warwick, England.