On June 18, 1429, Joan of Arc achieved her most overwhelming victory in her military career when her forces annihilated an English army of over 6000 that had been sent to stop her after her victory at Orleans the previous month. This battle was a very lopsided affair with the English losing almost their entire army while the French suffered a loss of only a handful of men. The devastating effect that this battle had upon the English and their leadership is best seen in their actions after this battle. Never again would they aggressively challenge Joan to fight as they had done prior to Patay but instead would seek a course of political maneuvering in order to try to stop her from driving them out of France. Unfortunately in recent times Joan does not seem to get the credit she deserves for this impressive victory with many modern historians diminishing her role in the battle. What may be the best argument for Joan's true role in the great victory at Patay is probably the very actions of the English leaders after Patay because it is very clear that Joan is the one who they feared after their devastating defeat at Patay. To learn more about the Battle of Patay and about what a great military leader Joan of Arc truly was please read the paper I wrote several years ago about Joan of Arc & the Battle of Patay.
