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Urbain Grandier was a French Catholic priest who was burned at the stake after being convicted of witchcraft. He served as priest in the church of Sainte Croix in Loudon, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Poitiers. Ignoring his vow of celibacy, he is known to have had sexual relationships with a number of women.

In 1632, a group of nuns from the local Usurline convent accused him of having bewitched them, sending the demon Asmodai, among others, to commit evil acts with them. Grandier refused to become the spiritual director of the convent, unaware that the Mother Superior, Sister Jeanne of the Angels, had become obsessed with him. It is claimed that Jeanne, enraged by his rejection, instead invited Canon Mignon, an enemy of Grandier, to become the director. Jeanne then accused Grandier of using black magic to seduce her.

Grandier was arrested, interrogated, and tried by an ecclesiastical tribunal, which acquitted him. However, he gained the enmity of the powerful Cardinal Richelieu after a public verbal attack against him. Richelieu ordered a new trial and Grandier was re-arrested and the possibility of appealing to the Parliament of Paris was denied to him. The Judges, after torturing the priest, introduced documents purportedly signed by Grandier and several demons as evidence that he had made a diabolical pact. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. Despite torture, Grandier never confessed to witchcraft and was burned alive at the stake.

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The Storming of the Bastille occurred on July 14, 1789. Even though the medieval fortress and prison, known as the Bastille, only contained seven prisoners, its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution and it subsequently became an icon of the French Republic. In France, this day is a public holiday, formally known as Federation Holiday or Bastille Day.

During the reign of Louis XVI, France faced a major financial crisis that was triggered by the cost of being involved in the American War of Independence and made worse by an unequal system of taxation. Following the storming of the Bastille on July 14, the revolution began to grow. This was the third stage with the first being the revolt of the nobility and the second being the formation of the National Assembly. The third stage also included the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

The middle class had formed the National Guard and sported the tricolor rosettes of red, white and blue which became the symbol of the revolution. Paris was close to insurrection and a crowd broke open the prisons of the Abbaye to release some grenadiers of the French guards, reportedly imprisoned for refusing to fire on the people.

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The Siege of Orleans (1428-29) was a turning point in the Hundred Years’ War between France and England. It was Joan of Arc’s first major military victory and the first significant French success after being soundly defeated at Agincourt in 1415. Orleans had both symbolic and strategic importance to both sides. For half a year the English had the advantage but the siege failed nine days after Joan arrived.

The siege began on October 12, 1428. English forces already controlled several towns in the area with Orleans being the last major stronghold. For years, French prophecies foretold of an armed maid who would rescue France and so when word reached the citizens of Orleans of Joan of Arc’s journey, they were excited and relieved. In March, she joined the relief army which was being assembled. She sent the English forces two letters telling them to quit the siege, surrender all the cities and territories they occupied, and return to England.

Joan of Arc arrived with the relief army on the outskirts of Orleans on April 28, 1429 and entered the city the next day. For weeks Joan had heated arguments with those in charge of the city’s defenses over the best battle tactics. She pushed for an aggressive attack on the English forces and led an army (against orders not to do so) to Tourelles taking it back in several days of intense fighting in which she was wounded. Inspired by this victory, the French army went on the offensive eventually reaching English-held Paris.

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