Joan of Arc

Lore & Background

In the Europa Universalis series, Joan of Arc slots into France's general pool as a named historical figure whose stats and traits are tuned to reflect her extraordinary real-life campaign. She is not a monarch or a ruler the player can take the throne as; rather, she is a military asset the French can field on the battlefield, bringing a distinctive combination of combat bonuses and a faith-flavoured trait that sets her apart from generic French generals. Her inclusion is part of Paradox Interactive's broader practice of populating its grand strategy titles with well-known historical personalities. Joan's entry is particularly striking because she is one of the very few women who appears as a military figure in a series dominated by kings, dukes, and condottieri. Her presence reminds the player that the Hundred Years' War was not merely a dynastic contest between the Plantagenets and the Valois but a conflict in which a peasant girl from Domrémy became the de facto standard-bearer of a nation. The game's treatment of her era—juggling the English occupation of northern France, the political machinations of the Burgundians, and the fragile legitimacy of Charles VII—gives Joan's in-game service a narrative weight.

In Their Own Story

The parchment map of France is scarred with English occupation tiles stretching from the Channel to the Loire. You, as the French monarch, open your general list and find her name there—Joan of Arc, a young face among grey-bearded captains. You assign her to a division stacked with men-at-arms and crossbowmen, march her south toward Orléans, and watch the siege tiles crack one by one. The English garrison breaks. A notification glows: the city is liberated. Somewhere in the background of the game's audio, a faint hymn hums, and for a moment the spreadsheet of regiments and supply lines feels less like arithmetic and more like a chronicle being written in real time.

Reader's Guide

Nation: France

In-Game Role: Named historical general. She is not a ruler or a claimant to the French throne; she serves exclusively as a military leader the player can assign to armies, sieges, and land battles. Notable Traits: Joan carries a unique faith- or martyrdom-related trait that distinguishes her from ordinary French generals, granting her a combat or morale modifier tied to her religious identity. Her base attack, defence, and morale values are above the average for a general of her era, reflecting her historical reputation. Historical Context: Joan of Arc, a peasant girl from the Lorraine region, claimed to receive divine visions instructing her to rally the French army and drive the English from France. She was later canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church. Unique Events / Decisions: Joan's in-game significance is primarily mechanical—her stats and trait make her a powerful general for France. The broader Hundred Years' War event chain and the political situation surrounding the French succession provide the narrative backdrop in which her service is most impactful. She does not have a dedicated personal event chain in the same way some monarchs do; her impact is felt through the battles you fight with her and the trait modifiers she brings to the field.

Did You Know?

• Joan of Arc is one of the very few female military figures who appears as a general in the Europa Universalis series, a franchise otherwise dominated by male monarchs and commanders.
• In the games she is strictly a general, not a ruler—players cannot take the French throne as Joan, only field her in combat.