# Joan of Arc Naming History — Investigation

**Status:** Open  
**Triggered by:** docs/OUTSTANDING_QUESTIONS.md — "Maid of Orleans" called "Joan of Arc" only from second half of 16th century; what was she called before?

## Claim

The name "Joan of Arc" (Jeanne d'Arc) may be a later attribution. Contemporary or near-contemporary sources may use a different name or title. Establishing the naming history clarifies whether the figure was reframed or renamed during Reformation-era redaction.

## Methodology

- Survey primary sources (trial records, chronicles, letters) for how she was named at the time.
- Identify when "Jeanne d'Arc" / "Joan of Arc" first appears in print or record.
- Document "Maid of Orleans" and other epithets and their chronology.
- Add findings to OUTSTANDING_QUESTIONS and to timeline article 09.01.01 (Jeanne d'Arc execution) if relevant.

## Findings

(To be populated.)

## References

- docs/OUTSTANDING_QUESTIONS.md
- content/09.ce-15th-ottoman-conquest-of-europe/09.01.01-1431-ce-jeanne-darc-is-executed.md

## Next Steps

- Library search: trial documents, 15th–16th c. chronicles.
- Compile first attestation of "d'Arc" and "Joan of Arc" in French and English sources.

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Keywords: #Naming #Joan #Arc