Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"Jeanne d'Arc's leadership inspired the dispirited French nation; English impetus halted, and the French began to gain the advantage in the Hundred Years' War." [Davis: 100 Decisive Battles, p. 159] "The Siege of Orléans (1428–1429) was the watershed of the Hundred Years' War between France and England. It was the French Royal army's first major military victory while Joan of Arc was with the army and the first to follow the crushing defeat at Agincourt in 1415. The siege took place at the pinnacle of English power during the later stages of the war. The city held strategic and symbolic significance to both sides of the conflict. . . . For half a year the English appeared to be winning but the siege collapsed nine days after Joan's arrival." [Wikipedia] "It was her mission, she told them, to rescue France from the English, to see the Dauphin crowned as the one rightful king of the French people. In March of 1429, she arrived at Chinon to explain her mission to the would-be king. . . . The Dauphin's army followed the 'Maid of Orleans' into battle after battle--and fought brilliantly." [Bauer: Renaissance World, p. 664-7] "Joan of Arc lifts the siege of Orléans for the Dauphin of France, enabling him to eventually be crowned at Reims. The battle at Orléans is the first of many which ultimately drive the English from continental Europe." [Wikipedia: Timeline of Middle Ages]