A letter signed by Joan of Arc in 1429 has left France for the first time, to be displayed as part of an exhibition at the British Library in London.
The letter, which is one of only two surviving authenticated documents bearing Joan of Arc's signature, has been loaned from the municipal archives of Riom in central France.
"Only three letters signed by Joan of Arc have been recorded, one of which has since disappeared," Cédric Broët, head of the city's archives department, told RFI. The second letter is held in the municipal archives in Lyon.
The document, dating from 9 November, 1429, was dictated by Joan of Arc, who could neither read nor write. It calls on the people of Riom to support France during the Hundred Years' War.
The letter is addressed to the "churchmen, bourgeois and inhabitants of the town of Riom" and asks for weapons, supplies and clothing to support military efforts during the siege of La Charité-sur-Loire.
"It adds a bit of spice to think that the letter is leaving Riom for the first time to go to the country where the leaders had Joan of Arc burned at the stake," said Broët, referring to the letter's journey to England. "It gently mocks history."
The letter was discovered by chance in 1844 among some old papers by Tailhand, president of the Royal Court of Riom. It originally bore a red wax seal, which has now been lost. Broët explained: "The legend says that attached to this seal, there was a lock of Joan of Arc's hair, and that was probably the reason it was stolen."
The letter was authenticated by historian and paleographer Jules Quicherat, and has faced preservation challenges over time. "At the start of the 20th century, the document was displayed at Riom town hall, which caused notable damage," said Broët.
It is now a centrepiece in the British Library's exhibition "Medieval Women: In Their Own Words", running until March 2025. The letter travelled to London under tight security, escorted by an official from the Riom archives and with the exact route kept secret.
"The British Library approached us to request the loan of this document. The library also holds manuscripts related to Joan of Arc, including a copy of her trial [documents]," said Broët.
"A document like this is priceless, and having it in our collections is extremely rare and prestigious," he continued. "We, as a small municipal archive service, have been placed on the same level as other, much more well-known institutions around the world, which have also lent documents and pieces for the exhibition, like the Louvre."
The letter will return directly to secure storage in Riom after the exhibition, although a facsimile remains available for public viewing on request.
