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Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc · Character

Pierre Cauchon

The Bishop of Beauvais who presides over Joan's trial, offering compromises he never intends to honor and setting traps he cannot quite spring.

major

Also known as Bishop Cauchon, Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais

First appearance: The Maid in Chains

As a major figure in Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, Pierre Cauchon is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Not present in this chapter; no relevant excerpt.
In the storyVIII: Joan Persuades Her InquisitorsOpen this moment free

Cauchon grants Joan a sworn limit to her testimony—'as touching the matters set down in the procès verbal'—then chafes at the protection he has accidentally given her. He and his examiner Beaupere probe her fasting, her Voices, her prayers, hoping to catch her in contempt or devil-worship, but she answers with a clearheadedness that turns their snares aside. His patient, watchful malice is the engine of the trial that will define her final and greatest chapter.

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Character Web

28 connections

A slice of how Pierre Cauchon sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

LDLouis de ConteEAEdmond AubreyHAHaumetteDLDe la TremouilleRIRichemontPCPierre Cauchon

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Joan's Supporters and Allies
  • Key Figures in Joan's Campaign and Trial
  • Joan's Adversaries and Opponents

+23 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it represents the emotional and psychological peak of Joan's suffe…

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Relationships

Relationship notes

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See Pierre Cauchon in The Maid in Chains

In the story

Pierre Cauchon appears across 26 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Pierre Cauchon in The Maid in Chains