# Peter Cauchon — Saint Joan character guide > Peter Cauchon in Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Cauchon, the real Cauchon, Archbishop, The Archbishop, The Archbishop Peter Cauchon, Pious Peter, Cauchon Sternly, Cauchon Hopefully, Cauchon Impossible, Cauchon Rising, Cauchon Brother Martin, Cauchon Messire John de Stogumber, Cauchon Fiercely, Cauchon Glass-dell, Cauchon Wretch, Cauchon Flaming, Cauchon Woman, Cauchon Amen, Cauchon Relaxing, Cauchon These English **First appearance:** 0046-scene-iv ## Snapshot The Bishop of Beauvais, a churchman of genuine conviction who sees in Joan's private revelations a threat to the whole Christian order. ## Who they are Cauchon is no cartoon villain: he believes the Church's authority over souls must be defended, and Joan's claim to direct divine instruction strikes at its foundation. He presides over her trial as a man doing what he thinks is right, which makes him more frightening than any scoundrel. His collision with Joan forces the play to ask whether institutional order and individual inspiration can ever coexist. ## Relationships ### [Joan of Arc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/joan_of_arc) _rivalry_ Cauchon, as a church authority, prosecutes Joan for heresy in a trial that pits her faith against institutional power. ### [King Charles VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/king_charles_vii) _rivalry_ Charles VII and Cauchon are political enemies, as Cauchon supports the English claim to the French throne. ### [Warwick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/warwick) _professional_ Cauchon and Warwick collaborate politically to ensure Joan's condemnation, though Cauchon claims ecclesiastical motives. ### [The Inquisitor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/the_inquisitor) _professional_ Cauchon and the Inquisitor work together in Joan's trial, representing church and inquisitional authority. ### [Dunois](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/dunois) _rivalry_ Dunois despises Cauchon as a traitorous French bishop who sides with the English against Joan. ### [Joan of Arc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/joan_of_arc) _rivalry_ Cauchon, as a church authority, prosecutes Joan for heresy in a trial that pits her faith against institutional power. ## In the story ### [Preface to Saint Joan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/preface-to-saint-joan) Bishop of Beauvais who presided over Joan's trial; Shaw examines his motives and the legal process. ### [Was Joan Innocent or Guilty?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/was-joan-innocent-or-guilty) One of Joan's judges, whose actions are often unfairly maligned by later sectarian narratives. ### [Protestant Misunderstandings of the Middle Ages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/protestant-misunderstandings-of-the-middle-ages) Bishop of Beauvais, judge at Joan's trial, misrepresented as a scoundrel by Protestant writers. ### [Comparative Fairness of Joan’s Trial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/comparative-fairness-of-joan-s-trial) Threatened and insulted by the English for being too considerate to Joan. ### [Joan Not Tried as a Political Offender](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/joan-not-tried-as-a-political-offender) Cauchon is mentioned as the bishop who presided over Joan's trial, later vilified and his body thrown into a sewer after the rehabilitation. ### [The Church Uncompromised by Its Amends](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-church-uncompromised-by-its-amends) Mentioned as a conscientious priest and lawyer, more self-disciplined than any English judge in a political case. ### [Variability of Toleration](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/variability-of-toleration) Mentioned as a trained ecclesiastic whose scruples would seem ridiculous to a modern judge. ### [The Conflict Between Genius and Discipline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-conflict-between-genius-and-discipline) Referenced as the archbishop who was among those Joan ordered about, highlighting the inversion of ecclesiastical authority. ### [Modern Distortions of Joan’s History](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/modern-distortions-of-joan-s-history) Portrayed in the melodramatic legend as the wicked bishop, a distortion Shaw critiques. ### [A Void in the Elizabethan Drama](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/a-void-in-the-elizabethan-drama) Mentioned as a figure who would be misrepresented by Shakespeare as a tyrant and bully rather than a Catholic. ### [Tragedy Not Melodrama](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/tragedy-not-melodrama) Portrayed not as a rascally bishop but as a capable and eloquent exponent of The Church Militant, avoiding the melodramatic villain trope. ### [The Inevitable Flatteries of Tragedy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-inevitable-flatteries-of-tragedy) Shaw notes that the real Cauchon was not a scoundrel, but the play flatters him by making him more conscious of his role as a representative of the Church. ### [Saint Joan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/saint-joan) The bishop who presides over Joan's trial. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/peter_cauchon - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters