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Symbol of multiple causes, political pretext, emblem, Joan of Arc is often reduced to a standard-bearer: ornament of the armies of Charles VIII then figure of the nation and conservative parties. However, "Joan in all her actions outside of the act of war, was simple and young; but on the act of war she was very expert, both in carrying the lance and in gathering the army in battle order and in preparing the artillery; and everyone marveled that she acted in such a prudent and wise way on the act of war, as a captain who had practiced for twenty or thirty years would have done" (Jean d'Alençon). Joan of Arc had a real military and political influence in her time and above all, she was supported by thousands of French people. "Joan, daughter of the people, was a secondary character for the great men of the kingdom, but she was always venerated by those of her milieu". This is why one of the most mythologized characters in French history is one of the most documented. Valérie Toureille proposes to rediscover Joan through new archives including the testimonies of her entourage and the history of Lorraine. She is interviewed by Mari-Gwenn Carichon. The author: Valerie Toureille is a historian, lecturer in medieval history at the University of Cergy-Pontoise. She has just published a biography of Joan of Arc with Perrin editions (431 pages, €24.00)