No, this isn’t a legend. This literally *happened* and was recorded in the English trials.
>During the month October in 1430, Joan of Arc was held prisoner at the Castle of Beaurevoir by the Burgundians who had captured her. Joan had been waiting since the end of May to be ransomed back to her own forces which was the normal custom of the time for military prisoners of war. Unfortunately for Joan the English were not ever going to allow her to again lead armies against them and were negotiating with the Burgundian John of Luxemburg to have Joan sold to them. Joan knew that if she were delivered into English hands she was as good as dead because they had always yelled taunts at her that if they captured her they would burn her.
>Joan apparently knew about the negotiations to sell her to the English because she became desperate enough to attempt an escape by **jumping from the window of the tower where she was held which was at least sixty feet above the ground**.
>Later at her trial Joan explained about her escape attempt: *“I was sold to the English and I preferred to die rather than be in the hands of the English.”* Somehow Joan managed to survive the sixty foot drop that would have killed most people but **she was only knocked unconscious** and was later found by her captors ending her escape attempt.
>Asked directly whether, in leaping from the tower, she expected to kill herself, Joan replied, *”No, for as I leaped I commended myself to God.”* By leaping she hoped to escape and avoid deliverance to the English.
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No, this isn’t a legend. This literally *happened* and was recorded in the English trials.
>During the month October in 1430, Joan of Arc was held prisoner at the Castle of Beaurevoir by the Burgundians who had captured her. Joan had been waiting since the end of May to be ransomed back to her own forces which was the normal custom of the time for military prisoners of war. Unfortunately for Joan the English were not ever going to allow her to again lead armies against them and were negotiating with the Burgundian John of Luxemburg to have Joan sold to them. Joan knew that if she were delivered into English hands she was as good as dead because they had always yelled taunts at her that if they captured her they would burn her.
>Joan apparently knew about the negotiations to sell her to the English because she became desperate enough to attempt an escape by **jumping from the window of the tower where she was held which was at least sixty feet above the ground**.
>Later at her trial Joan explained about her escape attempt: *“I was sold to the English and I preferred to die rather than be in the hands of the English.”* Somehow Joan managed to survive the sixty foot drop that would have killed most people but **she was only knocked unconscious** and was later found by her captors ending her escape attempt.
http://www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_escape_attempt_bdk.asp
>Asked directly whether, in leaping from the tower, she expected to kill herself, Joan replied, *”No, for as I leaped I commended myself to God.”* By leaping she hoped to escape and avoid deliverance to the English.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Joan_of_Arc#In_prison
[This is the photo of the tower in question, which has since become known as the *”Joan of Arc Tower”*.](https://a.travel-assets.com/findyours-php/viewfinder/images/res70/474000/474229-Seine-Maritime.jpg) No bones were broken.