Undoubtly Undead once Joan fell into the clutches of the English Charles would have had to give them all
his French possessions, plus the Sun & the Moon to get her back. But remember, Joan was initially cap-
tured not by the English but by the Burgundians, who then sat back & awaited bids on their prize captive
from both the English & the French. The former of course put up $- the latter never did. Granted, the
Burgundians were asking for much- but not as much as the English later would have. As one of Joan's
biographers has pointed out, Charles had resources- such as French towns- he could have pawned to
get the $. Or he could have exchanged Joan for, say, Talbot &/or other English lords & captains he now held as prisoner.*. But this Charles did not do, thereby abandoning Joan to her fate. Talk about gratit-
ude.
As for attacks by the French to free Joan, or undercover rescue attempts, in my reading I've discovered
little about them, & what I have found does not treat them as very big affairs.(In fact I've yet to find one authority that states any covert action was EVER undertaken to free Joan). I thus conclude- & may-
be I'm wrong here- that any attacks the French mounted were small, half-ass affairs that never had the
slightest chance of success. I doubt that they caused the English to lose any sleep!
P.S. If, everybody, you're getting the impression I don't much like Charles VII all I can say is- guilty as
charged. I know he later matured & grew into the job of King but as for his treatment of Joan- well, the
less said the better.
*- See Vita Sackville-West, SAINT JOAN OF ARC, p. 252 of the 1984, paperback edition.