 The appearance of Joan of Arc at Orléans coincided with a sudden change in the pattern of the siege.During the five months before her arrival, the defenders had attempted only one offensive assault, which had ended in defeat.On 4 May, however, the Armagnacs attacked and captured the outlying fortress of Saint Loup ("bastille de Saint-Loup"), followed on 5 May by a march to a second fortress called Saint-Jean-le-Blanc, which was found deserted.