A city of north-central France on the Loire River south-southwest of Paris. Founded by Celts and conquered by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, the city was the center of a Frankish kingdom in the sixth century and a residence of the Capetian kings in the tenth century. The English siege of Orléans (1428-1429) was lifted by troops led by Joan of Arc, the "Maid of Orléans."