Born into a noble Norman family around the 1330s, Carrouges met Le Gris, a lower-born man who rose through the ranks by virtue of his own political savvy, while both were serving as vassals of Count Pierre. Before the duel, Le Gris had asked in all the monasteries of Paris that God should pray for him. You know whether my cause is just and true. She replied, My Lord, it is so, and you can fight with confidence, for the cause is just. And so Le Gris trial by combat began. And not just any death. Marguerite had no one who could confirm her story: her husband Jean de Carrogues (played by Matt Damon) had set out on a journey to Paris to collect some desperately needed funds and the servants were out for the day with Marguerites mother-in-law. Did Le Gris stumble? Let's break down what happened and how the movie left its audience. Le Gris window arrived on January 18, when Marguerite happened to be left alone with just one maidservant. The contest between Carrouges and Le Gris would turn out to be the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Paris. Le Gris and Carrouges were once very close. Should Carrouges lose, Marguerite will be burned at the stake for perjury. Froissart portrays Marguerite, who had recently given birth to a son, praying to the Virgin as she anxiously awaits her fate. And her court testimony is reduced to nothing more than her husbands scriptas Famiglietti calls itfor destroying his hated rival. It states that Le Gris innocence was later recognized by all, for a man condemned to death by the law confessed to having committed the heinous crime. And in fact it was a code, a manner of behavior that denied womens basic humanity.. The actor continues, Its an anti-chivalry movie in some sense because the great illusion of chivalry is that it was about [protecting] the innocent female. de Carrouges also says that she must have sex with him, as Le Gris can't be the last person to have 'known' her Marguerite is, effectively, raped again. If Carrouges had lost, she wouldve suffered her own consequences according to Jager, this wouldve meant being burned alive at the stake. That testimony takes up nearly a thousand words of Latin in the Parlements official summary of the case, preserved today at the Archives Nationales, on the Right Bank, in the Marais, a short walk from the old priory where the battle unfolded on that cold winter day. The movie follows the claim by Marguerite de Carrouges (Comer) that she is raped by her husband Jean's friend and squire Jacques Le Gris (Driver). Is history repeating itself? ), Whether Carrouges and Le Gris actually ended their quarrel at this point is debatable. Skoda adds, Its all too tempting to talk about the Middle Ages as this horrible, misogynist, patriarchal, oppressive society, as a way of even implicitly just saying, Look how far weve come. Whereas to complicate what things looked like in the 14th century complicates what were doing now.. Insight and analysis from renowned writers and thinkers. But the doubts greeting Marguerites scandalous story, the initial rejection of her claims in court, and the shadow cast over her reputation by the later chronicle accounts are not so different from the skepticism and prejudice faced by more recent victims of sexual assault. And if the Parlement of Paris could not establish even the basic facts, theres little chance of our discovering hidden motives all of these centuries later. As might be expected, the deadly trial by combat before the huge crowd of spectators unfolds with genuine drama and suspense. When he leaves he says she should tell no one, especially her husband because he might kill her if he finds out. The True Story Of 'The Last Duel': Historians Still Debate Marguerite The author would like to thank Eric Jager for his correspondence regarding this piece. Family and marriage. Later encyclopedia entries echoed this view, seemingly solidifying the question of Le Gris innocence. As Damon tells the New York Times, this segment is kind of an original screenplay because that world of women had to be almost invented and imagined out of whole cloth., The gripping true story of the duel to end all duels in medieval France as a resolute knight defends his wifes honor against the man she accuses of a heinous crime. The events leading to the duel were described at great length in Jean Froissart's Chronicles (a prose history of the Hundred Years' War written in the 14th century by Jean Froissart) though director Ridley Scott's screenplay was adapted from Eric Jager's The Last Duel book. Holofcener adhered to historical fact in terms of how Marguerite spoke, what she did and how she behaved, but the rest is a dramatization. The Last Duel ending explained - what is the true story? Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in 'The Last Duel', Patrick Redmond 2021 20th Century Studios, Adam Driver as Jacques LeGris and Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges in 'The Last Duel', Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges and Adam Driver as Jacques LeGris in 'The Last Duel', What America's Richest Ski Town's Handling of COVID-19 Shows. Louvel then added a greeting from Jacques Le Gris, who he said greatly admired her and was eager to speak with her. However, Le Gris insisted on his right to testify before Parliament, leaving the door open for Carrouges to request a duel. After Marguerites rape, Carrouges petitions the French court to try Le Gris through judicial combat. While the Enlightenment looks more familiar to modern eyes than the more distant Middle Ages, intellectual and cultural development is not a straight line. According to court documents and testimony, Le Gris accomplice, Adam Louvel (Adam Nagaitis), participated in the rape. From a practical perspective, pulling back on the brutality of the moment was also essential for simply getting the audience to sit through the scene. Much like Jagers book, the film doesnt offer a sympathetic portrayal of either of its leading men. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Smithsonian, Los Angeles Review of Books and Comment. Magazines, The 23 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2021, No one really knew the truth of the matter., Or create a free account to access more articles. In the end the city expelled the contagion, and the body politic was cleansed. On the other, the punishment for false accusations was also death, via burning at the stake. The original fortifications at Carrouges were besieged and destroyed by English forces during the Hundred Years War. While some touched by scandal may resurrect their lives and reputations, others never will: what happened, or is said to have happened, may follow them even through the pages of history. I came in after Matt and Ben decided to do it this way, but they wanted to make it a little more gray. Their future was assured. A Judicial Duel, byLieven van Lathem, 1464. What was in the film was the pair's reconciliation, which took place in 1384 in which Le Gris and de Carrouges agreed to put the past behind them, and de Carrouges introduced Le Gris to his wife Marguerite. An intensely personal rivalry, exacerbated by a series of failed legal cases brought by Carrouges, emerged between the onetime friends. A large and powerful man, Le Gris was well educated and very wealthy, though from an only recently ennobled family. Le Gris raped me., Le Gris countered with a detailed alibi for not just the day in question but the entire week, calling numerous witnesses to establish his whereabouts in or near another town some twenty-five miles away. Carrouges III had been rewarded for his long military service in . The real-life "Last Duel" between Le Gris and de Carrouges that inspired Ridley Scott's The Last Duel was a famous incident that captivated fourteenth-century France. The face-off shown in Ridley Scotts The Last Duel may have been the final court-sanctioned judicial combat in France, but the conversation around the events that led to it is anything but finished. Diderots Encyclopdie and Voltaires Histoire du Parlement de Paris used the 1386 affair to denounce the supposed ignorance and cruelty of the Middle Ages. . Centuries later the story of the innocent Le Gris falsely accused and forced to defend himself in a barbaric and unjust trial by combat was further popularized by Enlightenment thinkers. You have reached your limit of free articles. We wanted to examine that. An elaborate example appeared in 1829, just a few years after Du Bois conjecture that the accused squire had been mistaken for a look-alike, in Lhistorial du jongleur, an anonymous collection of medieval tales. If her husband lost she would be found guilty of perjury. Scott and the films stunt coordinator used the outline of the actual combat to create something slightly more exciting for the screen. From an absolute philosophical point of view, nobody but Jacques Le Gris and Marguerite and those who were in the room know the truth, Jager says. Thats the research we did and the legend of the story he thought he was in love with her and did not rape her. | READ MORE. Your Privacy Rights The squire then threw her onto a bed but could not hold her down without help from Louvel, who rushed back into the room on Le Gris orders to help his friend subdue and finally rape Marguerite. According to medical knowledge at . The screenwriters changed the scene to allow for more nuance. Jager counts the film as at least 75 percent historically accurate, maybe more, noting that while evidence may not exist for specific moments, there is a general record that supports the re-creation. Marguerite was forced to watch from a wooden tower on the battlefield (also in view of the many spectators who came to watch) while chained to the floor, awaiting her potential death sentence. (Le Gris and Carrouges both started out as squires and vassals to Count Pierre, but Carrouges was knighted for his military service in 1385.) And even if the assailant, as Pintoin claims, had actually (and contra the actual testimony) made his visit late in the day, its wholly unlikely that Marguerite, who must have been very familiar with her husbands complaints against the squire, would have offered a meal and overnight lodging to her husbands rival (or to a man she mistook for the same), especially during her husbands absence. And some, invoking the most popular theory, acknowledge the rape but say that Marguerite mistakenly accused the wrong man, an honest but tragic error that robbed Le Gris of his life, fortune, and good name. The lawsuit reflected very poorly on Carrouges at the court in Argentan and resulted in his further estrangement from Count Pierre's circle. And that this incredibly heroic character, Marguerite de Carrouges, had this story that deserved to be told, Affleck told The New York Times. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Say nothing, and I will keep quiet, too. In response, Marguerite said, I will keep quiet. Medieval trial by combat: the real history behind The Last Duel Many skepticsincluding chroniclers, historians, partisans, and even historical novelistshave cast doubt on the official verdict. [4] The case dragged on for some months until ultimately Count Pierre was forced to visit his cousin King Charles VI to officially confirm his ownership of the land and his right to give it to whomever of the followers he chose. We gathered from research that she was really capable and educated, Holofcener says. These events have gotten a cinematic depiction in Ridleys Scotts new medieval epic, The Last Duel, written by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Nicole Holofcener and now playing in theaters nationwide. DArgis account did not grapple with whether Marguerites testimony was valid, but instead chose to emphasize the duels injustice towards Le Gris and the futility of Le Gris prayers. Duels of honor, as well as judicial duels authorized by other governing bodies, continued to take place centuries after Carrouges triumph. Sir Jacques le Gris (lit. Here are our top 10 picks, Super Mario Bros. Movie hits $1 billion, is No. That was really sad. Despite the lack of witnesses, Le Gris certainly had motive and opportunity. Carrouges choice to pursue a duel also put Marguerite in danger. The majority of medieval rape victims lacked the means to seek justice. Carrouges had accused Le Gris of raping his wife, Marguerite de Carrouges, ne de Thibouville, some months before. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Louvel. With the duel concluded, Froissart continues, Jacques Le Gris body was delivered to the executioner of Paris, who dragged it to Montfaucon and hung it there. For months afterward, at the great stone gibbet on the infamous hilltop outside the citys northern gates, this grisly sight greeted any townsman or traveler passing by. The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in What actually transpired was a battle of wants, customs, and legality that set the stage for the rivalry between de Carrouges and le Gris. His scholarly work focuses on the intellectual history of virtue in Renaissance Naples. Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Of course, as was likely true in real life as well, no one in the film seemed to care about Marguerite's fate; after all, a crime of rape against a wife was considered a crime against the husband, and a property crime at that since women were mere objects to be possessed. The penalty for bearing false witness is that you are to be burned alive, an official tells Marguerite in the movies trailer. Privacy Statement When Matt and Ben Met Nicole: How They Came to Write 'The Last Duel If youd rather experience the film first, please save this to read after watching. Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. After The Last Duel's real-life story, Marguerite went on to have two more children and settled in Normandy and Paris, enjoying the celebrity status that she and her . Rather, it was the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Parisa decision possibly motivated by the decidedly unchivalrous nature of the event. DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. In the six centuries after the quarrel ended, however, the moral that was to be derived from it changed considerably. Terms of Use I think the film makes the right choice [in portraying her story]., Comer agrees. The two men seized her by the arms and legs, she testified, and dragged her up a nearby stairway, while she struggled and shouted for help. Le Gris attorney, the highly respected Jean Le Coq, kept notes in Latin that still survive, allowing us a glimpse into attorney-client discussions. Yet Adam Louvel reportedly confessed to nothing, not even under torture. In court, he also claimed to have seen Marguerite only twice in his entire life: during the Parlements official inquiry, and also not less than two years earlier at a social gathering at the home of a mutual friend, Jean Crespin, where Carrouges and Le Gris apparently put aside their recent quarrels and Carrouges ordered his wife to kiss Le Gris as a sign of renewed friendship. That meant that Holofcener had to create Marguerites world and inner life from scratch. (Image credit: 20th Century Studios) . The Last Duel hair: Why the movie made Matt Damon look so awful. Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) - c. 1419) was a French. Marguerites fate is unknown, though later historians convinced of the falsity of her claims suggested she retired to a convent out of shame. Jean de Carrouges and Jacques le Gris fought out their case before a vast crowd and a fascinated King Charles VI. He likewise claims that Marguerite had been deceived about her attackers identity, although the supposed truth comes out under rather different circumstances: Later it was discovered that [Le Gris] had not really done it, but that it had been done by another, who died of illness in his bed and, at the moment of death, confessed before others that he had done the deed.. While historians unanimously agree on that last part, everything else is muddled with contradictory evidence. The view that Marguerite was lyinga conjecture unsupported by any evidence, apart from Le Gris dubious alibiholds either that she concocted the rape story herself, perhaps to cover an adultery, or that it was extorted from her by her opportunistic husband in order to avenge himself on his rival. There is still a trial, though, and just as in reality, Marguerite is now pregnant. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? When Marguerite adamantly refused his offer, saying she had no wish for his money, the violence escalated. The True Story Behind The Last Duel and History's Attempt to Erase It 1 for 4 weeks, Jack Nicholson returns courtside to cheer beloved Lakers to playoff win, Aging beloved YA author Judy Blumes inevitable foil isnt so bad after all. So there was just no doubt for me that this woman was telling the truth. John-Paul Heil is a Ph.D candidate in early modern history at the University of Chicago and an adjunct professor of history and the liberal arts at Mount St. Marys University in Maryland. That July, at the old royal palace on the le de la Cit, the knight formally challenged the squire, throwing down the gauntlet, as witnessed by the young Charles VI, many other royals, and the magistrates of the Parlement of Paris, the nations highest court. While the film might appear to be Hollywood fiction, it is actually based on accounts of what happened following a heinous assault on Carrouges' wife. Marguerite claimed that Nicole took with her nearly all of the household servants, including a maidservant whom Jean had specifically instructed never to leave Marguerites side, thus leaving Marguerite virtually alone.. If your husband hears of it, he may kill you. Are we seeing how others experience things?. The nonfiction work catalogs the events leading up to Frances last government-sanctioned trial by combat, held between Jean de Carrouges and his former friend, Jacques Le Gris. Her life was pretty bad being married to Jean de Carrouges and so when she was violated, she had nothing to lose, really. This tangled and still-controversial case leaves many tantalizing questions, not least of all why Jacques Le Gris did it, if indeed he did. But we wanted to do it through the lens of this situation. It was really trying to understand those types of dynamics and her place within the home and in society.. Marguerite replied that she had no wish to speak with Le Gris, and that Louvel should stop his overtures at once. We gave this great filmmaker the opportunity to dramatize the essence of it and make it compelling to an audience, rather than do literally what happened.. Also, after the sudden deaths of his wife and only son and heir, Carrouges marries again to a younger woman, the heiress Marguerite de Thibouville. Shes going to face some kind of penalty. Instead of being executed, however, most women on the losing side of rape cases endured custodial or financial [punishment], which in medieval terms is kind of the end of everything anyway, according to Skoda. Ultimately, Carrouges victory was a result of Le Gris being literally unable to get up. The last judicial duel in France hinged on whether a woman could be believed. Her father had sided against the king twice, and . A bit of a crash courseon medieval France: At the top of society was the king, advised by his high council, the Parlement of Paris. Why The Last Duel's 3 Story Structure Felt Dangerous To Jodie Comer Following Robert dAlenons death, the Counts brother, Pierre, took over the court. Marguerites claim that Louvel mentioned Le Gris by name is especially telling, for it is hard to fit this detail into a plausible scenario in which she is genuinely mistaken, as many have claimed she was, about the identity of her assailants, particularly Le Gris. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Its a moment that underscores the timely nature of the films message: that we cannot be blind to the perspectives of others.
