What happened to Marguerite de Carrouges after the duel? Recognizing the courtier, who claimed to have come to ask a favor and warm himself by the fire, she allowed him to enter the house, at which point he turned the conversation to Le Gris, saying, The squire loves you passionately, he will do anything for you, and he greatly desires to speak to you. Alarmed by the sudden shift in tone, Marguerite attempted to rebuke Louvel, only to turn around and see Le Gris, whod snuck in through the unlocked door. 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. Holofcener penned Marguerites section, and, given how little historical information there was from the Ladys side of the story, she drew from contemporary conversations about sexual assault and womens rights to imagine her perspective. Two aspiring knights stood side by side, one welcoming his first son and heir, the other acting as his godfathervirtually a family member, according to historian Eric Jager. More, The interrogation of Nikolay Bukharin.More. The knights victory saved both him and his wife, earning the formerly notorious couple wealth and prestige. And her court testimony is reduced to nothing more than her husbands scriptas Famiglietti calls itfor destroying his hated rival. He also had a reputation as a seduceror worse. While historians unanimously agree on that last part, everything else is muddled with contradictory evidence. And in fact it was a code, a manner of behavior that denied womens basic humanity.. But then, just moments after Carrouges has killed Le Gris on the battlefield, a dusty courier rides up with the astounding news that another man has confessed to the crimenews that is now too late to save the innocent Le Gris. Learn how and when to remove this template message, The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France, "L'affaire Marguerite de Carrouges, un procs qui a agit toute la France", "Un jour, une histoire. But if Marguerites story is true and Le Gris was guilty as charged, why did the squire increase his risk of being found out by bringing an accomplice in the first place? Carrouges, who was neglected by both the Count and Le Gris, grew increasingly jealous of his former comrade. Marguerite de Carrouges, descended from an old and wealthy Norman family, had claimed that in January of that year she had been attacked and raped at her mother-in-laws chteau by a squire (the rank below knighthood) named Jacques Le Gris, aided by one of his closest companions, one Adam Louvel. Carrouges choice to pursue a duel also put Marguerite in danger. Now, the story of the 1386 trial by combat is the subject of a blockbuster film of the same name. Although Jean won the duel and succeeded in defending Marguerites honor, the event would take on a controversial life of its own in the following centuries. Marguerites accusations carried serious ramifications for medieval French society. Jager, for his part, tells Medievalists.net that he never would have embarked on writing this book if I had not believed Marguerite. Le Gris lawyer, Jean Le Coq, arguably summarized the case best, noting in his journal that no one really knew the truth of the matter.. Marguerite tells her story, and she knows that she needs to be extremely consistent, despite this absolutely horrific trauma that shes just gone through, says Skoda. He had been rewarded for his long military service in the Hundred Years' War . Le Gris was the counts favorite and his administrative right hand. Jean Froissart, writing after the duel, describes Marguerite praying as she watched the fight, adding, I do not know, for I never spoke with her, whether she had not often regretted having gone so far with the matter that she and her husband were in such grave danger., Elemas interpretation of the sources differs from Jagers comparatively colorful recounting. The majority of medieval rape victims lacked the means to seek justice. At this point Le Gris himself suddenly entered the chteaus hall (aulam, probably referring to the main chamber or great hall where guests were typically received). In the end the city expelled the contagion, and the body politic was cleansed. As a result, while Le Gris and Carrouges were once friends, they become rivals. Rather than this idea of somebody, through the lens of their own experience and acculturation, not understanding their behavior. These details are wholly at odds with Marguerites court testimony about her assailants daytime visit, whose timing (if not its specific allegations) was corroborated by her mother-in-laws departure that morning and her return a few hours later that same day. 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. At the time, it was believed a woman could not conceive if she didn't enjoy sex, and therefore her pregnancy was counted against her it couldn't be rape if she was pregnant, because she must have enjoyed it. We would have looked like two tin cans. And two suspects are harder to convict than one, unless they can be turned against each other. A Note to our Readers If the mistaken-identity theory is wrong, that forces us back onto the sharp horns of a dilemma: Was Marguerite lying, or was she telling the truth? ), the duel began as a joust on horseback, with lances. Enlightenment thinkers Diderot and Voltaire favored Le Gris cause, decrying his barbaric and unjust trial by combat as an example of the supposed ignorance and cruelty of the Middle Ages, writes Jager. Attacks on me will do no harm, and silent contempt is the best answer to them. The films shifting viewpoints underscore the thorny nature of truth in Marguerites case, which divided observers both at the time and in the centuries since. Knights were one step above squires, but men of both ranks often served as vassals to higher-ranking overlords. All Rights Reserved. One identifies the supposed felon as a condemned man about to be executed, the other as a sick man on his deathbed. Carrouges immediately began a lawsuit to recover the land-based on an assumed prior claim to it. From the start, Le Gris had an advantage in the trial. Enlightenment thinkers in the 18th century adopted this revision of Le Gris character to advance their own intellectual agendas. At the time, Jager explains, trial by combat was believed to be the judgment of God, traditionally looked to heaven to assure a just and fair verdict.. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Last Duel. In particular, Carrouges loses his claims to a lucrative estate called Aunou-le-Faucon to Le Gris. 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. As Jean Le Coq, Le Gris lawyer, wrote in his private diary, No one really knew the truth of the matter.. Even a small mistake, such as misstating the day the attack happened, could result in the case being thrown out and the victim being punished for perjury. She was formerly known by her maiden name as Marguerite de Thibouville. I thought I was going to suffocate, and soon I couldnt fight them anymore. Charges against Le Gris were brought to Count Pierres court some weeks after the attack, but as the accused was a favorite of the Count, Carrouges and Marguerite were certain that they wouldnt be given a fair trial, and refused to attend the hearing. The Last Duel, starring Matt Damon and Adam Driver, tells the story of the fatal duel between knight Jean de Carrouges and squire Jacques Le Gris in 1386. People tend to think of the Middle Ages being less sophisticated than they actually are, but theres this this huge, fascinating legal tradition thats the origin of pretty much all of Western legal tradition, Elema says. Their future was assured. Privacy Statement 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. 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. The pair enjoyed a close friendship that soured when the count showered lavish gifts of land and money on Le Gris, fomenting Carrouges jealousy. What it doesn't detail is that while Marguerite gave birth to a healthy boy, the queen's son was sickly and died not long after he was born. A seasoned warrior with more fighting experience than Le Gris, Carrouges quickly rebounded from his injury, gaining the upper hand and pushing his opponent to the ground. Later encyclopedia entries echoed this view, seemingly solidifying the question of Le Gris innocence. Marguerites fate is unknown, though later historians convinced of the falsity of her claims suggested she retired to a convent out of shame. According to medical knowledge at . 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. Magazines, Digital His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Smithsonian, Los Angeles Review of Books and Comment. Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges and Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in "The Last Duel." . For Carrouges and Le Gris, whose dispute had sparked widespread interest across France, settling the case would have been viewed as either an admission of guilt or [a] false accusation, says Elema. The synopsis of the film lays out the basis for what would be the final (official) duel in French history, but as with most 'based on a true story' stories, there are always gaps between reality and fiction. Jean strode over to his proud, weeping wife, bowed and clasped her to him as the crowd roared its approval. Beyond the court the dispute was being spoken of as far as the most distant parts of the kingdom, according to the chronicler Jean Froissart. No institution could long survive so open a confutation, and it was annulled by the Parlement.. And that this incredibly heroic character, Marguerite de Carrouges, had this story that deserved to be told, Affleck told The New York Times. The film is told in three chapters, from the perspectives of Carrouges (Damon), Le Gris (Adam Driver) and Marguerite (Jodie Comer). Though its unanimously agreed that Carrouges was victorious over Le Gris in the duel, there are various accounts to what took place on Dec. 29, 1386. Jean de Carrouges and Jacques le Gris fought out their case before a vast crowd and a fascinated King Charles VI. The Last Duel stars Jodie Comer, Matt Damon and Adam Driver as three people who changed the course of French history. Greeting Marguerite, he declared that she was the lady of all the land, that he loved her the most and would do anything for her. (Jager offered feedback on the films script, suggesting historically accurate phrasing and other changes.) The historical record tends to favor men, so not much is known about the real Marguerite beyond her familys legacy and her role leading up to the duel. In his own defense, Le Gris claimed that Nicole had found nothing amiss upon her return and didnt believe her daughter-in-laws later allegations. Let's break down what happened and how the movie left its audience. The final chapter of the film, told from Marguerites perspective, refers to itself as the truth. But while that section of the story by necessity contains the most dramatization, Jager says he does support the filmmakers conclusion. Marguerite de Carrouges Marguerite, who married Carrouges in 1381, was the only daughter of Robert de Thibouville, who had once committed an act of high treason. DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. Marguerite and her husband appealed the decision. Louvels naming of Le Gris just prior to the squires own arrival would seem to put Le Gris indisputably thereunless Marguerites story was a deliberate fabrication. But conceptions of rape varied widely, with some commentators arguing that women enjoyed being taken by force and others accusing survivors of falsely accusing men in order to trick them into marriage. She was the only daughter of Jeanne de Bois Hroult and the highly controversial Robert de Thibouville, a Norman lord who had twice sided against the French king in territorial conflicts. Jean de Carrouges' wife was a controversial figure as the daughter of Robert de Thibouville, a Norman lord who had notably sided against multiple French kings in territorial disputes. The contest between Carrouges and Le Gris would turn out to be the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Paris. 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. Born in 1388, two years after the fatal duel, Juvnal, a bishop, wrote at an even greater remove in time and may have been influenced by Pintoins account. As might be expected, the deadly trial by combat before the huge crowd of spectators unfolds with genuine drama and suspense. Le Coq seems to have had some doubts about his clients truthfulness, while admitting that this was the thorniest of he said, she said cases. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. After many preliminary ceremonies decreed by tradition (an arms inspection, a series of solemn oaths, the requisite dubbing of Le Gris as a knight to make the combatants equal in rank, etc. However, by the time Marguerite's side plays out, there is no question about what happened. News back then traveled, archival research has shown, at the rate of an average days journey by horseback: about thirty miles per day. And thats ultimately why this version of the movie is more interesting to us than a movie where you prove Well, based on the evidence, he did it, and either youre a monstrous villain or youre wrongfully accused., Matt Damon as Sir Jean de Carrouges in 20th Century Studios The Last Duel., Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges and Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in The Last Duel., Adam Driver as Jacques Le Gris in The Last Duel., Adam Driver, left, as Jacques Le Gris, and Matt Damon, as Jean de Carrouges, face off in The Last Duel., Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in The Last Duel., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Halloween kills at the box office with a new horror record, as Last Duel gets slayed, Review: Ridley Scotts epic The Last Duel rebukes the patriarchy in every era, Looking for fun this Cinco de Mayo weekend? I gave her the opportunity to go get a low-cut dress in the style of the queen, which she was later shamed for wearing. They took the idea of damnation seriously. There is this paradox of the human experience where oftentimes different people come away from the same situation with different impressions of that. But that doesnt mean that women were silenced. At the heart of The Last Duel lies a historical mystery, still not definitively solved over 600 years later: was the noblewoman Marguerite de Carrouges raped by the squire Jacques Le Gris? Jean Juvnal des Ursins, who was not present at the event, wrote that right before Carrouges delivered his deathly blow, he demanded to hear the truth from Le Gris. Tanzsportclub (TSC) Pocking e.V. Marguerite also testified that Adam Louvel was the first to arrive at the chteau, and that he began his visit by urging her to ask her husband to extend the term of an outstanding loan for one hundred gold francs. 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. And not just any death. The film adaptation traces the trios relationship from its auspicious beginnings to its bloody end. She adds, If theres any gap between the act and making people aware [of it], that raises huge questions.. I mean, she was going to suffer. The lawsuit reflected very poorly on Carrouges at the court in Argentan and resulted in his further estrangement from Count Pierre's circle. Ultimately, Carrouges victory was a result of Le Gris being literally unable to get up. 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. Despite the ladys many oaths, and those of the squire, he confided to his journal, No one really knew the truth of the matter.. The third and final section, written by Holofcener, is told from Marguerites point of view. The earlier, more detailed account of the supposed confession, in Pintoins chronicle, not only differs from the other but also diverges sharply from Marguerites official testimony before the Parlement in ways that make its scenario clearly impossible. Historical scandals, much like the contemporary ones filling our tabloids, news sites, and now-ubiquitous Facebook feeds, are built on a widely shared sense of certainty about what really happeneda feeling that often belies the elusive truth. Marguerites husband, Sir Jean de Carrouges, a reputedly jealous and violent manwhose once close friendship with Le Gris had soured in recent years amid court rivalry and a protracted dispute over landwas traveling at the time of the alleged crime. Popular historical fiction abetted the theory of mistaken identity, exploiting its shock effect. Your Privacy Rights At the bottom of the social ladder were warriors, priests and laborers, who had limited rights and political influence. Her father had sided against the king twice, and . Does he truly believe his innocence at the end? Affleck reflects of Le Gris. Read more: The 23 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2021. Jager writes that following the assault, Le Gris was reported to have told Marguerite that if she were to tell anyone what has happened here, you will be dishonored. On the other, the punishment for false accusations was also death, via burning at the stake. The accused was Jacques Le Gris, who was said to have raped Jean de Carrouges's wife, Marguerite . And yet there can only be one 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. But when Jean came back she told him everything. One ground for skepticism about these two reportsapart from their priestly sources, notoriously suspicious of womenis that each tells a substantially different story. While this had no material bearing on the plot, it's an interesting detail given that in the film the queen was often panned to as the sole person to sympathise, however quietly, with Marguerite. A new film from Ridley Scott dramatizes the 1386 trial by combat of a medieval man accused of a horrific crime. There is a brief coda that reveals Marguerite outlived her husband and never remarried. de Carrouges knows that even the King is biased against him, and decides to ask for a trial by duel, in which God decides the outcome by letting the liar die. That meant that Holofcener had to create Marguerites world and inner life from scratch. She had the potential of suffering dearly and dying, but at that point she was just tired of having no voice., Below, everything thats known about Le Gris and Carrouges, Marguerites accusations, and the so-called last duel.. The Last Duel ending explained - how close is it to the true story of Marguerite de Carrouges? Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco pipes of those who diffuse it; it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker. Eric Jagers 2004 book, The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France, is a case of truth being stranger than fiction. And thats one of the things we didnt focus as much on: They truly believed God would make happen whatever was the fair thing to happen, so it would be Gods will. 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.. Of course, the movie is about much more than just the duel, as is the true story so here's what went down. Marguerites father, Robert de Thibouville, had once betrayed the king of France, and some may have wondered whether this traitors daughter was in fact telling the truth. According to Jager, the court may have feared taking sides and arousing even more controversy, deciding instead to grant the knights request, authorize a duel and leave the whole perplexing matter in the hands of God., Five contemporary or near-contemporary chronicles offer accounts of what happened when Le Gris and Carrouges met on December 29, 1386. Some have echoed Count Pierres dismissive decree, saying that Marguerite made it all up, perhaps to cover up an affair with another man. | READ MORE. The forty-page story Le jugement de Dieu begins with throngs of excited, gossiping Parisians arriving at Saint-Martins field to watch the long-awaited duel. When Carrouges returned home three or four days after Marguerites rape, he found his wife sad and tearful, always unhappy in expression and demeanor, and not at all her usual self. She waited until the two were alone before revealing what had happened and urging her husband to seek vengeance against Le Gris. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine And the lords of France delighted to see it, for they had come to watch the two men fight. Besides the resolution to a deadlocked legal case, the duel also provided eagerly anticipated blood sport for the nobility. Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) c. 1419) was a French noblewoman. Affleck, Damon, Holofcener, Comer and Jager talked us through what is and isnt accurate in The Last Duel and why the filmmakers made the narrative changes they did. When Marguerite told Le Gris that he must not speak to her in this way, he seized her by the hand, forced her to sit down beside him on a bench, and told her that he knew all about her husbands recent money troubles, offering to pay her well. She was a noblewoman originally from an . The film, set amid the brutality of the Hundred Years' War, is divided into three chapters the "truth" according to Carrouges (played by Damon), Le Gris (Adam Driver) and finally, Marguerite (Jodie Comer). Women of that status, on these feudal estates, were in charge of a lot of things, especially when their husbands were away at war or on important business. As noted in the 1850s by the Norman historian Alfred de Caix, one of the few to credit her story, Marguerites testimony is impressively circumstantial and detailed. Certain details in her account raise serious problems for the mistaken-identity theory. However, Voltaire only acknowledged Marguerite insofar as he claimed all these fights were fought for women. Neither DArgis nor Voltaire mentioned Marguerite by name. Image via 20th Century Studios. Co-writers Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon had their work cut out for them trying to fill the gaps. I think the film makes the right choice [in portraying her story]., Comer agrees. After the fatal duel, the truth comes out: Sometime later, a criminal on the point of atoning for his other crimes confessed that he was guilty of the odious act of which Le Gris had been accused. Figures like Locke, Rousseau and Voltaireconsidered by some modern historians an early feministmade compelling cases for human rights, gender equality and the natural dignity of all peoples regardless of age, gender or race, which makes the Enlightenments widespread acceptance of the medieval narrative that Le Gris was innocent and refusal to consider Marguerites perspective all the more surprising and even hypocritical. Known as the judgment of God, these ordeals were thought to have a divinely ordained outcome, with the loser proving his guilt by the very act of defeat. It also fascinated writers in future centuries, with authors such as Voltaire and Diderot seeing Le Gris as an innocent man wronged by a barbaric system. According to Pintoin, Marguerite and her assailant dined together before the attack, and it was while showing him to his room for the night that he assaulted her. He doesnt even recognize it. Readers in the US are encouraged to contactRAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673. The event marked the first meeting between Carrouges wifedescribed by a contemporary chronicler as beautiful, good, sensible and modestand Le Gris. A woman's long hair, meanwhile, "is her glory.". It's long and gory and ends with de Carrouges stabbing Le Gris through the mouth (in real life, it was the throat), proving Marguerite to have been telling the truth. The origins of The Last Duel begin in January 1368, when Marguerite de Carrouges claimed she was raped by Jacques Le Gris, a squire. French law stipulated that noblemen appealing their cause to the king could challenge the accused to a judicial duel, or trial by combat. Then gently, he asked Marguerite to tell them what had happened. The two combatants sat their horses very prettily, writes Froissart, for both were skilled in arms. 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. Enraged, Jean rode to Paris and appealed to King Charles VI, challenging Le Gris to a duel, an uncommon way for nobles to settle capital offenses. 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. Le Gris window arrived on January 18, when Marguerite happened to be left alone with just one maidservant. Gross! At the time of the attack, Jean de Carrouges was away on a trip to Paris from which he would return a few days later. The screenwriters changed the scene to allow for more nuance. Die Tanzsportkompetenz im Landkreis Passau Queen Charlotte review: A Bridgerton triumph, Michelle Yeoh stars in trailer for new Poirot film, EastEnders announces eating disorder story for Ben, I'm a Celebrity airs trial twist for new campers, Deadpool 3 to bring back unexpected X-Force member, Robert Downey Jr's new movie coming to Netflix, Gran Turismo trailer release confirmed with teaser, Grange Hill reboot movie gets an exciting update, Steven Spielberg talks ET editing "mistake", New Exorcist movie confirms title and plot. Although now losing blood, Carrouges mounted a daring counterattack and fought on so stoutly that he managed to throw his opponent to the ground. According to Marguerite, Le Gris (played in the film by Adam Driver) traveled to her familys chateau in Capomesnil where she was staying on January 18, 1386 and raped her. The dominant belief that women had to enjoy sex in order to conceive further complicated matters, leaving those impregnated by their rapists on even shakier legal ground. Nevertheless, Carrouges, who believed his wife, stabbed the sword into the body underneath and made him die., While Jager and other historians may never know the truth, Affleck and The Last Duel writers feel strongly that Marguerites account is the accurate one.
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