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Jean de Carrouges | Historica Wiki | Fandom Yet Adam Louvel reportedly confessed to nothing, not even under torture. 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. Scott and the films stunt coordinator used the outline of the actual combat to create something slightly more exciting for the screen. If Carrouges won the duel, the couple would go free, their claims vindicated. 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. The origins of The Last Duel begin in January 1368, when Marguerite de Carrouges claimed she was raped by Jacques Le Gris, a squire. They were very religious. 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. Part Two will use the medieval sources to reconstruct what really happened in the combat, using . She continued shouting for help, she says, until silenced by Le Gris hood. Duels of honor, as well as judicial duels authorized by other governing bodies, continued to take place centuries after Carrouges triumph. The film adaptation traces the trios relationship from its auspicious beginnings to its bloody end. | I would call that historically accurate, even though we dont have direct testimony that Marguerite did this or that at the time.. Marguerites fate is unknown, though later historians convinced of the falsity of her claims suggested she retired to a convent out of shame. 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. The True Story Behind Ridley Scott's The Last Duel - Film School Rejects The True Story Behind the Last Duel | by Nick Howard - Medium 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 attorney, the highly respected Jean Le Coq, kept notes in Latin that still survive, allowing us a glimpse into attorney-client discussions. French law stipulated that noblemen appealing their cause to the king could challenge the accused to a judicial duel, or trial by combat. Though Scotts film and its source text afford the fight the weighty title of the last duel, Le Gris trial by combat was far from the last duel to ever take place. Only in the final section of the film, when Marguerite is allowed to speak for herself, does the truth of the mens personalities emerge: Carrougesa jealous and contentious man, in Jagers wordsis mainly concerned with saving his own pride. Real History That Inspired "The Last Duel" Feels Very Timely The Parlement ultimately failed to reach a verdict, and in September it officially ordered a trial by combat, wherein theoryGod would assure a just outcome. Eventually, you have the two men on the ground, fighting with hand weapons rather than lances.. Marguerite's story: the true tale behind The Last Duel Skoda and Elema argue that Marguerites case exemplifies the complexity of medieval society, which is often painted in broad, reductive strokes. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Louvel. Damon and Affleck took the dialogue directly from Jagers book. We dont have transcripts or historical records that say that on a given day [Marguerite] was doing this or something of that nature, but thats completely consistent with what such women did, the author confirms. 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.. 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. She gave birth to a son, Robert, shortly before Le Gris trial by combat. Much like Jagers book, the film doesnt offer a sympathetic portrayal of either of its leading men. The Last Duel: What Happened To Every Character In Real Life - ScreenRant Marguerite remained silent of her ordeal for several days, until her husband's return on the 21 or 22 January. This cruel error moved the Parlement to systematically reject all appeals for the duelThis was the end of judicial combat., A similar story is retailed by the famed eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (191011), which likewise gives the erroneous date of 1385 and has the rapist attacking the lady by night, although here in the guise of her husband as she awaits his return from the Crusadesan implausible bed trick recalling the story of Martin Guerre. Medieval law treated rape as a horrific crime on par with other capital offenses. Carrouges, without whom his wife could not even bring a case, resolutely rode off to Paris to appeal for justice to the king. No one really knew the truth of the matter. Really embracing the kind of freedom that gave her. Marguerite, who married Carrouges in 1381, was the only daughter of Robert de Thibouville, who had once committed an act of high treason Jacques Le Gris Le Gris is most famous for being. But if Marguerites husband and champion lost, thus proving her accusation to be false, she too would be put to death. It was the equivalent of a kind of forensics case., Damon adds, It was the case about one very evil man doing something everybody recognized was evil. 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). Charles I, Duke of Elbeuf - Wikipedia The Last Duel ending explained - what is the true story? - Digital Spy Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. 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. 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. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie stars Matt Damon as Carrouges, Adam Driver as Le Gris and Jodie Comer as Carrouges' second wife, Marguerite. The book, exhaustively compiled from existing documents and records, recounts how Carrouges' wife, Marguerite, accused Le Gris of rape, leading to the pair fighting to the death with. Jean de Carrouges | Military Wiki | Fandom 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. A Note to our Readers Charles I de Lorraine, duc d'Elbeuf (Joinville, 18 October 1556 - Moulins, 4 August 1605) was a French noble, military commander and governor during the French Wars of Religion.The son of the most minor cadet house of the children of Claude, Duke of Guise, Elbeuf initially lacked the prominence of his cousins, however his succession to the Rieux inheritance made him important. 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. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie stars Matt Damon as Carrouges, Adam Driver as Le Gris and Jodie Comer as Carrouges second wife, Marguerite. But when he returned a few days later and heard his wifes story, he angrily brought charges against Le Gris in the court of Count Pierre of Alenon, overlord to both men. Forced into an upstairs bedroom, she tried to escape by running through a door at the other end of the room but was blocked from doing so by Le Gris. 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. Rather than this idea of somebody, through the lens of their own experience and acculturation, not understanding their behavior. In Marguerite's version, which the movie frames as 'the truth' (rather than the truth according to whomever) her protests are loud and clear as she screams for help. Spoiler alert: The following story includes details from the historical account behind the new film The Last Duel and narrative twists specific to the film. 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 your husband hears of it, he may kill you. Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. Still, the theory cannot plausibly account for Louvels having named Le Gris while in conversation with Marguerite. It is one thing to slander, another to accuse. Its a moment that underscores the timely nature of the films message: that we cannot be blind to the perspectives of others. 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. 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. After dismounting, Carrouges and Le Gris fought on foot with swords, both very valiantly. But Le Gris managed to get within Carrouges defenses and wound him in the thigh. 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. In his alibi, Le Gris himself cited the narrow window of time available for his alleged visit, strictly during daylight hours. 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. 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. It is incumbent on us to be good people, to overcome that and to see more broadly and with empathy, Affleck says. Le Gris, a large and powerful man with a reputation as a womanizer, is too self-centered to acknowledge the unwanted nature of his advances and too self-assured to believe that, once the deed is done, Marguerite will follow through on her threat of seeking justice. I came in after Matt and Ben decided to do it this way, but they wanted to make it a little more gray. Ultimately, that [would have been] a movie about a courtroom evidence drama, Affleck explains. Like today, sexual assault and rape often went unpunished and even unreported in the Middle Ages. With the understanding that your truth may not be somebody elses truth. 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. The Last Duel, Part 2: Death by Sodomy | HROARR 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. Two separate alibis are harder to disprove than one. If youd rather experience the film first, please save this to read after watching. Medieval trial by combat: the real history behind The Last Duel According. Lied, by Eugne Lomont, c. 1895. That meant that Holofcener had to create Marguerites world and inner life from scratch. The theory of mistaken identity ultimately derives from two sources that began circulating more than a decade after the duel. Terms of Use Barons like Afflecks character, Count Pierre dAlencon, owned land and often acted as feudal lords, providing property and protection to vassalsthe term for any man sworn to serve anotherin exchange for their service. The Last Duel ending explained - how close is it to the true story of Marguerite de Carrouges? Marguerite de Thibouville (a very different character from Comer's Villanelle in Killing Eve) was the only daughter of Robert de Thibouville, a wealthy Norman lord viewed as a traitor for siding against the French king in territorial disputes with England. 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.. 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. Nearly everyone believed then and believes now that Marguerite was raped. The film shows Le Gris stripped and hanged by the ankle in the town square. The penalty for bearing false witness is that you are to be burned alive, an official tells Marguerite in the movies trailer. Only Le Gris alibi survives in the court records, but if Louvel had separate witnesses who placed him elsewhere at the time of the crime, their testimony would have exonerated Le Gris as well, just as Le Gris alibi would have helped exonerate Louvel. The Last Duel True Story: What Ridley Scott's Movie Is About - ScreenRant By unequivocally believing Marguerite, the screenwriters offer that same sense of empathy to all women who follow her. Of the judicial duels that actually took place, few ended in death. Despite the ladys many oaths, and those of the squire, he confided to his journal, No one really knew the truth of the matter.. I will not be silent, she responds, teary-eyed but defiant. One identifies the supposed felon as a condemned man about to be executed, the other as a sick man on his deathbed. A Judicial Duel, byLieven van Lathem, 1464. This tangled and still-controversial case leaves many tantalizing questions, not least of all why Jacques Le Gris did it, if indeed he did. Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) c. 1419) was a French noblewoman. They took the idea of damnation seriously. (At this point, the two men were in their late 50s, which places Damon at close to the right age for his role but Driver a good generation off the mark. . Knights were one step above squires, but men of both ranks often served as vassals to higher-ranking overlords. Jean de Carrouges stabbed him through the throat with a 6-inch blade, killing his arch-nemesis immediately. The films version of the brutal fight is a more cinematic variation on what Jager reconstructed in his book, but its reasonably close to what may have transpired. We read that the queen had pierced nipples and that the dress was almost low enough that you could maybe see them., Comer adds, There was one painting of her that, over time, was completely worn out, just because of time and everything else. I want justice! I would have had to have taken this many horses, and I didnt have time to get back. It would have become about whether or not it could have been him, or it must have been somebody else. 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. One of the chroniclers talks about an opening joust, but I had to elaborate a little bit on how a joust like that would unfold with lances broken. Managed by: Boaz Pijp. 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. Its also significant that the Parlement of Paris found Marguerites story credible enough to vacate Count Pierres official exoneration of Le Gris and to authorize the rare judicial duel, whose official purpose, however doubtful the procedure may seem today, was to determine the truth in cases where witness testimony and other evidence was insufficient for reaching a verdict. 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. 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. There is this paradox of the human experience where oftentimes different people come away from the same situation with different impressions of that. Her story is detailed and persuasive, and she ran such a great risk to speak up at a time when women were supposed to keep silent about such things. It was a patriarchal and deeply misogynist [time]. 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. Halloween Kills, the latest entry in the blockbuster horror franchise, and period drama The Last Duel face different fates in theaters this weekend.