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. But the overwhelming likelihood is that she was telling the truth. After Marguerites rape, Carrouges petitions the French court to try Le Gris through judicial combat. What actually transpired was a battle of wants, customs, and legality that set the stage for the rivalry between de Carrouges and le Gris. Ben Affleck co-wrote the script with Damon and Nicole Holofcener and appears as a feudal lord and compatriot of both leading men. More, To make a more perfect union, dont look to the Founding Fathers. The film splits its focus between Le Gris, Jean, and Marguerite, with Le Gris and Jeans portions of the story written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Marguerites written by Nicole Holofcener. As Jager explains, With a motive, revenge against the knight, and a means, the seduction of his wife, all [Le Gris] needed now was an opportunity.. Cookie Policy 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. It was evident that it was going to be an exploration of the dynamics of power, roots of misogyny and survival in medieval France., Paramount+s 'Fatal Attraction' Series Follows The Movies Alternate Ending, 11 Photos Of The 'Fatal Attraction' TV Cast Vs. Their 1987 Movie Counterparts, Molly Ringwald Turned Down 'Pretty Woman' Due To An Early Script's Ick Factor, Zendaya Explained An Awkward Part Of Her 'Dune' Romance With Timothe Chalamet, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. (Jager offered feedback on the films script, suggesting historically accurate phrasing and other changes.) Per historian Kathryn Gravdal, a register of crimes recorded in four French hamlets between 1314 and 1399 lists just 12 rape or attempted rape cases, as only virgins or high-status rape victimslike Margueriteactually had their day in court., Those who did report their rapes found the odds really stacked against them, with the onus on the survivor to make a big judicial issue of it as quickly as possible, says historian Hannah Skoda, author of the 2012 book Medieval Violence. Jager chronicled how the former friends relationship devolvedand the woman and rape allegation at the center of the conflictin the 2004 nonfiction book The Last Duel. 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. 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. 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. My main issue with the movie is the characters were medieval archetypes more than characters. Her father had sided against the king twice, and though to many she would seem unmarriageable, for de Carrouges who desperately needed land, wealth and an heir she was a good match. The Last Duel ending explained - how close is it to the true story of Marguerite de Carrouges? 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. De Carrouges sued Pierre for the land and lost, which only put him further on the outs with the count. Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) c. 1419) was a French noblewoman. She has everything to lose. The Chteau de Carrouges is a chteau, dating partly from the 14th century, located in the commune of Carrouges, in the Orne department, Normandy, northern France.It is unusual in its combination of an austere fortress with a comfortable residence. Attempting to win back the honor of his wife and family, Jean accused Le Gris of rape on Marguerites behalf to Pierre dAlenon but, whether because Le Gris was a favorite of Pierres or because Pierre had feuded with Jean on the land disputeor simply because he didnt believe Margueritethe count chalked Marguerites testimony up to a dream, a feminine flight of fancy. Just over a decade later, however, the two men,Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, met on a field in Paris for a highly publicized duel to the death. Eric Jager is a professor of English at UCLA and the author of four books, including The Last Duel and Blood Royal. Say nothing, and I will keep quiet, too. Marguerite appeared to agree, but after Le Gris tossed her a small leather bag of coins, she replied: I dont want your money! 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? We wanted to examine that. . With the understanding that your truth may not be somebody elses truth. Pierre favours de Carrouges' friend Le Gris, and the friendship between the men begins to deteriorate. Famiglietti claimed that Carrouges, after learning that Marguerite had been raped, resolved to turn the rape to his advantage and forced his wife to agree to accuse Jacques of having been the man who raped her. In this view, Marguerite accused the wrong man not in honest error but in knowing collusion (or fearful compliance) with her husband. 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. Louvel then added a greeting from Jacques Le Gris, who he said greatly admired her and was eager to speak with her. Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. The event marked the first meeting between Carrouges wifedescribed by a contemporary chronicler as beautiful, good, sensible and modestand Le Gris. And yet there can only be one truth. She gave birth to a son, Robert, shortly before Le Gris trial by combat. 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. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887. I want justice! Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. By taking away the witness and some challenging details, like Le Gris stuffing his hat into Marguerites mouth, the filmmakers were able to more fully explore the notion that Le Gris believed his actions were just. And clearly it wasnt.. Le Gris was killed in the fight and therefore found guilty; nevertheless, he was afterwards found innocent by the culprit of the crime, who declared Le Gris innocent as he laid dying. Word of the scandalous affair spread far and wide via merchants, soldiers, itinerant clergy, and others who carried the latest tidings along the rutted roads to far-flung towns and villages. When Marguerite adamantly refused his offer, saying she had no wish for his money, the violence escalated. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock . Carrouges choice to pursue a duel also put Marguerite in danger. 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. 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. 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. In his personal life, Le Gris had a reputation as a philanderer. But Marguerite certainly made an impression on Le Gris, who likely still held a grudge against his litigious former friend: After running into the newly knighted Carrouges in January 1386, Le Gris sent a fellow courtier, Adam Louvel, to keep an eye on Marguerite, whod been left behind with her mother-in-law while Carrouges traveled to Paris. 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. ), the duel began as a joust on horseback, with lances. Marguerite and her husband appealed the decision. Shortly before Jean departed for Paris, he and Le Gris confronted one another in the court of Count Pierre dAlenon (played by Ben Affleck); Le Gris learned around this time that Jean would be leaving Marguerite alone. From the start, Le Gris had an advantage in the trial. In his alibi, Le Gris himself cited the narrow window of time available for his alleged visit, strictly during daylight hours. To this day, historians are divided on the truth of the case. I did research about what women were like then and what they had to put up with And I really tried to imagine just how awful it was for [Marguerite] and how she dealt with the awfulness, Holofcener told The New York Times. One identifies the supposed felon as a condemned man about to be executed, the other as a sick man on his deathbed. Digital image courtesy of theGettys Open Content Program. A Judicial Duel, byLieven van Lathem, 1464. 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. 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. 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. Carrouges wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer). 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. 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. In accord with ancient tradition, she would be burned alive as a false accuser. Marguerite's 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. (Le Gris and Carrouges both started out as squires and vassals to Count Pierre, but Carrouges was knighted for his military service in 1385.) The last judicial duel in France hinged on whether a woman could be believed. We would have looked like two tin cans. 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. Oh, and The characters we'll be discussing are Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer), and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver). Tanzsportclub (TSC) Pocking e.V. Magazines, Digital 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. Meilan Solly is Smithsonian magazine's associate digital editor, history. While it adheres closely to Jagers book, with the script using actual lines and passages from his writing, the filmmakers did make some alterations in order to better shine a light on the concepts of consent and perspective. In all fairness, they were significantly tame compared to what actually happened. 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. Or did he trip? According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Louvel. While this should have added weight to Marguerite's claim, it did not. 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. The screenwriters changed the scene to allow for more nuance. Given the absence of any witnesses in her own favor, Marguerites accusations against Louvel were a gratuitous and risky addition to her testimony if her story of the attack and rape was indeed a deliberate lie. Jean Le Coq, Le Gris lawyer, stated in his private notebook that Carrouges suffered the first wound, writing that Le Gris attacked his adversary very cruelly. This statement is also supported by Jean Froissart, a member of Count Pierre dAlenons court, and an unnamed monk who wrote Chronicle of the Monk of Saint-Denis. The J. PaulGettyMuseum, Los Angeles. Carrouges immediately began a lawsuit to recover the land-based on an assumed prior claim to it. 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. And two suspects are harder to convict than one, unless they can be turned against each other. Marguerite de Carrouges accused Le Gris of rape in 1386. Image via 20th Century Studios. Carrouges, without whom his wife could not even bring a case, resolutely rode off to Paris to appeal for justice to the king. We gathered from research that she was really capable and educated, Holofcener says. She has nothing to gain. And for him to have to invoke that at the moment of his death and to protest his innocence [is interesting]. There is this paradox of the human experience where oftentimes different people come away from the same situation with different impressions of that. Is history repeating itself? 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. The film adaptation traces the trios relationship from its auspicious beginnings to its bloody end. Then gently, he asked Marguerite to tell them what had happened. 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. Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) - c. 1419) was a French. What does she have to gain from that? But if Marguerites husband and champion lost, thus proving her accusation to be false, she too would be put to death. The Last Duel is told in three chapters, each of which was written by one of the writers, and told from the perspective of one of the main characters. Co-writers Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon had their work cut out for them trying to fill the gaps. 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. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Carrouges married her in hopes of an heir and attempted to use his newfound claim to his father-in-law's property to win back a piece of land from his rival . 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. The original fortifications at Carrouges were besieged and destroyed by English forces during the Hundred Years War. 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. In reality, instead of mourning, the King held a series of banquets and parties that culminated in the duel between Le Gris and de Carrouges. Medieval law treated rape as a horrific crime on par with other capital offenses. I know that was the same for everyone who was coming toward this project.. The knights victory saved both him and his wife, earning the formerly notorious couple wealth and prestige. So in his deluded sense of pride, Le Gris could believe it was consensual. (Rapists sometimes escaped punishment by marrying their victims.) Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. 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. Lady, on your evidence I am about to hazard my life in combat with Jacques Le Gris, Carrouges said to Marguerite in the moments leading up to the duel. 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. 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.. 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. The duel itself was very violent, as it was in the film. As Jean Le Coq, Le Gris lawyer, wrote in his private diary, No one really knew the truth of the matter.. Still, the theory cannot plausibly account for Louvels having named Le Gris while in conversation with 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. 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? And that this incredibly heroic character, Marguerite de Carrouges, had this story that deserved to be told, Affleck told The New York Times. He wrote that Le Gris responded that before God, and on the peril of damnation of his soul, that he had never committed the crime of which he was accused. But when Jean came back she told him everything. If Carrouges had lost, she wouldve suffered her own consequences according to Jager, this wouldve meant being burned alive at the stake. The fate that awaited Marguerite if her husbands attempts failedbeing burned at the stake for bearing false witnessrepresented an extreme example of the potential repercussions faced by accusers. Of course, the movie is about much more than just the duel, as is the true story so here's what went down. In 1384, Carrouges and Margueriteencountered Le Gris at a mutual friends party. In an entry on duels, the Grand dictionnaire universel (186677), overseen by respected editor Pierre Larousse, describes the 1386 affair as one of the most remarkable in history, claiming that the wide belief in its injustice helped to bring the custom of trial by combat to a speedy end. . Ultimately, that [would have been] a movie about a courtroom evidence drama, Affleck explains. In the end the city expelled the contagion, and the body politic was cleansed. They pinned me down and stuffed a capucium [a hood] over my mouth to silence me. More, The interrogation of Nikolay Bukharin.More. Note: The following article contains discussion of rape that some readers may find upsetting. An intensely personal rivalry, exacerbated by a series of failed legal cases brought by Carrouges, emerged between the onetime friends. 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. Only then did he greet his wife, in an emotional scene before the thousands of spectators. In his book Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France, R.C. Warning, The Last Duel spoilers follow. As she tried to admonish the squire, Le Gris appeared, having snuck in after Louvel entered. Marguerite de Carrouges was a real woman who lived in 14th century France. I do not know, he adds in a poignant aside, 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 dangerand then finally there was nothing for it but to await the outcome.. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. In the film, however, Pierre is still dismissive of him and Le Gris is still the favourite, which only angered de Carrouges more after their so-called reconciliation. On the one hand, the punishment for rape, if proven, meant death for the culprit and dishonor for the rapists family. At the bottom of the social ladder were warriors, priests and laborers, who had limited rights and political influence. Are we seeing how others experience things?. de Carrouges, whose wife and son died of an unknown illness, eventually marries Marguerite, a wealthy but reputationally damaged young woman. Despite the lack of witnesses, Le Gris certainly had motive and opportunity. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. I thought I was going to suffocate, and soon I couldnt fight them anymore. Despite the ladys many oaths, and those of the squire, he confided to his journal, No one really knew the truth of the matter.. 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 Last Duel (Spoilers for Duel Outcome) To say that this event was a spectacle would be selling it short. On December 29, 1386, before a crowd presided over by French king Charles VI, Carrouges and Le Gris eyed each other warily. Apart from the dubious, sketchy, and inconsistent reports in the two chronicles, no external evidence for this hazy legend has ever been offered in support of the oft-told tale of a last-minute confession by the true culprit. Despite how much Marguerite de Carrouges tale resonates today, we must keep in mind L.P. Hartleys words: the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.. This biography of a French peer or noble is a stub. Scott rightly ends The Last Duel on a triumphant note. 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. Rather, it was the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Parisa decision possibly motivated by the decidedly unchivalrous nature of the event. Its a moment that underscores the timely nature of the films message: that we cannot be blind to the perspectives of others. Eventually, you have the two men on the ground, fighting with hand weapons rather than lances.. There is still a trial, though, and just as in reality, Marguerite is now pregnant. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? lavish Arnou-le-Faucon estate, which had once been owned by Marguerites father. Jean was an influential man in lower Normandy, being a vassal of the Count of Perche and a veteran soldier in his service. But a public accusation of rape, at the time a capital offense and often a cause for scandalous rumors endangering the honor of those involved, could have grave consequences for both accuser and accused, especially among the nobility. Marguerites fate is unknown, though later historians convinced of the falsity of her claims suggested she retired to a convent out of shame. I will have justice!. 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.By the union of Marguerite and Carrouges, de Thibouville hoped to restore his family's status while Carrouges was hoping for an heir from the young Marguerite, whom contemporaries . After a grueling battle . 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. In real life, there was another complicating factor de Carrouges bought land and was forced to turn it over to Pierre, blaming Le Gris for it. In Jagers book, the detailed description of the duel between Le Gris and Carrouges, held on Dec. 29, 1386, was drawn from several sources. Over the next few years, Le Gris climbed further up the ranks, and was eventually initiated into King Charles VIs royal court.
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