Did Le Gris stumble? Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges and Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in "The Last Duel." . 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. 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. 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. (Jager offered feedback on the films script, suggesting historically accurate phrasing and other changes.) According to medical knowledge at . And in fact it was a code, a manner of behavior that denied womens basic humanity.. 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. Le Gris stock rose in the court, and he received special treatment and gifts from Count Pierre, including the lavish Arnou-le-Faucon estate, which had once been owned by Marguerites father. Still, The Last Duel does stick closely to historical fact. 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. However, Le Gris insisted on his right to testify before Parliament, leaving the door open for Carrouges to request a duel. Her husband is abusive what would be the consequences of this? The mistaken-identity theory was also embraced abroad, as by American historian Henry Charles Lea, who in his influential 1866 study of medieval law, Superstition and Force, stated as a matter of fact that Le Gris was subsequently proved innocent by the deathbed confession of the real offender. Lea even faulted Froissart for having omitted any mention of the confession. We gave Ridley, This is what took place. Because it was such a famous event, there was a record. 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. Carrouges died roughly a decade after the duel, falling in combat against the Ottoman Turks. 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. And two suspects are harder to convict than one, unless they can be turned against each other. 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. Two separate alibis are harder to disprove than one. the latter was accused by Carrouges wife of having made an attempt on her honor. Even the characters haircuts which have been the butt of some online jokes match up with what we know about the period, according to Jager. They met in the household of Count Robert dAlenon, where the two served as squires to the count. 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. But when Jean came back she told him everything. So there was just no doubt for me that this woman was telling the truth. Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. 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). Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) c. 1419) was a French noblewoman. It finished when de Carrouges pulled back the visor of le Gris and fatally stabbed him. 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.. Privacy Statement Le Gris and Louvel forced Marguerite into the bedroom, where Le Gris raped her while Louvel helped hold her down. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! She was a noblewoman originally from an . And for him to have to invoke that at the moment of his death and to protest his innocence [is interesting]. In his alibi, Le Gris himself cited the narrow window of time available for his alleged visit, strictly during daylight hours. And yet there can only be one truth. 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. [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. Some wrote, as Jager recounts in Laphams Quarterly, that Jean only won because Le Gris slipped on his opponents blood. Others wrote about a supposed deathbed confession by a felon who, having a last-minute change of heart, admitted that he, not Le Gris, had raped Marguerite. 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. A beautiful young noblewoman, dressed all in black and exposed to the crowds stares, anxiously awaited the outcome. [43] Jean and Marguerite de Carrouges then, with the crowd following in a great procession, rode from the abbey to the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, to give thanks for the victory. 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? De Carrouges sued Pierre for the land and lost, which only put him further on the outs with the count. 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. Le Gris and Carrouges were once very close. 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. They took the idea of damnation seriously. 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. A Note to our Readers 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. 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. For some, Jacques Le Gris became a martyr, a man sentenced to a brutal death by a backwards and superstitious legal system which demonized him. 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. 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. Drivers final line, where, as Le Gris, he declares his innocence, is in the historic record. She married Jean de Carrouges in 1380. Like today, sexual assault and rape often went unpunished and even unreported in the Middle Ages. Knights were one step above squires, but men of both ranks often served as vassals to higher-ranking overlords. If the film missteps, it is because it does not allow Comer, and consequently Marguerites narrative, more screen time. Skoda and Elema argue that Marguerites case exemplifies the complexity of medieval society, which is often painted in broad, reductive strokes. Later encyclopedia entries echoed this view, seemingly solidifying the question of Le Gris innocence. Despite the threat of public humiliation and potentially deadly outcome of disclosing ones rape, women like Marguerite spoke out, perhaps as a way of working through their trauma or simply refusing to passively accept [what had] happened to them, says Skoda. One identifies the supposed felon as a condemned man about to be executed, the other as a sick man on his deathbed. In 1386, her husband Jean returned from an expedition to Scotland. 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. All Rights Reserved. [4], Marguerite de Carrouges accused Jacques Le Gris of rape,[5][6] leading to one of the last judicial duels permitted by the French king and the Parliament of Paris (the actual last duel occurred in 1547[7] opposing Guy Chabot de Jarnac against Franois de Vivonne). According to court documents and testimony, Le Gris accomplice, Adam Louvel (Adam Nagaitis), participated in the rape. 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. 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. Do you swear on your life that what you say is true? This question, posed to Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer), encapsulates the true history behind The Last Duel, director Ridley Scotts new film opening in theaters Oct. 15. Which we talked about, but it just became so absurd., Affleck adds, It hinged on the weight on the armor and the fact that once you fell, you couldnt get up and you were like a trapped lobster. The Last Duel ending explained - how close is it to the true story of Marguerite de Carrouges? I would call that historically accurate, even though we dont have direct testimony that Marguerite did this or that at the time.. To prove her claim true, Matt Damon's Jean challenges Le Gris to trial by combat. | READ MORE. Meet the real woman who inspired The Last Duel", "L'histoire vraie de Jean de Carrouges et Jacques Legris, hros du film "Le dernier Duel" de Ridley Scott", "Vivonne et Jarnac, le dernier duel judiciaire en France", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marguerite_de_Carrouges&oldid=1117212348, This page was last edited on 20 October 2022, at 14:07. She probably had strangle marks. Marguerite and her husband appealed the decision. According to Marguerites testimony, Le Gris and Adam Louvel, a squire in the royal court, conspired together to assault her. Le Gris attorney, the highly respected Jean Le Coq, kept notes in Latin that still survive, allowing us a glimpse into attorney-client discussions. The movie ends with Marguerite playing with her son, seemingly at peace with her life. . 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. 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 . On December 29, 1386, before a crowd presided over by French king Charles VI, Carrouges and Le Gris eyed each other warily. A new film from Ridley Scott dramatizes the 1386 trial by combat of a medieval man accused of a horrific crime. When her husband, Sir Jean de Carrouges, heard of the crime, he . The screenwriters changed the scene to allow for more nuance. Voltaire likewise, in his Histoire du Parlement de Paris, critiqued the brutality of the duel, as well as the fact that these duels, regarded today as an unpardonable crime were always carried out with the sanction of the laws and the Church. 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. Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Positioning itself in contrast to the purportedly superstitious Middle Ages (now reimagined as the Dark Ages), the Enlightenment prized rationality above all else. In short, yes. One of the Enlightenments most scathing critiques of the Middle Ages was of its violence, particularly in capital punishment. The Reprimand, by Jean-Georges Vibert, 1874. In particular, Carrouges loses his claims to a lucrative estate called Aunou-le-Faucon to Le Gris. I thought I was going to suffocate, and soon I couldnt fight them anymore. There were three chroniclers who gave detailed accounts of the sword phase of the fight, and they have slightly different accounts of how Carrouges managed to get Le Gris on the ground, Jager says. 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 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. Tanzsportclub (TSC) Pocking e.V. The story of the duel inspired Ridley Scott's 2021 film The Last Duel based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager in which she was played by Jodie Comer. 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. The film shows Le Gris stripped and hanged by the ankle in the town square. In his personal life, Le Gris had a reputation as a philanderer. 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. 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.