Given the counts strong relationship with Le Gris and combative past with Carrouges, he was quick to dismiss the claim, even arguing that Marguerite must have dreamed it. Undeterred, Carrouges raised an appeal with the king. 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. We gave Ridley, This is what took place. Because it was such a famous event, there was a record. We gathered from research that she was really capable and educated, Holofcener says. 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? In his book Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France, R.C. The film adaptation traces the trios relationship from its auspicious beginnings to its bloody end. Character description. 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 we wanted to do it through the lens of this situation. Popular historical fiction abetted the theory of mistaken identity, exploiting its shock effect. Cases had to meet four requirements, including exhausting all other legal remedies and confirming that the crime had actually occurred. 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. 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? If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. But not for as long as you need me to. Tossing a sack of coins at the young woman, Le Gris taunted her, claiming that his friends would give him an airtight alibi. The last judicial duel in France hinged on whether a woman could be believed. The entire royal court was gossiping about the rape, the trial, and the likelihood of a duel. The penalty for bearing false witness is that you are to be burned alive, an official tells Marguerite in the movies trailer. We begin with Jean de Carrouges, who after successful war campaigns for the king of France, finds himself falling out of favour with Count Pierre (Ben Affleck). The True Story Behind Ridley Scott's The Last Duel - Film School Rejects Marguerite said no. I fought him so desperately, she claimed, that he shouted to Louvel to come back and help him. El libro es una crnica milimtrica de los hechos construida como un gran reportaje, muy ricamente contextualizada desde la eterna guerra entre Francia e Inglaterra en aquella poca hasta el. 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. Wife of Sir Jean De Carrouges IV, Chevalier d'Honneur. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Louvel. de Carrouges, whose wife and son died of an unknown illness, eventually marries Marguerite, a wealthy but reputationally damaged young woman. Carrouges views himself as a chivalrous knight defending his wifes honor, while Le Gris casts himself as the Lancelot to Marguerites Guinevere, rescuing her from an unhappy marriage. Jean de Carrouges - Rape of Marguerite | Rape Marguerite - LiquiSearch 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 is now available to watch in cinemas. Advertising Notice When the lady learned this and realized that the error was her fault, she retreated to a convent after her husbands death, vowing perpetual chastity.. Marguerite testified repeatedly under oath that on a certain day in January 1386Thursday the eighteenthshe was attacked by the two men, Le Gris and Louvel. 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. She gave birth to a son, Robert, shortly before Le Gris trial by combat. With the understanding that your truth may not be somebody elses truth. He doesnt even recognize it. Part One of this article examined the famous judicial duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, which was held in Paris in 1386. Carrouges died roughly a decade after the duel, falling in combat against the Ottoman Turks. HIP/Art Resource, NY. It was just the bare minimum description of who she was. There [wasnt] going to be a settlement without one of them losing their reputation., After hearing both parties testimony, the Parlement of Paris agreed to authorize a duelFrances first trial by combat for a rape case in more than 30 years. 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 clearly it wasnt.. 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. January 18th, 1386, Marguerite was left alone at her home, and a man named Adam Louvel arrived claiming that Le Gris was outside and wanted to see her. In reality, the duel would have been decided by two main factors: the weight of the fighters armor and how quickly these relatively old men grew tired. El ltimo duelo, la ltima pelcula de Ridley Scott, habla de muchas cosas, pero sobre todo de la vida de tres personas cuyo destino qued en manos del azar. Comer brought that sense of history into her performance as well, recognizing what was and wasnt acceptable for women of the time. One identifies the supposed felon as a condemned man about to be executed, the other as a sick man on his deathbed. Of course, Jean de Carrouges was destined for the life of warfare - this was the common fate for many nobles and their sons in medieval France. When Marguerite adamantly refused his offer, saying she had no wish for his money, the violence escalated. The movie presents two versions of the rape in Le Gris' version her protests have an edge of teasing to them, and hark back to a previous scene in which he chased a woman around the table before having consensual sex (sort of, given the power dynamic at play and the complete lack of agency women have in their world). A century and more after the philosophes had popularized the theory, it solidified as hard fact in authoritative encyclopedias. Marguerite replied that she had no wish to speak with Le Gris, and that Louvel should stop his overtures at once. Of the judicial duels that actually took place, few ended in death. The movie does follow the true story rather closely, and with a runtime of two and a half hours, we'd hope so. Ben Affleck co-wrote the script with Damon and Nicole Holofcener and appears as a feudal lord and compatriot of both leading men. [Jager] does a pretty meticulous description of it, but its a decidedly uncinematic duel, Damon notes. Louvel then added a greeting from Jacques Le Gris, who he said greatly admired her and was eager to speak with her. People/Characters: Marguerite de Thibouville | LibraryThing Because rape was viewed less as an act of sexual violence than a property crime against the victims husband or guardian, rapists often avoided harsh penalties by paying a fine to the man in question. Say nothing, and I will keep quiet, too. In response, Marguerite said, I will keep quiet. Image via 20th Century Studios. She has everything to lose. Toward a history of creativity and beef. [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). Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Last Duel. Just in what they were wearing. She has to relive it over and over againand she gets it right.. The Last Duel ending explained - how close is it to the true story of Two separate alibis are harder to disprove than one. It was really trying to understand those types of dynamics and her place within the home and in society.. More. What sets this version apart, besides its unusual length, is how quickly the judicial error on the battlefield is revealed by the sudden arrival of the truth. Rather than a belated discovery taking many yearsas in the chroniclesits just a matter of minutes from Le Gris death to the proof of his innocence. Yet Adam Louvel reportedly confessed to nothing, not even under torture. I dont want your money! Marguerite replied. We wanted to examine that. The contest between Carrouges and Le Gris would turn out to be the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Paris. An intensely personal rivalry, exacerbated by a series of failed legal cases brought by Carrouges, emerged between the onetime friends. 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. When he leaves he says she should tell no one, especially her husband because he might kill her if he finds out. So it wasnt so much about hewing fastidiously to historical truth, because that wouldnt have served the narrative needs we were as interested in, as much as illuminating the fact that the vestiges of the sexism and misogyny of the patriarchy we live with now come from a place that was Western civilizations codified value system.. 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. 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. Rather than this idea of somebody, through the lens of their own experience and acculturation, not understanding their behavior. 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. Medieval trial by combat: the real history behind The Last Duel When youre doing scenes where you really want to fight back with Carrouges and tell him what it is you really think, you have to go, Hang on a minute, would she do this? Comer recalls. The fly in this ointment is another aspect of Marguerites testimony that has not been given due attentionnamely, the inclusion of Adam Louvel in the criminal charges. According. In his alibi, Le Gris himself cited the narrow window of time available for his alleged visit, strictly during daylight hours. 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. 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. 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. If her husband lost she would be found guilty of perjury. And not just any death. 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. She married Jean de Carrouges in 1380. 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. 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. In particular, Marguerite testified that she saw both men in the light of day, that Louvel specifically mentioned Le Gris by name before the latter appeared shortly afterward, and that she spoke with both men at some length before they attacked her. 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. This happened, she said, in the morning hours at the modest chteau of her widowed mother-in-law, Nicole de Carrouges, on a remote Normandy estate known as Capomesnil, about twelve miles southwest of Lisieux. The Last Duel starts on the day of the duel, but before it shares the results of Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris' fight, the movie shares the three perspectives at the center of why the . One ground for skepticism about these two reportsapart from their priestly sources, notoriously suspicious of womenis that each tells a substantially different story. The film does show that at the same time as Marguerite was pregnant, so was the queen. Terms of Use The Last Duel vs. the True Story of Jean de Carrouges' Duel 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. Marguerite's story: the true tale behind The Last Duel I would call that historically accurate, even though we dont have direct testimony that Marguerite did this or that at the time.. Strictly's Karen Hauer teases future judging role, Creed 3 star talks building intimacy with co-star, EastEnders reveals big twist in Eve and Suki story, Emmerdale star shares future of Paddy's dark story, Sims 4 Growing Together 28% off in pre-order deal, Spider-Man spin-off star joins Nosferatu film, Pokmon Detective Pikachu sequel moves forward, Creed 3's strongest elements come from anime, GoT's Peter Dinklage lands next movie role, Ant-Man 3 actor responds to film's bad reviews, Andy Serkis on his darkest role yet in Luther film, New Alien film casts Batman, Shadow and Bone stars, The Batman gets special edition Steelbook release, Why Super Mario makes big Princess Peach change. Some argued that shed falsely accused Le Gris, either mistaking him for someone else or acting on the orders of her vindictive husband. The moral was plain: Le Gris rose in the world and then suddenly fell, he dominated but finally was vanquished, he committed a crime in secret and was publicly exposed. Froissart portrays Marguerite, who had recently given birth to a son, praying to the Virgin as she anxiously awaits her fate. That was really sad. 'The Last Duel' Ending, Explained - Was Marguerite Telling The Truth? That meant that Holofcener had to create Marguerites world and inner life from scratch. While this should have added weight to Marguerite's claim, it did not. The movie ends with Marguerite playing with her son, seemingly at peace with her life. On a freezing December day in 1386, at an old priory in Paris that today is a museum of science and technologya temple of human reasonan eager crowd of thousands gathered to watch two knights fight a duel to the death with lance and sword and dagger. The film shows Le Gris stripped and hanged by the ankle in the town square. Even Le Gris believed she was victimized - just not by him. The film is told in three chapters, from the perspectives of Carrouges (Damon), Le Gris (Adam Driver) and Marguerite (Jodie Comer). According to Eric Jager's book The Last Duel, the alleged rape of Jean de Carrouges' wife Marguerite happened on January 18, 1386. More, On the use and misuse of civility. 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 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 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). In accord with ancient tradition, she would be burned alive as a false accuser. Meilan Solly (Spoilers ahead.). For Affleck and Damon, The Last Duel was an opportunity to not only depict a compelling historical event but to reflect on how traces of that system of patriarchy linger today. By the time the criminal trial was underway in the summer of that year, Marguerite was noticeably pregnant. The Woman in Black | Lapham's Quarterly 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. | READ MORE. 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. And for him to have to invoke that at the moment of his death and to protest his innocence [is interesting]. In Jean's absence, Jacques broke into Jean's castle and raped Marguerite in 1386. 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. The article offers a garbled, error-strewn version where, in 1385, Le Gris was accused of attacking the lady by night, with his face masked, as she awaited her husbands return from the Holy Land. 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. But the overwhelming likelihood is that she was telling the truth. 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. Even in Le Gris' version, though, Marguerite's attempts to get away seem less flirtatious and more earnest. Theres a certain arrogance rooted in that assumption. Duels of honor, as well as judicial duels authorized by other governing bodies, continued to take place centuries after Carrouges triumph. Are we seeing how others experience things?. 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. The greatest departure from Jagers book comes during the rape itself. Is history repeating itself? Le Gris said nothing. And two suspects are harder to convict than one, unless they can be turned against each other. Marguerite de Carrouges : No. 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. The Last Duel of Jean de Carrouges | by Peter Preskar | Medium I thought I was going to suffocate, and soon I couldnt fight them anymore. (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. The Last Duel true story | Real history behind Ridley Scott movie According to Jager, Le Gris took an immediate liking to Marguerite when Carrouges introduced her to the court in 1384. Marguerite herselfnow pregnant, perhaps as a result of the rapecame to Paris and testified in great detail about the alleged attack by Le Gris and his accomplice. Scott and the films stunt coordinator used the outline of the actual combat to create something slightly more exciting for the screen. The valuable estate of Aunou-le-Faucon, given to his rival Jacques Le Gris two years earlier, had been formerly owned by Carrouges' father-in-law, Robert de Thibouville, and had been bought by Count Pierre II of Alenon for 8,000 French livres in 1377. What does she have to gain from that? She probably had strangle marks. Barred from bringing a case against Le Gris herself, Marguerite had to rely entirely on her husband to mount legal action. So the mistaken-identity theory has in its favor Marguerites relative unfamiliarity with Le Gris physical appearance at the time of the alleged rape in January 1386, over a year after Marguerite had first met and seen Le Gris at Crespins. But whats so amazing about Nicole and what Nicole has brought to the piece is this sense of imagination. He also had a reputation as a seduceror worse. That was at the root of everything. [2][3], Shortly after his marriage, Carrouges revealed another motive for the union. Ultimately, that [would have been] a movie about a courtroom evidence drama, Affleck explains. The Last Duel ending explained - what is the true story? - Digital Spy Quines fueron las personas reales que inspiraron 'El ltimo duelo But this was not included in the film. Like, I couldnt have gotten there. Speak without regard for the consequences, and it is too late for silence when disaster strikes. Marguerite de Carrouges : My father told me my life would be blessed with good fortune. 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. Marguerite de Carrouges - Wikipedia 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. 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. Marguerite De Carrouges (De Thibouville) (deceased) - Genealogy The burden of proof lay almost entirely on victims, who had to prove theyd resisted the rapists advances while recounting their testimony in precise detail. The denouement, too, echoes the Grande dictionnaire: Not long after, a criminal arrested for some other offense confessed himself to be the author of the outrage. Given Nicole de Carrouges' sketchy behavior, removing any witness that might ID the perpetrator (nearly the entire household) from the chateau, and given that two sources report other men confessing to the crime, I think Nicole and Jean de Carrouges conspired . Lied, by Eugne Lomont, c. 1895. Flawless Victory. The lawsuit reflected very poorly on Carrouges at the court in Argentan and resulted in his further estrangement from Count Pierre's circle. They were very religious. 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. October 15, 2021 7:00 AM EDT. In his youth, Jean served in the retinue of . 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. The Last Duel Ending Explained: Who Wins? - Collider 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. 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. She was born to nobleman Robert De Thibouville, who was notorious for siding AGAINST France in territorial. In the film, it is revealed mid-trial that if de Carrouges loses at the hand of Le Gris, Marguerite will also be killed by being stripped naked, put in an iron collar and set on fire. Does he truly believe his innocence at the end? Affleck reflects of Le Gris. 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. Legal historian Ariella Elema, whose PhD research centered on trial by combat in France and England, says judicial duels were most common in cases where the evidence was really unclear and it was difficult to solve the [matter] by any other means. Such clashes had become increasingly rare by the late 14th century, with lawyers largely using the prospect of duels to incentivize individuals to settle cases out of court.
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