P.T. If there are reasons for believing in the possibility of Le Gris innocence, the doubtful story of a belated confession by another man certainly is not and never has been one of them. The earlier of the two is the Saint-Denis Chronicle, an official royal history by the monk Michel Pintoin probably written around 1400. Le Gris quickly turned violent, forcing her upstairs and enlisting Louvel to help restrain her as she desperately fought back. Image via 20th Century Studios. On the morning of 18 January 1386, Dame Nicole de Carrouges departed her chateau at Capomesnil for the neighbouring town of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives where she had legal business to attend to. 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. Marguerite is the most important and most heroic person in the story, make what happens to her after the duel . 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. Which, to us, was more interesting and, to us, ultimately made it more about an examination of an entire system that was assaulting this woman from the moment she was born.. Marguerite remained silent of her ordeal for several days, until her husband's return on the 21 or 22 January. Saturday October 16 2021, 12.01am BST, The Times R idley Scott's spectacular new film begins with a Norman noblewoman, Marguerite de Carrouges, being robed in black, fettered to a scaffold in. If Carrouges won the duel, the couple would go free, their claims vindicated. Privacy Statement An intensely personal rivalry, exacerbated by a series of failed legal cases brought by Carrouges, emerged between the onetime friends. 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. de Carrouges also says that she must have sex with him, as Le Gris can't be the last person to have 'known' her Marguerite is, effectively, raped again. Se trata del caballero Sir Jean. As Damon tells the New York Times, this segment is kind of an original screenplay because that world of women had to be almost invented and imagined out of whole cloth., The gripping true story of the duel to end all duels in medieval France as a resolute knight defends his wifes honor against the man she accuses of a heinous crime. Now, the story of the 1386 trial by combat is the subject of a blockbuster film of the same name. 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. In his book Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France, R.C. I gave her a friend, who ultimately betrays her. 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.. Schools educate you, and religious services deliver sermons, and movies at their best can generate empathy and generate compassion, says Affleck. There is still a trial, though, and just as in reality, Marguerite is now pregnant. Is history repeating itself? It was a patriarchal and deeply misogynist [time]. Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. 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. 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. We wanted to examine that. The challenge did not lead directly to a duel, however, but marked the start of a formal investigation by the Parlement, which would authorize a duel only if unable to reach a verdict on the basis of the available evidence. 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. The last judicial duel in France hinged on whether a woman could be believed. 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. Le Gris window arrived on January 18, when Marguerite happened to be left alone with just one maidservant. Rather, it was the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Parisa decision possibly motivated by the decidedly unchivalrous nature of the event. 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. I think the film makes the right choice [in portraying her story]., Comer agrees. Beneath him were three main ranks of nobility: barons, knights and squires. 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. Far from echoing these Enlightenment-era assessments of Marguerites misguided intentions, the film adaptation of The Last Duel presents the noblewoman as its protagonist, the truth teller [whose account is] so much more resonant, strong and evident than her male counterparts, as Affleck tells GMA News. In the end the city expelled the contagion, and the body politic was cleansed. Mother of Robert De Carrouges. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. 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. She probably had strangle marks. 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. I will not be silent, she responds, teary-eyed but defiant. This biography of a French peer or noble is a stub. I thought I was going to suffocate, and soon I couldnt fight them anymore. 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. So in his deluded sense of pride, Le Gris could believe it was consensual. 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. According to Jager, Le Gris took an immediate liking to Marguerite when Carrouges introduced her to the court in 1384. Meilan Solly 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. Death: Immediate Family: Daughter of Robert De Thibouville. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Louvel. 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. Pointing out that womens voices are actually loud and clear, albeit filtered through the court system and notaries, in many medieval documents, the historian explains, Its a really nice way of sort of flipping our stereotypes of the Middle Ages. 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. Ben Affleck co-wrote the script with Damon and. Some have suggested that her husband forced the story out of her to avenge himself on Le Gris, his former friend turned rival at court. When Marguerite adamantly refused his offer, saying she had no wish for his money, the violence escalated. Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Last Duel. A feature film based on The Last Duel is scheduled to be released in 2021. 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. 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. According to Eric Jager's book The Last Duel, the alleged rape of Jean de Carrouges' wife Marguerite happened on January 18, 1386. Being caught beneath a horse would mean certain death. 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. 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. 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. Advertising Notice Meilan Solly is Smithsonian magazine's associate digital editor, history. ), Whether Carrouges and Le Gris actually ended their quarrel at this point is debatable. Like, I couldnt have gotten there. The pair enjoyed a close friendship that soured when the count showered lavish gifts of land and money on Le Gris, fomenting Carrouges jealousy. 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. The knights victory saved both him and his wife, earning the formerly notorious couple wealth and prestige. Are we seeing how others experience things?. But that doesnt mean that women were silenced. In the six centuries after the quarrel ended, however, the moral that was to be derived from it changed considerably. de Carrouges, whose wife and son died of an unknown illness, eventually marries Marguerite, a wealthy but reputationally damaged young woman. 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. Fatality. To prove her claim true, Matt Damon's Jean challenges Le Gris to trial by combat. On the morning of 18 January 1386, Dame Nicole de Carrouges departed her chateau at Capomesnil for the neighbouring town of Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives where she had legal business to attend to. 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. The film is based on the true story of the last legally permitted duel (hence the title) fought in France. 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. The J. PaulGettyMuseum, Los Angeles. 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. Lied, by Eugne Lomont, c. 1895. Your Privacy Rights 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.. When her husband, Sir Jean de Carrouges, heard of the crime, he . Adam Driver was 38 when he played Jacques le Gris, who was 56 at the time of his death. But the overwhelming likelihood is that she was telling the truth. (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. While the films version, which only involves Le Gris, is brutal to watch, the reality was far rougher, leaving Marguerite with tangible marks of the crime. And in fact it was a code, a manner of behavior that denied womens basic humanity.. The duel itself was very violent, as it was in the film. Dust off your 14th-century French history books, folks. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Carrouges, now in control, shouted one word at his enemy: Confess. "Do you swear on your life that what you say is true?". 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. Pierre favours de Carrouges' friend Le Gris, and the friendship between the men begins to deteriorate. [2][3], Shortly after his marriage, Carrouges revealed another motive for the union. When he leaves he says she should tell no one, especially her husband because he might kill her if he finds out. Popular historical fiction abetted the theory of mistaken identity, exploiting its shock effect. But this was not included in the film. In accord with ancient tradition, she would be burned alive as a false accuser. A 1306 royal decree based on ancient precedent allowed the duel as a last resort for nobles involved in capital casese.g., murder, treason, and rapebut by now judicial duels were extremely rare. 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. 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. 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. All who loved him were in a great fright, adds the chronicler in what is the narrative equivalent of a cinematic reaction shot. 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. She was born to nobleman Robert De Thibouville, who was notorious for siding AGAINST France in territorial. 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. | READ MORE. She married Jean de Carrouges in 1380. Marguerite was born as Marguerite De Thibouville in Normandy in the year 1362. Le Gris was the counts favorite and his administrative right hand. If the case is not proven, then [the woman] doesnt just get to walk away, says Skoda. 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. That meant that Holofcener had to create Marguerites world and inner life from scratch. In Jean's absence, Jacques broke into Jean's castle and raped Marguerite in 1386. I know that was the same for everyone who was coming toward this project.. We gathered from research that she was really capable and educated, Holofcener says. And not just any death. 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. By the union of Marguerite and Carrouges, de Thibouville hoped to restore his family's status[1] while Carrouges was hoping for an heir from the young Marguerite, whom contemporaries described as "young, noble, wealthy, and also very beautiful". 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. More, On the use and misuse of civility. 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). 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. The majority of medieval rape victims lacked the means to seek justice. In the winter of 1386, a French noblewoman by the name of Marguerite de Carrouges found herself at the centre of a criminal case that electrified Paris, captivated the king and culminated in blood being spilled before an enormous crowd in a field just outside the French capital. The contest between Carrouges and Le Gris would turn out to be the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Paris. 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. Marguerites story must have seemed at least plausible to the magistrates who ordered the duel, something the Parlement had not done for over thirty years in a rape case. If her husband lost she would be found guilty of perjury. October 15, 2021 7:00 AM EDT. Comer brought that sense of history into her performance as well, recognizing what was and wasnt acceptable for women of the time. 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. And yet there can only be one truth. 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. Froissart portrays Marguerite, who had recently given birth to a son, praying to the Virgin as she anxiously awaits her fate. There is a brief coda that reveals Marguerite outlived her husband and never remarried. Rather than this idea of somebody, through the lens of their own experience and acculturation, not understanding their behavior. In 1380 Carrouges married Marguerite de Thibouville (Jodie Comer), daughter of the controversial known traitor Robert de Thibouville who had sided against multiple French Kings in. 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. 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. The film adaptation traces the trios relationship from its auspicious beginnings to its bloody end. Cases had to meet four requirements, including exhausting all other legal remedies and confirming that the crime had actually occurred. But that was from research as well. 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. 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. He strucks a belly of Le Gris's horse with his axe. 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. (Spoilers ahead.). 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 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. Jean de Carrouges (1330-25 September 1396) was a French knight who was best known for his 1386 duel with Jacques Le Gris (who was accused of raping his wife Marguerite de Carrouges) in the last judicial duel permitted by the Parliament of Paris; he was later slain at the Battle of Nicopolis. Skoda and Elema argue that Marguerites case exemplifies the complexity of medieval society, which is often painted in broad, reductive strokes. A century and more after the philosophes had popularized the theory, it solidified as hard fact in authoritative encyclopedias. He saw the marriage as a chance to get the better of Le Gris as well, for Le Gris had been gifted by Pierre a parcel of land previously owned by Marguerite's father. Marguerite, who found herself pregnant soon after the attack, largely left this fact out of her account, either due to uncertainty over the childs paternityhe may have been conceived before Carrouges left for Parisor an awareness that making this claim would weaken her testimony in the eyes of the court. HIP/Art Resource, NY. Unable to rise due to the weight of his body armor, Le Gris resisted Carrouges calls to confess, declaring, In the name of God, and on the peril and damnation of my soul, I am innocent of the crime. Enraged, Carrouges delivered the death blow, perhaps by stabbing Le Gris exposed neck or thighs. The screenwriters changed the scene to allow for more nuance. 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 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. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. We gave Ridley, This is what took place. Because it was such a famous event, there was a record. 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. Say nothing, and I will keep quiet, too. In response, Marguerite said, I will keep quiet. 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. 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-law's chteau by a squire (the rank below knighthood) named Jacques Le Gris, aided by one of his closest companions, one Adam Louvel. By the union of Marguerite . The actor continues, Its an anti-chivalry movie in some sense because the great illusion of chivalry is that it was about [protecting] the innocent female. Marguerite de Carrouges : No. Note: The following article contains discussion of rape that some readers may find upsetting. Carrouges died roughly a decade after the duel, falling in combat against the Ottoman Turks. Marguerites fate is unknown, though later historians convinced of the falsity of her claims suggested she retired to a convent out of shame. (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. 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. In January 1386 while Jean de Carrouges was away traveling, Marguerite claimed she . 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.

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