I dont want your money! Marguerite replied. And thats one of the things we didnt focus as much on: They truly believed God would make happen whatever was the fair thing to happen, so it would be Gods will. According to medical knowledge at . Very quickly, we recognized that the film has a clear point of view on whos telling the truth. She continued shouting for help, she says, until silenced by Le Gris hood. It is incumbent on us to be good people, to overcome that and to see more broadly and with empathy, Affleck says. 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. Jean strode over to his proud, weeping wife, bowed and clasped her to him as the crowd roared its approval. Jager writes that following the assault, Le Gris was reported to have told Marguerite that if she were to tell anyone what has happened here, you will be dishonored. Halloween Kills, the latest entry in the blockbuster horror franchise, and period drama The Last Duel face different fates in theaters this weekend. 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. 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. 1 for 4 weeks, Jack Nicholson returns courtside to cheer beloved Lakers to playoff win, Aging beloved YA author Judy Blumes inevitable foil isnt so bad after all. How power in America has turned the rule of law into a mere myth. . Behind the Enlightenments exoneration of Le Gris were its arguments against the use of torture in judicial proceedings. Jodie Comers powerful performance not only does justice to the woman shes portraying, but also makes her a strong contender for this years awards season. The film does show that at the same time as Marguerite was pregnant, so was the queen. 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. The Last Duel is now available to watch in cinemas. Read more: 15 Unsung Moments From American History That Historians Say You Should Know About. 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. 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. They were very religious. In Le Coqs words, his client attacked his adversary very cruelly and did it on foot, although he would have had the advantage if he had done it on horseback. By drawing blood, writes Elema for the Historical European Martial Arts and Sports Community, Le Gris prevented the king from halting the duel, as once the scales had tipped in one fighters favor, no one could stop the fight without the appearance of partiality.. The accused was Jacques Le Gris, who was said to have raped Jean de Carrouges's wife, Marguerite . The film adaptation traces the trios relationship from its auspicious beginnings to its bloody end. At the time of the attack, Jean de Carrouges was away on a trip to Paris from which he would return a few days later. Die Tanzsportkompetenz im Landkreis Passau But when he returned a few days later and heard his wifes story, he angrily brought charges against Le Gris in the court of Count Pierre of Alenon, overlord to both men. Just in what they were wearing. 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. Initially, Carrouges brought Marguerites case to Count Pierre. Marguerite de Carrouges Marguerite, who married Carrouges in 1381, was the only daughter of Robert de Thibouville, who had once committed an act of high treason. Jean de Carrouges and Jacques le Gris fought out their case before a vast crowd and a fascinated King Charles VI. And in fact it was a code, a manner of behavior that denied womens basic humanity.. But if Marguerites husband and champion lost, thus proving her accusation to be false, she too would be put to death. The story is told three times, once from each character's point of view, so some events are repeated while others are only told once as the story is so close to the events of history as they were recorded, we'll only specify when those two things diverge (which they don't often do, except in the imaginings Scott and the actors create for the characters' internal lives). 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. Drivers final line, where, as Le Gris, he declares his innocence, is in the historic record. 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". 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. Marguerite de Carrouges was married to the knight Jean de Carrouges. (Rapists sometimes escaped punishment by marrying their victims.) While the Enlightenment looks more familiar to modern eyes than the more distant Middle Ages, intellectual and cultural development is not a straight line. Centuries later the story of the innocent Le Gris falsely accused and forced to defend himself in a barbaric and unjust trial by combat was further popularized by Enlightenment thinkers. Schools educate you, and religious services deliver sermons, and movies at their best can generate empathy and generate compassion, says Affleck. A large and powerful man, Le Gris was well educated and very wealthy, though from an only recently ennobled family. Still, the theory cannot plausibly account for Louvels having named Le Gris while in conversation with Marguerite. 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. According to Jager, Le Gris took an immediate liking to Marguerite when Carrouges introduced her to the court in 1384. The Last Duel tracks the real life events that led up to France's final legal duel between Sir Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) after the latter is accused of raping Marguerite de Carrouges (Comer), Jean's wife. She had the potential of suffering dearly and dying, but at that point she was just tired of having no voice., Below, everything thats known about Le Gris and Carrouges, Marguerites accusations, and the so-called last duel.. She has everything to lose. Early life. 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. 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! But this was not included in the film. Gross! 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. One of the places Le Gris vindication emerged was in the Encyclopdie; this project, spearheaded by Denis Diderot and Jacques dAlembert, was one of the first modern encyclopedias and a text which articulated many of the Enlightenments most formative arguments. Scott rightly ends The Last Duel on a triumphant note. Born into a noble Norman family around the 1330s, Carrouges met Le Gris, a lower-born man who rose through the ranks by virtue of his own political savvy, while both were serving as vassals of Count Pierre. According to Marguerites testimony, Le Gris and Adam Louvel, a squire in the royal court, conspired together to assault her. As she argues, Instead of a duel that was long and drawn out and involved many different weapons and a whole variety of exciting scenarios, it seems to have been a very short affair that shocked the audience., Two likely eyewitnessesthe author of the Chronicle of the Monk of Saint-Denis and Le Coqagree that Le Gris landed the first blow, piercing Carrouges thigh with his sword. Cookie Policy Le Gris window arrived on January 18, when Marguerite happened to be left alone with just one maidservant. [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. In particular, Carrouges loses his claims to a lucrative estate called Aunou-le-Faucon to Le Gris. 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. However, Voltaire only acknowledged Marguerite insofar as he claimed all these fights were fought for women. Neither DArgis nor Voltaire mentioned Marguerite by name. [10] King Charles VI, who was on campaign with his court in Flanders, ordered the duel to be postponed until 29 December as he did not want to miss what was rapidly becoming the event of the season. But whats so amazing about Nicole and what Nicole has brought to the piece is this sense of imagination. Le Gris quickly turned violent, forcing her upstairs and enlisting Louvel to help restrain her as she desperately fought back. Holofcener adhered to historical fact in terms of how Marguerite spoke, what she did and how she behaved, but the rest is a dramatization. The battle was drawn-out, bloody and spectacular. 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. Jean and Marguerite de Carrouges rode, accompanied by hordes of cheering fans to Notre Dame de Paris to give thanks for victory. 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. Marguerite is the most important and most heroic person in the story, make what happens to her after the duel . According to Enlightenment scholar and University of Florida assistant professor of history Anton Matytsin, the Enlightenment sought the end to judicial torture, the abolition of the death penalty, and the institution of proportional and humane punishments that would deter people from committing crimes this is the main context in which they would have seen a duel: a barbaric way to settle a legal matter. Cesare Beccaria, a leading Enlightenment thinker, outlined how judicial torture primarily benefitted not those who were innocent and had nothing to confess but those whose physical constitutions would allow them to withstand pain., The Enlightenments celebration of Marguerite de Carrouges accused rapist challenges our notions of how history develops. 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. One of the Enlightenments most scathing critiques of the Middle Ages was of its violence, particularly in capital punishment. 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). The mortal combat, set for December 29, promised to be the seasons highlight in the capital, as thousands of Parisians flocked to see it, and the young king and his court took their places in colorful viewing stands set up alongside the field at the monastery of Saint-Martin-des-Champs. A Note to our Readers I know that was the same for everyone who was coming toward this project.. No institution could long survive so open a confutation, and it was annulled by the Parlement.. They truly believed God would make happen whatever was the fair thing to happen, so it would . Le Gris' body was dragged from the blood-soaked field and hanged on a gibbet. Even in Le Gris' version, though, Marguerite's attempts to get away seem less flirtatious and more earnest. Meanwhile, Le Gris continued to rise in Pierre's esteem. Or did Carrouges according to one account grab him by the helmet and throw him down? Skoda and Elema argue that Marguerites case exemplifies the complexity of medieval society, which is often painted in broad, reductive strokes. In his alibi, Le Gris himself cited the narrow window of time available for his alleged visit, strictly during daylight hours. Carrouges died roughly a decade after the duel, falling in combat against the Ottoman Turks. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock on the door and opened it to find Louvel. Though the real duel was between Le Gris and Jean, the film portrays the true conflict as Marguerite de Carrouges versus the political mores of her day, as she struggles to convince those around her, from the Church to her family to the French king to the common peasant, that what she says is true. (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. 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. Although now losing blood, Carrouges mounted a daring counterattack and fought on so stoutly that he managed to throw his opponent to the ground. 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. Only in the final section of the film, when Marguerite is allowed to speak for herself, does the truth of the mens personalities emerge: Carrougesa jealous and contentious man, in Jagers wordsis mainly concerned with saving his own pride. Insight and analysis from renowned writers and thinkers. However, by the time Marguerite's side plays out, there is no question about what happened. You have reached your limit of free articles. 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. It finished when de Carrouges pulled back the visor of le Gris and fatally stabbed him. Does he truly believe his innocence at the end? Affleck reflects of Le Gris. If her husband lost she would be found guilty of perjury. Many skepticsincluding chroniclers, historians, partisans, and even historical novelistshave cast doubt on the official verdict. 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. However, Scotts Duel only depicts half of Marguerites story. If Carrouges won the duel, the couple would go free, their claims vindicated. When de Carrouges returns home he demands sex, but Marguerite refuses and tells him about the rape, fuelling de Carrouges' anger against his friend. 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. 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. 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. 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. That July, at the old royal palace on the le de la Cit, the knight formally challenged the squire, throwing down the gauntlet, as witnessed by the young Charles VI, many other royals, and the magistrates of the Parlement of Paris, the nations highest court. 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. Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. Knights were one step above squires, but men of both ranks often served as vassals to higher-ranking overlords. Theres a certain arrogance rooted in that assumption. Their future was assured. 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.. In accord with ancient tradition, she would be burned alive as a false accuser. According to Jager, the two were such dear friends that Carrouges made Le Gris godfather to his child a son born from a previous marriage in 1377. 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. At the bottom of the social ladder were warriors, priests and laborers, who had limited rights and political influence. [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. The greatest departure from Jagers book comes during the rape itself. 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. 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. And clearly it wasnt.. 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. When he leaves he says she should tell no one, especially her husband because he might kill her if he finds out. 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. The author would like to thank Eric Jager for his correspondence regarding this piece. 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. To prove her claim true, Matt Damon's Jean challenges Le Gris to trial by combat. 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. Marguerite and her husband appealed the decision. 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. On December 29, 1386, before a crowd presided over by French king Charles VI, Carrouges and Le Gris eyed each other warily. An intensely personal rivalry, exacerbated by a series of failed legal cases brought by Carrouges, emerged between the onetime friends. I would call that historically accurate, even though we dont have direct testimony that Marguerite did this or that at the time.. By the early nineteenth century, the notion that it all had been a case of mistaken identity was firmly established, as typified in an 1824 retelling by Norman historian and politician Louis Du Bois, who explains the supposed miscarriage of justice by speculating that the actual rapist was a squire who doubtless bore some resemblance to the unfortunate Le Gris.. If Carrouges lost, then Marguerite would be burnt at the stake for perjury. 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. 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.. Soon after, de Carrouges went on a campaign to Scotland and though it was a military failure, he distinguished himself with his courage. 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. In Jagers book, the detailed description of the duel between Le Gris and Carrouges, held on Dec. 29, 1386, was drawn from several sources. With the duel concluded, Froissart continues, Jacques Le Gris body was delivered to the executioner of Paris, who dragged it to Montfaucon and hung it there. For months afterward, at the great stone gibbet on the infamous hilltop outside the citys northern gates, this grisly sight greeted any townsman or traveler passing by. I will have justice!. She was a noblewoman originally from an . Of course, the movie is about much more than just the duel, as is the true story so here's what went down. Marguerites fate is unknown, though later historians convinced of the falsity of her claims suggested she retired to a convent out of shame. Marguerite de Carrouges was a real woman who lived in 14th century France. 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. 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. Really embracing the kind of freedom that gave her. The newly-minted Count Pierre took an immediate liking to the charming Le Gris, which strained the latters friendship with Carrouges. For me, why would a woman speak out and say this when her life was at risk? the actress says. Beneath him were three main ranks of nobility: barons, knights and squires. Following Robert dAlenons death, the Counts brother, Pierre, took over the court. Like, I couldnt have gotten there. 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. Yet the case does reveal the way in which scandal, as a cousin to the word slander (both derive from the Old French escandle), ultimately resides in the spoken or written word, whether in the gossip of neighbors or the hearsay of the chronicler. Warning, The Last Duel spoilers follow. Le Gris' window arrived on January 18, when Marguerite happened to be left alone with just one maidservant. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. 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. 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. 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.. Froissart says simply that Carrouges felled his opponent and, thrusting his sword into his body, killed him on the spot.. And yet he raped her so brutally in history, in the truth, so badly there would be no doubt. The origins of The Last Duel begin in January 1368, when Marguerite de Carrouges claimed she was raped by Jacques Le Gris, a squire. There is this paradox of the human experience where oftentimes different people come away from the same situation with different impressions of that. Dust off your 14th-century French history books, folks. 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. 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. 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. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock . Sir Jacques le Gris (lit. 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.
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