Louvel then added a greeting from Jacques Le Gris, who he said greatly admired her and was eager to speak with her. Some argued that shed falsely accused Le Gris, either mistaking him for someone else or acting on the orders of her vindictive husband. Gangsters in a patrol wagon, New York, c. 1935. 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. To prove her claim true, Matt Damon's Jean challenges Le Gris to trial by combat. (Rapists sometimes escaped punishment by marrying their victims.) There is this paradox of the human experience where oftentimes different people come away from the same situation with different impressions of that. 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. Marguerite said no. There is a brief coda that reveals Marguerite outlived her husband and never remarried. The film is based on the true story of the last legally permitted duel (hence the title) fought in France. I thought I was going to suffocate, and soon I couldnt fight them anymore. From an absolute philosophical point of view, nobody but Jacques Le Gris and Marguerite and those who were in the room know the truth, Jager says. 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 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). It was a patriarchal and deeply misogynist [time]. Cases had to meet four requirements, including exhausting all other legal remedies and confirming that the crime had actually occurred. According to Jager, Le Gris took an immediate liking to Marguerite when Carrouges introduced her to the court in 1384. According to Eric Jager's book The Last Duel, the alleged rape of Jean de Carrouges' wife Marguerite happened on January 18, 1386. 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.. While this should have added weight to Marguerite's claim, it did not. 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. They still spoke out, and they still fought against the grain.. ( 20 th Century Studios ) At the time, the French were engaged in a bitter conflict with the English. Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) c. 1419) was a French noblewoman. In the end the city expelled the contagion, and the body politic was cleansed. de Carrouges, whose wife and son died of an unknown illness, eventually marries Marguerite, a wealthy but reputationally damaged young woman. Now, the story of the 1386 trial by combat is the subject of a blockbuster film of the same name. 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. HIP/Art Resource, NY. A beautiful young noblewoman, dressed all in black and exposed to the crowds stares, anxiously awaited the outcome. Meilan Solly is Smithsonian magazine's associate digital editor, history. The two combatants sat their horses very prettily, writes Froissart, for both were skilled in arms. Comer brought that sense of history into her performance as well, recognizing what was and wasnt acceptable for women of 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. They took the idea of damnation seriously. Note: The following article contains discussion of rape that some readers may find upsetting. Marguerite de Thibouville, only daughter of the highly controversial Robert de Thibouville, married Jean de Carrouges in 1380. 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. DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. In 1384, Carrouges and Margueriteencountered Le Gris at a mutual friends party. 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. More, On the use and misuse of civility. P.T. 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. 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. I gave her a friend, who ultimately betrays her. The entire royal court was gossiping about the rape, the trial, and the likelihood of a duel. 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. As might be expected, the deadly trial by combat before the huge crowd of spectators unfolds with genuine drama and suspense. Le Gris window arrived on January 18, when Marguerite happened to be left alone with just one maidservant. 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. Carrouges, now in control, shouted one word at his enemy: Confess. Does he truly believe his innocence at the end? Affleck reflects of Le Gris. She was born to nobleman Robert De Thibouville, who was notorious for siding AGAINST France in territorial. As it turns out, the description of the event in Eric Jager's book The Last Duel is rather different from the five surviving medieval accounts of the fight. They pinned me down and stuffed a capucium [a hood] over my mouth to silence me. 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. 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. 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. 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. Ben Affleck co-wrote the script with Damon and Nicole Holofcener and appears as a feudal lord and compatriot of both leading men. Initially, Carrouges brought Marguerites case to Count Pierre. In accord with ancient tradition, she would be burned alive as a false accuser. But a public accusation of rape, at the time a capital offense and often a cause for scandalous rumors endangering the honor of those involved, could have grave consequences for both accuser and accused, especially among the nobility. Although now losing blood, Carrouges mounted a daring counterattack and fought on so stoutly that he managed to throw his opponent to the ground. 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? Marguerite de Carrouges : No. But this was not included in the film. The duel itself was very violent, as it was in the film. 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. 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. Even Le Gris believed she was victimized - just not by him. 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.. Yet Adam Louvel reportedly confessed to nothing, not even under torture. (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. De Carrouges sued Pierre for the land and lost, which only put him further on the outs with the count. The majority of medieval rape victims lacked the means to seek justice. 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. Marguerite de Carrouges accused Le Gris of rape in 1386. The Last Duel stars Jodie Comer, Matt Damon and Adam Driver as three people who changed the course of French history. (Le Gris and Carrouges both started out as squires and vassals to Count Pierre, but Carrouges was knighted for his military service in 1385.) Later encyclopedia entries echoed this view, seemingly solidifying the question of Le Gris innocence. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | READ MORE. 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. "Do you swear on your life that what you say is true?". 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 story is detailed and persuasive, and she ran such a great risk to speak up at a time when women were supposed to keep silent about such things. Dust off your 14th-century French history books, folks. 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. He also had a reputation as a seduceror worse. We gave this great filmmaker the opportunity to dramatize the essence of it and make it compelling to an audience, rather than do literally what happened.. 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. 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. 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.. Word of the scandalous affair spread far and wide via merchants, soldiers, itinerant clergy, and others who carried the latest tidings along the rutted roads to far-flung towns and villages. 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. Le Gris quickly turned violent, forcing her upstairs and enlisting Louvel to help restrain her as she desperately fought back. We gathered from research that she was really capable and educated, Holofcener says. Or did Carrouges according to one account grab him by the helmet and throw him down? By now the case had become a cause clbre. 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. On the whole, however, the events follow history. Jager, for his part, tells Medievalists.net that he never would have embarked on writing this book if I had not believed Marguerite. Le Gris lawyer, Jean Le Coq, arguably summarized the case best, noting in his journal that no one really knew the truth of the matter.. So there was just no doubt for me that this woman was telling the truth. But the count, infuriated by the accusation against his favorite, declared at a legal hearing that Marguerite must have dreamed it and summarily dismissed the charges, ordering that no further questions ever be raised about it.. Knights were one step above squires, but men of both ranks often served as vassals to higher-ranking overlords. It states that Le Gris innocence was later recognized by all, for a man condemned to death by the law confessed to having committed the heinous crime. Le Gris was the counts favorite and his administrative right hand. Toward a history of creativity and beef. Her husband is abusive what would be the consequences of this? Things come to a head when de Carrouges goes to Paris and his mother in law takes most of (if not all) the servants from the house with her, leaving Marguerite alone. 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. I think the film makes the right choice [in portraying her story]., Comer agrees. 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. But that doesnt mean that women were silenced. In Jagers book, the detailed description of the duel between Le Gris and Carrouges, held on Dec. 29, 1386, was drawn from several sources. What does she have to gain from that? ), the duel began as a joust on horseback, with lances. 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. After many preliminary ceremonies decreed by tradition (an arms inspection, a series of solemn oaths, the requisite dubbing of Le Gris as a knight to make the combatants equal in rank, etc. 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. It is incumbent on us to be good people, to overcome that and to see more broadly and with empathy, Affleck says. Advertising Notice Marguerite tells her story, and she knows that she needs to be extremely consistent, despite this absolutely horrific trauma that shes just gone through, says Skoda. 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.
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