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. The True Story Behind The Last Duel | Time In 1384, Carrouges and Margueriteencountered Le Gris at a mutual friends party. What's Fact and What's Fiction in The Last Duel - Slate Magazine 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.. I know that was the same for everyone who was coming toward this project.. 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.. If the case is not proven, then [the woman] doesnt just get to walk away, says Skoda. Over the next several months, famous lawyers were hired, witnesses were summoned, and testimony was gathered. One identifies the supposed felon as a condemned man about to be executed, the other as a sick man on his deathbed. And clearly it wasnt.. But we wanted to do it through the lens of this situation. (Rapists sometimes escaped punishment by marrying their victims.) Much like Jagers book, the film doesnt offer a sympathetic portrayal of either of its leading men. Two aspiring knights stood side by side, one welcoming his first son and heir, the other acting as his godfathervirtually a family member, according to historian Eric Jager. 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? The pair of men tied Marguerite down and physically beat her. Ultimately, Carrouges victory was a result of Le Gris being literally unable to get up. One ground for skepticism about these two reportsapart from their priestly sources, notoriously suspicious of womenis that each tells a substantially different story. 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. She has to relive it over and over againand she gets it right.. We gathered from research that she was really capable and educated, Holofcener says. October 15, 2021 7:00 AM EDT. Her father had sided against the king twice, and. [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). 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. 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.. News back then traveled, archival research has shown, at the rate of an average days journey by horseback: about thirty miles per day. 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. According to Eric Jager's book The Last Duel, the alleged rape of Jean de Carrouges' wife Marguerite happened on January 18, 1386. 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. 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. Her husband is abusive what would be the consequences of this? 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. And then I was judged and shammed by my country. Marguerites husband, Sir Jean de Carrouges, a reputedly jealous and violent manwhose once close friendship with Le Gris had soured in recent years amid court rivalry and a protracted dispute over landwas traveling at the time of the alleged crime. She has everything to lose. That meant that Holofcener had to create Marguerites world and inner life from scratch. 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. Are we seeing how others experience things?. In court, he also claimed to have seen Marguerite only twice in his entire life: during the Parlements official inquiry, and also not less than two years earlier at a social gathering at the home of a mutual friend, Jean Crespin, where Carrouges and Le Gris apparently put aside their recent quarrels and Carrouges ordered his wife to kiss Le Gris as a sign of renewed friendship. I think the film makes the right choice [in portraying her story]., Comer agrees. Mother of Robert De Carrouges. 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.. In real life, as in the film, de Carrouges has to first ask Count Pierre for a trial, which is obviously biased in favour of Le Gris. 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. Cookie Policy This tangled and still-controversial case leaves many tantalizing questions, not least of all why Jacques Le Gris did it, if indeed he did. The True Story Of 'The Last Duel': Historians Still Debate Marguerite 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. Her father had sided against the king twice, and. 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Scott rightly ends The Last Duel on a triumphant note. The J. PaulGettyMuseum, Los Angeles. Jean de Carrouges Badass of the Week He doesnt even recognize it. Marguerite remained silent of her ordeal for several days, until her husband's return on the 21 or 22 January. No one really knew the truth of the matter. 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. But whats so amazing about Nicole and what Nicole has brought to the piece is this sense of imagination. Popular historical fiction abetted the theory of mistaken identity, exploiting its shock effect. Marguerite was born as Marguerite De Thibouville in Normandy in the year 1362. When would she choose to speak out in this way? The event marked the first meeting between Carrouges wifedescribed by a contemporary chronicler as beautiful, good, sensible and modestand Le Gris. I gave her a friend, who ultimately betrays her. According to court documents and testimony, Le Gris accomplice, Adam Louvel (Adam Nagaitis), participated in the rape. Of course, the movie is about much more than just the duel, as is the true story so here's what went down. Only Le Gris alibi survives in the court records, but if Louvel had separate witnesses who placed him elsewhere at the time of the crime, their testimony would have exonerated Le Gris as well, just as Le Gris alibi would have helped exonerate Louvel. By the time the criminal trial was underway in the summer of that year, Marguerite was noticeably pregnant. 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 Last Duel Ending Explained: Who Won The Duel, And - CINEMABLEND 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. Like today, sexual assault and rape often went unpunished and even unreported in the Middle Ages. Matt Damon as Sir Jean de Carrouges in 20th Century Studios The Last Duel., Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges and Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in The Last Duel., Adam Driver as Jacques Le Gris in The Last Duel., Adam Driver, left, as Jacques Le Gris, and Matt Damon, as Jean de Carrouges, face off in The Last Duel., Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in The Last Duel., Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Halloween kills at the box office with a new horror record, as Last Duel gets slayed, Review: Ridley Scotts epic The Last Duel rebukes the patriarchy in every era, The Scream 6 publicity stunts hit closer to home, prompting 911 calls in Sonoma, Review: Andrea Riseborough and campy Please Baby Please deconstruct gender and the 1950s, Bruce Willis steps out with friends after announcement of dementia diagnosis, Gayle King surprises Angela Bassett with her Whats Love Got to Do With It dress, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Hidden, illegal casinos are booming in L.A., with organized crime reaping big profits, Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Review: Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre is classic Guy Ritchie and not in a good way, Review: The teen drama Palm Trees and Power Lines tells a searing story of abuse, Review: The documentary Ithaka attempts a difficult defense of Julian Assange, Jonathan Majors dubs Michael B. Jordan Michael B. Handsome at Walk of Fame ceremony, Review: Natural beauty and a touching ecological tale center the female-forward Blueback. The two men seized her by the arms and legs, she testified, and dragged her up a nearby stairway, while she struggled and shouted for help. By taking away the witness and some challenging details, like Le Gris stuffing his hat into Marguerites mouth, the filmmakers were able to more fully explore the notion that Le Gris believed his actions were just. The Last Duel (2021) - Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges - IMDb Although now losing blood, Carrouges mounted a daring counterattack and fought on so stoutly that he managed to throw his opponent to the ground. Yet Adam Louvel reportedly confessed to nothing, not even under torture. Jean de Carrouges | Historica Wiki | Fandom P.T. In Jagers book, the detailed description of the duel between Le Gris and Carrouges, held on Dec. 29, 1386, was drawn from several sources. He strucks a belly of Le Gris's horse with his axe. Gross! It is incumbent on us to be good people, to overcome that and to see more broadly and with empathy, Affleck says. 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. The view that Marguerite was lyinga conjecture unsupported by any evidence, apart from Le Gris dubious alibiholds either that she concocted the rape story herself, perhaps to cover an adultery, or that it was extorted from her by her opportunistic husband in order to avenge himself on his rival. 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. 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.. Some argued that shed falsely accused Le Gris, either mistaking him for someone else or acting on the orders of her vindictive husband. In real life, there was another complicating factor de Carrouges bought land and was forced to turn it over to Pierre, blaming Le Gris for it. 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. RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY. As Jager explains, With a motive, revenge against the knight, and a means, the seduction of his wife, all [Le Gris] needed now was an opportunity.. And not just any death. The Woman in Black | Lapham's Quarterly 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. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie stars Matt Damon as Carrouges, Adam Driver as Le Gris and Jodie Comer as Carrouges second wife, Marguerite. 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. 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.. The entire royal court was gossiping about the rape, the trial, and the likelihood of a duel. Or did he trip? Comer brought that sense of history into her performance as well, recognizing what was and wasnt acceptable for women of the time. To prove her claim true, Matt Damon's Jean challenges Le Gris to trial by combat. A hush fell over the crowd, as they came to the solemn realization that a man had just died before their eyes. 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.. She has nothing to gain. 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. 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). Duels of honor, as well as judicial duels authorized by other governing bodies, continued to take place centuries after Carrouges triumph. An intensely personal rivalry, exacerbated by a series of failed legal cases brought by Carrouges, emerged between the onetime friends. She gave birth to a son, Robert, shortly before Le Gris trial by combat. Medieval law treated rape as a horrific crime on par with other capital offenses. Insight and analysis from renowned writers and thinkers. The Last Duel Ending Explained: Who Wins? - Collider When de Carrouges returns home he demands sex, but Marguerite refuses and tells him about the rape, fuelling de Carrouges' anger against his friend. People/Characters: Marguerite de Thibouville | LibraryThing This is when she is surprised by Adam Louvel (Adam Nagaitis) who asks her to open the door so he can wait, and when she does he reveals that Le Gris is also there to proclaim his love for Marguerite. 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. Louvel then,. That was at the root of everything. The Last Duel is now available to watch in cinemas. It's long and gory and ends with de Carrouges stabbing Le Gris through the mouth (in real life, it was the throat), proving Marguerite to have been telling the truth. The film does show that at the same time as Marguerite was pregnant, so was the queen. Marguerite de Carrouges - Wikipedia Louvel then added a greeting from Jacques Le Gris, who he said greatly admired her and was eager to speak with her. Other accounts provide more technical detail, even suggesting that Le Gris slipped on his opponents blood. According. [Jager] does a pretty meticulous description of it, but its a decidedly uncinematic duel, Damon notes. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Carrouges, now in control, shouted one word at his enemy: Confess. French law stipulated that noblemen appealing their cause to the king could challenge the accused to a judicial duel, or trial by combat. Meet the real woman who inspired The Last Duel", "L'histoire vraie de Jean de Carrouges et Jacques Legris, hros du film "Le dernier Duel" de Ridley Scott", "Vivonne et Jarnac, le dernier duel judiciaire en France", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marguerite_de_Carrouges&oldid=1117212348, This page was last edited on 20 October 2022, at 14:07. (Le Gris and Carrouges both started out as squires and vassals to Count Pierre, but Carrouges was knighted for his military service in 1385.) By unequivocally believing Marguerite, the screenwriters offer that same sense of empathy to all women who follow her. Diderots Encyclopdie and Voltaires Histoire du Parlement de Paris used the 1386 affair to denounce the supposed ignorance and cruelty of the Middle Ages. In the book, Le Gris does say he was in love with her, Holofcener says. 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. Jean de Carrouges - Rape of Marguerite | Rape Marguerite - LiquiSearch The Real History Behind Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' | History I'm married. 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. Character description. Gangsters in a patrol wagon, New York, c. 1935. 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). If youd rather experience the film first, please save this to read after watching. Instead, Elema explains, authorities overseeing trials typically imposed a settlement after the fighters had exchanged a few blows. As per the rules of the duel, whoever loses the battle would be proven guilty of his crimes. Meanwhile, Le Gris continued to rise in Pierre's esteem. Historical scandals, much like the contemporary ones filling our tabloids, news sites, and now-ubiquitous Facebook feeds, are built on a widely shared sense of certainty about what really happeneda feeling that often belies the elusive truth. 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. 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.. The movie does follow the true story rather closely, and with a runtime of two and a half hours, we'd hope so. 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.