what happened to marguerite de carrouges

In accord with ancient tradition, she would be burned alive as a false accuser. I think the film makes the right choice [in portraying her story]., Comer agrees. 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. Prey star Amber Midthunder lands next movie role, The Super Mario Bros Movie hits huge milestone, Emily in Paris' Lucien Laviscount lands movie role. I want justice! 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. Should Carrouges lose, Marguerite will be burned at the stake for perjury. And not just any death. It was a patriarchal and deeply misogynist [time]. This cruel error moved the Parlement to systematically reject all appeals for the duelThis was the end of judicial combat., A similar story is retailed by the famed eleventh edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (191011), which likewise gives the erroneous date of 1385 and has the rapist attacking the lady by night, although here in the guise of her husband as she awaits his return from the Crusadesan implausible bed trick recalling the story of Martin Guerre. The film, set amid the brutality of the Hundred Years' War, is divided into three chapters the "truth" according to Carrouges (played by Damon), Le Gris (Adam Driver) and finally, Marguerite (Jodie Comer). 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. All Rights Reserved. Early life. So there was just no doubt for me that this woman was telling the truth. We wanted to examine that. That was at the root of everything. 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. Jean and Marguerite de Carrouges rode, accompanied by hordes of cheering fans to Notre Dame de Paris to give thanks for victory. This happened, she said, in the morning hours at the modest chteau of her widowed . Advertising Notice 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. At the time, Jager explains, trial by combat was believed to be the judgment of God, traditionally looked to heaven to assure a just and fair verdict.. 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. 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. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. 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. According to . 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. In 1384, Carrouges and Margueriteencountered Le Gris at a mutual friends party. While the film might appear to be Hollywood fiction, it is actually based on accounts of what happened following a heinous assault on Carrouges' wife. Following Robert dAlenons death, the Counts brother, Pierre, took over the court. The Chteau de Carrouges is a chteau, dating partly from the 14th century, located in the commune of Carrouges, in the Orne department, Normandy, northern France.It is unusual in its combination of an austere fortress with a comfortable residence. And yet he raped her so brutally in history, in the truth, so badly there would be no doubt. And two suspects are harder to convict than one, unless they can be turned against each other. Shes going to face some kind of penalty. Instead of being executed, however, most women on the losing side of rape cases endured custodial or financial [punishment], which in medieval terms is kind of the end of everything anyway, according to Skoda. 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 the counts favorite and his administrative right hand. Marguerite de Carrouges (ne de Thibouville; 1362, Chteau de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) - c. 1419) was a French. 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. 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. A Note to our Readers They leave, with the crowds cheering for de Carrouges. 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.. Despite the lack of witnesses, Le Gris certainly had motive and opportunity. 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. Much as Le Gris is said to have silenced Marguerite with his hood, a legion of clerics, historians, and partisans managed to muffle and stifle her story with vague rumors and inconsistent reports that have shrouded the matter almost to the present day. Le Gris and Jean had once been close friends, but their relationship turned to rivalry over a dispute regarding land Marguerites family owned. I do not know, he adds in a poignant aside, for I never spoke with her, whether she had not often regretted having gone so far with the matter that she and her husband were in such grave dangerand then finally there was nothing for it but to await the outcome.. 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. The last judicial duel in France hinged on whether a woman could be believed. Shortly before Jean departed for Paris, he and Le Gris confronted one another in the court of Count Pierre dAlenon (played by Ben Affleck); Le Gris learned around this time that Jean would be leaving Marguerite alone. Froissart portrays Marguerite, who had recently given birth to a son, praying to the Virgin as she anxiously awaits her fate. 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. A woman's long hair, meanwhile, "is her glory.". [2][3], Shortly after his marriage, Carrouges revealed another motive for the union. 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. The Last Duel (Spoilers for Duel Outcome) To say that this event was a spectacle would be selling it short. Anything that . When de Carrouges returns home he demands sex, but Marguerite refuses and tells him about the rape, fuelling de Carrouges' anger against his friend. The first two chapters of the three-act film, penned by Damon and Affleck, draw heavily on Jagers research, recounting Marguerites rape and the events surrounding it from the perspectives of Carrouges and Le Gris, respectively. I will not be silent, she responds, teary-eyed but defiant. Terms of Use 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 two combatants sat their horses very prettily, writes Froissart, for both were skilled in arms. That was really sad. Historians may never know what actually happened. Jean Juvnal des Ursins, who was not present at the event, wrote that right before Carrouges delivered his deathly blow, he demanded to hear the truth from Le Gris. Meilan Solly Rather, it was the last judicial duel sanctioned by the Parlement of Parisa decision possibly motivated by the decidedly unchivalrous nature of the event. He had a witness. And one includes the ladys penitential retreat to a convent, while the other omits this finale. They were right Le Gris decried Marguerites accusations as false and inflammatory, and Count Pierre took his side, clearing him of the charges. Spoiler alert: The following story includes details from the historical account behind the new film The Last Duel and narrative twists specific to the film. 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. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. 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. Carrouges was born in the late 1330s in the village of Sainte-Marguerite-de-Carrouges as the eldest son of the knight and minor noble, Sir Jean de Carrouges III, and his wife, Nicole de Buchard. The dominant belief that women had to enjoy sex in order to conceive further complicated matters, leaving those impregnated by their rapists on even shakier legal ground. Despite how much Marguerite de Carrouges' tale resonates today, we must keep in mind L.P. Hartley's words: "the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." John-Paul Heil is a Ph.D candidate in early modern history at the University of Chicago and an adjunct professor of history and the liberal arts at Mount St. Mary . 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. Carrouges was born in the late 1330s in the village of Saint-Marguerite-de-Carrouges as the eldest son of knight and minor noble Sir Jean de Carrouges III and his wife Nicole de Buchard. In the article on duels, lawyer Antoine-Gaspard Boucher dArgis described how under King Charles VI, [people] fought for so little, offering as an example the one he ordered in 1386 between Carrouges and Le Gris:. Louvel then added a greeting from Jacques Le Gris, who he said greatly admired her and was eager to speak with her. The lawsuit reflected very poorly on Carrouges at the court in Argentan and resulted in his further estrangement from Count Pierre's circle. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887. Privacy Statement I dont want your money! Marguerite replied. 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. In short, yes. He had been rewarded for his long military service in the Hundred Years' War . For me, why would a woman speak out and say this when her life was at risk? the actress says. This man who has done something horrible and doesnt understand it. The entire royal court was gossiping about the rape, the trial, and the likelihood of a duel. 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. Here are our top 10 picks, Super Mario Bros. Movie hits $1 billion, is No. Cookie Policy 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. Fight Club explained: Whats the big twist? | READ MORE. 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. There is a brief coda that reveals Marguerite outlived her husband and never remarried. 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. The offense took place on January 18, 1386, while she was still in Paris, alone at her mother-in-laws chateau with one other maidservant. According to testimony later provided by Carrouges and Marguerite, she heard a knock . 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. 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. Before the duel, Le Gris had asked in all the monasteries of Paris that God should pray for him. 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. Dr. Ariella Elema, a historian who specializes in trial by combat, analyzed differing accounts of the duel, which appears to have been a very short affair that shocked the audience.. Even in Le Gris' version, though, Marguerite's attempts to get away seem less flirtatious and more earnest. Instead, Elema explains, authorities overseeing trials typically imposed a settlement after the fighters had exchanged a few blows. She refuses his advances, after which he rapes her. 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. Not understanding the effect they were having on someone else. Following the death of Carrouges first wife and son, he and Le Gris finally severed ties. There is this paradox of the human experience where oftentimes different people come away from the same situation with different impressions of that. When Marguerite accuses Le Gris of rape, Jean de Carrouges challenges him to a trial by combat. Carrouges died roughly a decade after the duel, falling in combat against the Ottoman Turks. 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. The author would like to thank Eric Jager for his correspondence regarding this piece. I will have justice!. Le Gris final moments appear to have been grisly even by the standards of the day: The monk of Saint-Denis, who served as Charles VIs official historian, reported that Carrouges killed his enemy with great difficulty because he was encased in armor. In accordance with tradition, authorities dragged Le Gris body to the gallows and hung him as a final insult to his sullied reputation. 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.
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