THE LAST DUEL
Jodie Comer portrays Marguerite de Carrouges, in "The Last Duel" Credit to Patrick Redmond 2021 20th Century Studios
Warning: This post contains spoilers about The Last Duel.
Do you believe what you are saying is true? Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Cooper) was asked this question by Scott, who opened The Last Duel in theaters on Oct. 15. The film is based on Eric Jager's 2004 book of that name. He is a professor of English at UCLA Los Angeles and a specialist of medieval literature. It uses the title event, which was held in Paris in 1286, to explore the complex politics of gender, sexual ethics, and religious morality of the Middle Ages.
The Last Duel is based on a historical mystery that remains unsolved over 600 years later. Was Marguerite de Carrouges raped in her home by the squire Jacques Le Gris. The mystery is not the only thing that intrigues. In the centuries following the film's events, Marguerite de Carrouges' story was rewritten to suit intellectual agendas and little regard for her life. Marguerite is vindicated in The Last Duel. However, the story of Marguerite's life as it was recorded and reshaped by the historical record reveals how easily marginalized voices can disappear from history, even historical figures we admire. It also shows how long it takes to restore those voices.
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A duel is the last resort in settling a dispute over life or death
Jodie Comer portrays Marguerite de Carrouges, in "The Last Duel" Patrick Redmond 2021 20th Century Studios
Marguerite claims that Le Gris, played by Adam Driver in the film, traveled to Capomesnil to raped Marguerite. Marguerite was unable to confirm her story. Jean de Carrogues, Marguerite's husband (played in the film by Matt Damon), had traveled to Paris to gather funds. The servants had gone with Marguerites mother and father-in-law.
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Despite not having witnesses, Le Gris had the motivation and opportunity to do so. Le Gris was known for his generosity in personal life. Jean and Le Gris were once close friends. However, their relationship became strained over a dispute about the Marguerites' land. Jean left for Paris shortly before Le Gris and Jean met in court at Count Pierre dAlenon (played well by Ben Affleck). Le Gris discovered that Jean was leaving Marguerite.
The Marguerites charges had serious implications for medieval French society. If convicted, the penalty for rape was death for the perpetrator and dishonor for his family. False accusations were also punished with death via burning at stake.
Jean, attempting to regain the honor of his wife, and family, accused Le Gris, of rape on Marguerites for Pierre dAlenon. However, either because Le Gris had been a favorite Pierres or because Pierre had feuded to Jean on the land disputeor simply to believe Margueritethe count chalked Marguerites witness up to a dream, a female flight of fancy. Jean rode to Paris, enraged, and appealed for King Charles VI to challenge Le Gris in a duel. This is a rare way for nobles of capital crimes to settle. After months of futile investigations by the French courts, which included Marguerites strong testimony and a counter-witness from Le Gris's, the courts were forced to allow the duel to continue, allowing God to determine the winner. Jean Le Coq was Le Gris' lawyer and wrote in his diary that no one knew the truth.
Although the actual duel was between Jean and Le Gris, the film depicts Marguerite de Carrouges versus political trends of her day. She struggles to convince everyone around her, from her family to the French king, to the common peasant that what she claims is true. The film's focus is split between Jean, Marguerite and Le Gris. Jeans and Le Gris sections of the story were written by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Marguerites by Nicole Holofcener. Marguerite is the true protagonist of the story, despite having to be split into three parts. Jodie Comers strong performance does justice to the role of Marguerite and makes her a strong candidate for this year's awards season. The film's mistakes are because it doesn't allow Comer and Marguerites to have more screen time.
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Enlightenment thinkers revise the story
Adam Driver portrays Jacques LeGris, and Matt Damon portrays Jean de Carrouges. 'The Last Duel’ Patrick Redmond 2021 20th Century Studios
Scotts Duel is only half of Marguerites' story. The duel was won by Jean, who succeeded in defending Marguerites honor. However, it would go on to have a controversial history in the centuries that followed. In the following decades, period chroniclers differed on details of the duel and disputed LeGris guilt. Jager in Laphams Quarterly recounts that Jean won only because Le Gris fell on his opponent's blood. Other period chroniclers wrote about a deathbed confession made by a felon, who admitted, at the last minute, that he had raped Marguerite.
This revision of LeGris character was adopted by Enlightenment thinkers during the 18th century to further their intellectual agendas. The Enlightenment positioned itself against the purportedly superstitious Middle Ages, now reimagined to be the Dark Ages. It valued rationality above everything else. Some historians consider Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire early feminists. They made compelling arguments for human rights, gender equality, and the natural dignity and humanity of all peoples, regardless of their age, gender, or race. This makes the Enlightenments acceptance of the medieval narrative that Le Gris is innocent and refusal to take into account Marguerites perspective all more surprising and hypocritical.
The violence of the Middle Ages, especially in capital punishment, was one of the most critical criticisms by the Enlightenments. Jacques Le Gris was a martyr for many. He was sentenced to a cruel death by a backwards, superstitious legal system that demonized him. Le Gris was vindicated in the Encyclopdie. This project, which Denis Diderot led and Jacques dAlembert spearheaded, was one the first modern encyclopedias. It was a text that articulated many of Enlightenments' most important arguments. In his article on duels, lawyer Antoine-Gaspard Boucher dArgis explained how people fought under King Charles VI for so little. He gave as an example the one he ordered between Carrouges & Le Gris in 1386.
DArgis' account does not address whether Marguerites testimony is valid. Instead, it emphasizes the injustice of Le Gris and futility in Le Gris prayers. In his Histoire du Parlement, Voltaire also critiqued the brutality and inability to forgive the duel. Voltaire did not mention Marguerite, however.
Revisionist history serving a wider agenda
Matt Damon portrays Jean de Carrouges, Adam Driver portrays Jacques LeGris in The Last Duel’ Patrick Redmond 2021 20th Century Studios
The Enlightenments exoneration for Le Gris was based on its arguments against torture in judicial proceedings. Anton Matytsin (Enlightenment scholar, University of Florida assistant professor of History), stated that the Enlightenment was against torture in judicial proceedings.
Marguerite de Carrouges, a convicted rapist, was the Enlightenments celebration. This challenge our understanding of history. Modern eyes may be more familiar with the Enlightenment than the Middle Ages. However, intellectual and cultural progress is not a straight line. It is now obvious that Marguerites testimony should be heard, but it was incorrectly downplayed and ignored by later historians. For the Enlightenments intellectuals, the story of Frances final duel was not one of injustice towards women, but judicial injustice. Marguerite de Carrouges' story is still very relevant today. However, L.P. Hartleys words remind us that the past is a foreign land and they do things differently in there.
John-Paul Heil is an adjunct professor of history at Mount St. Marys University, Maryland. He is also a Ph.D. candidate in early modern historical history at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on Renaissance Naples' intellectual history of virtue. His work appears or will appear in Smithsonian and Los Angeles Review of Books and Comment. Eric Jager is a person the author would like to express gratitude for his correspondence about this piece.
