Marguerite de Carrouges
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Marguerite de Carrouges (née de Thibouville; 1362, Château de Fontaine-la-Soret (Eure) – c. 1419) was a French noblewoman. She married Jean de Carrouges in 1380.
Family and marriage
[edit]She was the only daughter of Jeanne de Bois Héroult and the highly controversial Robert de Thibouville, a Norman lord who had twice sided against the French king in territorial conflicts. 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".[2][3]
Lawsuit, trial, and duel
[edit]
Shortly after his marriage, Jean de Carrouges revealed another motive for the union. The valuable estate of Aunou-le-Faucon, given to his rival Jacques Le Gris two years earlier, had been formerly owned by Marguerite de Carrouges' father, Robert de Thibouville, and had been bought by Count Pierre II of Alençon for 8,000 French livres in 1377. Jean de Carrouges immediately began a lawsuit to recover the land, based on an assumed prior claim to it.[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. The lawsuit reflected very poorly on Jean de Carrouges at the court in Argentan and resulted in his further estrangement from Count Pierre's circle.[4]
On January 18, 1386, Marguerite was allegedly assaulted by Jacques le Gris, a friend turned rival of Jean de Carrouges, in her mother in-law’s home in Capomesnil, Normandy. It is believed that le Gris persuaded Marguerite, who he had previously been introduced to by her husband, to allow him into the Chateau.[5] He then proceeded to make sexual advances, and when she did not reciprocate, he raped her with the help of his assistant Adam Louvel.[6] This lead to one of the last judicial duels permitted by the French king and the Parlement of Paris (the actual last duel occurred in 1547[7] opposing Guy Chabot de Jarnac against François de Vivonne). The combat was decreed on December 29, 1386 in Paris.[3] Le Gris was felled in combat by a sword to the side and perished, making him deemed guilty in the trial. Had Jean de Carrouges lost, Marguerite would have been burned at the stake for perjury. This is because at the time trial by ordeals were viewed as a form of divine judgement, in which the victor was viewed as righteous and aided by God.[6]
Later life
[edit]Some sources say that another man confessed to Marguerite’s rape while awaiting execution, and that Marguerite became a recluse and took a vow of chastity as a result.[8] However, there is debate about the authenticity of this claim.
In popular culture
[edit]The story of the duel inspired Ridley Scott's 2021 film The Last Duel (based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager), in which she was played by Jodie Comer.
References
[edit]- ^ "L'affaire Marguerite de Carrouges, un procès qui a agité toute la France". fr.news.yahoo.com (in French). Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ Jager, pp. 24–26,
- ^ a b "Un jour, une histoire. Le 29 décembre 1 386 se déroula un duel d'honneur entre deux seigneurs normands". actu.fr (in French). 5 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ a b Jager, p. 31
- ^ Froissart, Jean; Scheibel, Johann Ephraim; Sainte-Palaye; Johnes, Thomas (1803–1810). Sir John Froissart's Chronicles of England, France and the adjoining countries: from the latter part of the reign of Edward II. to the coronation of Henry IV. Newly translated from the best French editions, with variations and additions from many celebrated manuscripts. Hafod, England: At the Hafod Press, by James Henderson.
- ^ a b Cawthon, Elisabeth (October 2011). Famous Trials in History. New York, NY: Infobase Learning. ISBN 9780816081677.
- ^ Moskowa, M. le prince de la (1854). "Vivonne et Jarnac, le dernier duel judiciaire en France". Revue des Deux Mondes: 931–964.
- ^ Muhlberger, Steven. "An Account of a Duel in the Chronicle of the Monk of St. Denis". uts.nipissingu.ca. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025.