The last duel a true story of crime, scandal, and trial by combat

The gripping true story of the "duel to end all duels" in medieval France as a resolute knight defends his wife's honor against the squire she accuses of a heinous crime. In the midst of the devastating Hundred Years' War between France and England, Jean de Carrouges, a Norman knight fresh from comb...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jager, Eric (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Crown, 2021
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Summary:The gripping true story of the "duel to end all duels" in medieval France as a resolute knight defends his wife's honor against the squire she accuses of a heinous crime. In the midst of the devastating Hundred Years' War between France and England, Jean de Carrouges, a Norman knight fresh from combat in Scotland, returns home to yet another deadly threat. His wife, Marguerite, has accused squire Jacques Le Gris of rape. A deadlocked court decrees a "trial by combat" between the two men that also leaves Marguerite's fate in the balance. For if her husband loses the duel, she will be put to death as a false accuser. While enemy troops pillage the land, and rebellion and plague threaten the lives of all, Carrouges and Le Gris meet in full armor on a walled field in Paris. What follows is a fierce duel, the final one sanctioned by governing powers, before a massive crowd that includes the teenage King Charles VI, during which both combatants are wounded--but only one fatally. Based on extensive research in Normandy and Paris, The Last Duel brings to life a colorful, turbulent age and three unforgettable characters caught in a fatal triangle of crime, scandal, and revenge. The Last Duel is at once a moving human drama, a captivating true crime story, and an engrossing work of historical intrigue with themes that echo powerfully centuries later.
Physical Description:242 pages : black and white illustrations, maps ; 21 cm.
ISBN:9780593240885
059324088X
Author Notes:Eric Jager holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and has also taught at Columbia University. An award-winning professor of English at UCLA, he is the author of two previous books, including The Book of the Heart (a study of heart imagery in medieval literature) and numerous articles for acclaimed academic journals. He lives in Los Angeles.