The True Story Behind the Last Duel

In the winter of 1386, two French noblemen engaged in what would be considered the last trial by combat in France. The center of their dispute was an accusation of rape. Marguerite de Carrouges was married to the knight Jean de Carrouges. She claimed that one of her husband’s former friends, Jacques le Gris, raped her when her husband was away. The court case and the brutal trial by combat that followed are depicted in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, based on the book of the same name by Eric Jager. We’ll examine the true story behind the last duel in today’s History Under the Radar.