The Last Duel : A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France

Rating:
Summary: late French medieval days
Review: Every so often one comes across a book that is unusual, and turns out to be unusally good. I purchased a copy of this book and read it through in a couple days. I enjoy books of early through late medievals days, 300-1400 a.d., having many on my shelf. But this book is a real gem, and should not go unread by anyone having interest in late medieval France. Books concerning French medieval castles and knights are not that plentiful to the general reader anyway. But once started most readers will have difficulty putting it down. And the ending leaves each reader to render a verdict of your feelings as to the guilt or innocence of the accused. The author says the book took 10 years to put together. Bravo! Time well spent. What a wonderful effort and resultant book. Do not miss this one.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I agree this book is valuable as an important historical document. But, boy, boring, boring, boring. One wonders if the author actually read the entire book before having it published. How many times does it have to be repeated that Le Gris was a favorite of Count Pierre...personally, I got if after the first time, then I especially after the second time. Now, personally, one of the reasons I was interested in this was the fact that it was so controversial. Ok...just bear with me. The duel was part of the legal system. It had become rare....don't worrry, this fact is repeatedly metioned...again and again!! The outcome of the duel was determined by God. You win--you are vindicated, you loose--you die. Rules of combat....what rules? Once combat starts...no rules. So, Carrouges slits Le Gris throat...all very gruesome. The author writes "The controvesial outcome of that duel has even been credited with hastening the demise of an institution that some people of the time.....regarded as...most barbarous judicial practises of the Middle Ages". What controversy? The wrong man won? Falsely accused? God got it wrong? Call me stupid but I thought the whole idea of the duel was that God decided who was right? My guess is that this practise was already on it's way out and for numerous reasons not mentioned by the author, (which would have been interesting) this was just another nail in the coffin of a practise that was almost dead...and rightly so, I might add.
Well, a good academic book...but a grind to get through.

Rating:
Summary: Joust what the doctor ordered!
Review: Jager blends scholarly research with pure entertainment in this story of Medieval France and the judicial process of trial by combat. An excellent and quick read for those with interests varying from Medieval History, to Jurisprudence, to the art and ceremony of mortal combat. He raises the bar for educators everywhere. When is his next publication being released?

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating historical & cultural account of medieval France
Review: On December 29, 1386, a knight and a squire faced each other on a field of battle outside a Paris monastery. They would fight to the death to prove which man's cause was in accordance with God's will. A crowd of eager spectators looked on, including King Charles VI and other royal courtiers. The accuser was Jean de Carrouges, a knight from a distinguished Norman family, whose volatile temperament had more than once found him involved in legal disputes. The accused was Jacques LeGris, a squire of lesser birth but with great political savvy, who was charged with raping Carrouges's wife, Marguerite.

In the Prologue, Eric Jager masterfully sets the scene on the battlefield to convey exactly how high the stakes were for the two noblemen --- and for Lady Marguerite de Carrouges, who would be burned at the stake as a false accuser if her husband were to lose. Jager then goes back in time to trace the sequence of events that found Carrouges and LeGris facing each other in combat. The crime against Lady Marguerite had taken place eleven months earlier, but the duel was the culmination of years of bitterness and rivalry between the two men, who had once been friends.

Jager, who first came across a reference to the Carrouges-LeGris duel a decade ago, draws on legal records, chronicles, and other historical documents to unfold the story. By putting the duel in the context of the time period, he also provides a fascinating account of life in fourteenth-century France. He describes a tumultuous era --- the volatile relationship between the French and the English, played out in numerous battles; crime and punishment, often delivered in harsh methods; religious beliefs and practices, and how they impacted medieval laws; the hierarchy of the regional and central powers in France, and the importance of land in securing one's standing; and customs, politics, and intrigues of the royal court.

The relationship between Jean and Marguerite de Carrouges also allows for a look at feudal matrimony and the rights, or lack thereof, of women during this time. Lady Marguerite, who emerges as one of the most interesting figures in the book, could not accuse LeGris directly of raping her. She had to seek her husband's championship on her behalf, as she was considered his property and so the crime was technically committed against him. Marguerite, who endured a public pregnancy in the months leading up to the duel, stood to lose her life if her husband failed on the battlefield. It would have been much easier for Marguerite to keep silent about the attack by LeGris, which occurred while her husband was on business in Paris, and Jager leaves no doubt that it took a tremendous amount of courage for her to speak out in favor of justice.

Jager also charts the surprisingly complex medieval legal system and the judicial process that ultimately resulted in the sanctioning of the duel by the French Parlement and King Charles VI. Through the different phases of the court proceedings and leading up to the duel, Jager draws out the suspense to the point where it's almost unbearable. The temptation to turn ahead will be overwhelming. Resist at all costs. Jager takes great care not to give away any details that would reveal the outcome of the duel, and to turn the pages too quickly will mean that you lose much of what this book has to offer.

Eric Jager is a professor of English at UCLA, where he specializes in medieval literature. If THE LAST DUEL is any indication of his skill in the classroom, he must be the best kind of instructor --- you learn something and have fun doing it.

--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna

Rating:
Summary: An exciting history book - that reads like a good novel
Review: Only true history fans will really like this book, but even people bored by history may become captivated by the story that Jager describes so very well in his book. Restricted to historical documents, Jager makes a few assumptions here and there, but it is hard to argue with his deductive reasoning.

The author bring Medieval France alive. He gives us the historical context of the events taking place and expresses very well the attitudes of the people involved in the scandal. Is the squire guilty of this heinous crime or is he being framed by a rival? Will the knight avenge his allegedly wronged wife in combat? Those questions kept me interested throughout the book. As an amateur history buff, I can honestly say that I learned a great deal about Medieval history while trying to also find out who wins the duel.

Overall, this book will captivate the reader with its true life crime story.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely enthralling!
Review: This is my first review of any kind here. If I had not read the person's review who gave this book one star and wrote such drek about it I would not feel compelled to add my thoughts. I bought the book after hearing the author being interviewed on NPR. The interview itself was so compelling that I had to buy it. It was extremely interesting all the way to the heart-pounding ending. A great read!