The gripping, atmospheric true story of the 'duel to end all duels' in medieval France: a fight to the death pitting a knight against a squire accused of violating the knight's beautiful young wife. In 1386, a few days after Christmas, a massive crowd gathered at a Parisian monastery to witness what would become the nation's final trial by combat: a court-ordered duel intended to let God determine which of two men was telling the truth. The story proved notorious during its time and is referred to in histories of medieval France, but no writer has recounted it in full until now. THE LAST DUEL brings to life the tragic drama and fascinating details of a scandalous incident that occurred during one of world history's most tumultuous eras, the 14th century; a time of war, plague, and suffering-and, paradoxically, chivalry, honor, loyalty, and courtly love. At the heart of the tale is Jean de Carrouges, a Norman knight who returned from combat in the Hundred Years War to find his wife, Marguerite, accusing an old friend and fellow courtier of brutally raping her. The knight took his cause before the teenage King Charles VI, who in turn handed the case to the highest court of appeal. While Marguerite endured a very public pregnancy-and doubts about her charge and the paternity of her child-the squire's lengthy trial led only to deadlock, and to a government-sanctioned fight to the death that also left Marguerite's fate in the balance. For if her knight lost the duel and she was therefore deemed a false accuser, she would be burned alive. An engrossing work of historical intrigue in the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A DISTANT MIRROR and Umberto Eco's THE NAME OF THE ROSE, THE LAST DUEL combines a captivating detective story, a revealing portrait of feudal culture in crisis, and an unforgettable tour of medieval crime and punishment.
