The Last Duel: Historical Accuracy in Ridley Scott’s Epic

Introduction

Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel (2021) brings to life the gripping true story of the final officially sanctioned judicial duel in medieval France. Adapted from Eric Jager’s 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France, the film stars Matt Damon as Jean de Carrouges, Adam Driver as Jacques Le Gris, and Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges. Upon its release on October 15, 2021, the movie drew attention for its cinematic elegance, star-studded cast, and layered narrative that examines truth through multiple perspectives.

Overview/Plot Summary

Set against the backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War, The Last Duel unfolds in three chapters—each retelling the story from Jean’s, Jacques’s, and Marguerite’s viewpoints. Jean de Carrouges, a celebrated knight, accuses his former friend Jacques Le Gris, a charismatic squire under Count Pierre d’Alençon (Ben Affleck), of raping Marguerite. When France’s courts find themselves unable to render a definitive verdict, Jean challenges Jacques to a duel à mort (“to the death”), believing divine judgment will vindicate his wife’s honour. The film weaves political intrigue, class tensions, and personal vendettas, all culminating in the fateful combat on December 29, 1386.

Fact vs Fiction Analysis

The Duel and Legal Procedure

Judicial duels in medieval Europe offered a dramatic means of settling disputes when conventional courts faltered. Originating in the early Middle Ages, trial by combat was premised on the belief that God would grant victory to the righteous party. By the late 14th century in France, these duels had become rare and strictly regulated by royal authority.

When Jean de Carrouges accused Jacques Le Gris of raping his wife Marguerite, the case exposed the limitations of the French legal system under King Charles VI. Ordinary courts required witnesses or confession, both unlikely in a he-said/she-said rape allegation. Marguerite’s appeal to the king, invoking her divine right to justice, prompted a special petition: Carrouges sought a formal duel, asserting that his sword and God would speak the truth.

Historically, the petition process involved drawn-out negotiations at court. Royal officials vetted the case’s merits, consulted legal experts, and assessed political implications. Count Pierre d’Alençon, Le Gris’s patron, lobbied vehemently against the duel, fearing it would undermine his influence. Contemporary manuscripts recount lengthy sessions before the Parlement of Paris, where judges debated whether to grant the death match.

Once approved, the duel followed a strict ritual. The ceremony began at dawn outside Paris’s walls, with clergy blessing both combatants and consecrating the field. Squires inspected armour to ensure fairness, and heralds proclaimed the combatants’ names and cause. The first to draw blood or kill the opponent would be declaredthe  winner, believed to carry divine sanction.

Ridley Scott’s film compresses these procedural steps for narrative urgency. While historical records describe weeks—if not months—of legal wrangling, the movie depicts a single council scene before a swift royal decree. The elaborate public spectacle, including throngs of townspeople and mounted knights, is heightened on screen, whereas actual duels often drew smaller, more tightly controlled audiences. Finally, Scott’s depiction of Marguerite watching from the stands emphasises personal stakes but diverges from medieval norms, which typically prohibited women from witnessing such violent contests.

By balancing documentary detail with cinematic flair, The Last Duel captures the essence of trial by combat while acknowledging the theatricality that made it a sensational form of medieval justice.

Portrayal of Jean de Carrouges, Jacques Le Gris, and Marguerite de Carrouges

Jean de Carrouges was born into a minor Norman noble family around 1330. As heir to the seigneurie of Carrouges, he inherited both land and debts. Archival records show he distinguished himself at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and later in campaigns in Normandy under King Charles V’s banner. Nonetheless, chroniclers note Carrouges’s volatile temperament—he sued neighbours over land disputes, challenged a bailiff to combat, and was imprisoned several times for unpaid debts.

Jacques Le Gris, a second cousin of Count Pierre d’Alençon, benefited from familial connections at the ducal court. Unlike Carrouges, Le Gris cultivated favour through literary patronage and tournaments. Documents describe him as articulate, well-educated in law and letters, and more comfortable in the cloistered halls of the count’s château than on the battlefield. His marriage into a wealthy bourgeois family further boosted his social standing.

Marguerite de Carrouges (née de Thibouville) came from the local landed gentry. While few contemporary sources mention her by name, legal petitions record her as a woman of firm moral conviction and eloquence. Her petition to King Charles VI invoked both personal honour and divine justice—an audacious move for a woman of her station.

Fictional Embellishments

Ridley Scott enhances the story’s emotional resonance by granting each protagonist an imagined interior monologue, a narrative device that brings modern audiences closer to their private thoughts. In reality, such personal reflections are absent from medieval records, making this technique a clear anachronism, albeit one that deepens our connection to the characters’ inner lives. Additionally, the film exaggerates the contrast between Carrouges’s ferocious combat style and Le Gris’s refined courtly demeanour. While contemporary chronicles confirm that both men were skilled knights, they do not paint them as the stark opposites depicted on screen. Finally, Marguerite’s public confrontation in the courtroom and her visible reactions ringside during the duel amplify her agency for dramatic effect. Medieval etiquette would have barred a woman of her standing from such overt displays. Still, the film deliberately stages these moments to emphasise her courage and the personal stakes at play.

Social and Gender Dynamics

In the medieval legal framework, a woman’s voice held little weight. Courts relied on male witnesses, and sexual violence allegations without corroboration were seldom pursued. Marguerite’s petition to King Charles VI was a radical assertion of her right to justice—a move so extraordinary that only a duel could resolve her claim. Historical accounts emphasise the novelty of her appeal and the court’s reluctance to grant it, reflecting broader societal distrust of women’s testimony and the high bar required for credibility.

The film’s modern lens reinterprets this dynamic by centring Marguerite’s perspective and emotional journey. Ridley Scott amplifies her agency, showing her as a vocal presence in the courtroom and an active witness at the duel. While no medieval records suggest women observed judicial combats, these choices highlight contemporary values of gender equality and personal autonomy. Dialogue and character interactions also adopt modern sensibilities about consent and victim support, aligning the narrative with 21st-century discussions on trauma and empowerment.

This dual approach—faithful to the medieval procedural constraints yet infused with modern commentary—allows The Last Duel to probe both the limitations of past institutions and the enduring struggle for a woman’s voice to be heard. By juxtaposing historical norms with present-day moral perspectives, the film invites viewers to consider how far we’ve come in recognising individual rights and how the echoes of these medieval judgments still resonate today.

Timeline Cross-View

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