Last year, Ridley Scott’s film telling the story, starring Matt Damon and Adam Driver, premiered in theaters. The book, translated by Jakub Jedliński, will be published on January 26.
Eric Jager “The Last Duel. Crime, Scandal and God’s Judgment in Medieval France” – excerpt:
With all sides in their seats, the roi d’armes, with the help of two escoutes assigned to both warriors, began checking their rivals’ weapons to ensure that no illegal tools were brought into the field, and that lances, swords, axes, and daggers were same length.
After examining the weapons, one of the heralds entered the field to present the rules of the fight to the gathered people.
“Hear, hear, hear, gentlemen, knights, squires and everyone else!” By order of our lord, the king of France, under penalty of death and loss of property, it is strictly forbidden to carry weapons, swords, daggers and other weapons in this place. This prohibition does not apply to guards and persons using the permission of our lord the king. Moreover, by order of our lord, the king, it is strictly forbidden for people of any condition, with the exception of combatants, to mount a horse during a duel, for which the high-born is threatened with the loss of a horse, and a servant with the penalty of cutting off his ear. By order of our lord, the king, people of any condition are strictly forbidden to enter the tournament field, except for authorized persons. Anyone who breaks this prohibition will lose life and property. By order of our lord, the king, under penalty of cutting off his hand, people of any condition are strictly forbidden to get up from benches or on the ground and to block the view of other gathered people. By order of our lord, the king, under penalty of losing his life and property during the fight, it is also strictly forbidden to talk, gesticulate, cough, spit, scream.
Apparently, the court duels were not a noisy pastime punctuated by bursts of joy and whistling from the crowd. There were severe penalties for disturbing the silence, even involuntarily. Chroniclers describe spectators speechless with excitement watching the duels in complete silence and barely daring to breathe.
From then on, the entire ceremony was characterized by terrifying symmetry. Extensive rules and rituals were to ensure a fair fight and leave nothing to chance or providence to do with the duel – “except, of course, its outcome.” Just as their opponents’ weapons had to give them equal chances, so should they themselves be of equal rank. Jean de Carrouges was a knight and Le Gris was just a squire. Therefore, Le Gris stepped into the field and knelt in front of the marshal to receive the knight’s belt.
Knighting did not always involve an extensive ritual involving vigils, weapons display, and the like. It also did not always show recognition for achievements on the battlefield. Some men were given a knight’s girdle on the eve of battle, as this award would motivate them to fight. To make a squire a knight, all it took was three blows on the shoulder with the sword and the solemn words “In the name of God the Father, Saint Michael and Saint George, I make you a knight; be brave, courageous and loyal!”.
Actually being a knight was another matter entirely. It required constant improvement of the technique of sword-wielding and horse riding during duels, tournaments and intensive preparations for combat. During his life, Jean de Carrouges has participated in numerous clashes. From an early age he participated in – and came out alive – military campaigns for the last time in 1385 in Scotland. Jacques Le Gris, though he belonged to the king’s personal henchmen and was the commander of the Exmes fortress, had less war experience.
However, Le Gris was bigger and stronger, which gave him a different kind of advantage in the duel. The squire, enjoying much better health, was also able to equip himself with a better horse, more durable armor and weapons. Despite the powerlessness he fell into in September,
upon learning of God’s judgment, on the day of the match Le Gris felt great, “seemed strong”, while “Carrouges was weakened by a long-lasting fever”. One of the reports states that the knight “on that very day fell victim to a new attack of disease”.
These factors – physical conditions, health, wealth, military training, and experience – could prove decisive in the battle, though it was impossible to predict to what extent they would affect the outcome of the battle. The result of the duel could be changed by thousands of random and unpredictable events – from a participant slipping and breaking a belt of armor to a sudden flash of sun reflected in the opponent’s armor or sword blade.
When Jacques Le Gris was knighted and returned to his seat, the herald re-entered the field, this time to announce the rules governing the duel.
– If any of the fighters brings a prohibited type of weapon to the battlefield, it will be confiscated and he will not receive another one in return. If any of the warriors brings to the battlefield weapons made with the use of spells, spells, charms or any other black magic, due to which the strength or dexterity of the opponent will suffer before, during or after the fight, and his rights and honor will be threatened, the villain will be punished accordingly as an enemy of God, traitor or murderer. Each warrior must bring enough bread, wine, and other food and drink to the field to cover the day if needed, and everything that he and his mount will need. Each warrior is to fight on horseback and on foot, armed as he pleases, with weapons and tools for attack and defense, except those made according to satanic design or with spells and charms or other methods forbidden by God and the Holy Church to the full glory Christ. Every warrior must take an oath and state that if God dislikes one of them being defeated or killed by sunset, they will accept God’s will and agree to appear the next day to continue the fight.
It happened that the duel lasted all day and did not settle until sunset, or “the time when the stars appear in the sky”. In this case, the fight was resumed the next day. As for the influence of unclean forces on the outcome of a duel, in the Middle Ages it was a real fear, as some warriors turned to spells and charms, and even reached for special weapons made using magic to ensure victory. Participants in the court duel were therefore strictly forbidden to resort to witchcraft to thwart divine judgment. Breaking it was punishable by death.
After hearing the rules of the duel, the warriors had to take three formal oaths. Then it was time for the religious element of the duel. The priests brought up an altar – “a gold-headed table five feet long, three feet wide, and two feet high, and placed it in the center of the field” – on which they placed a silver crucifix and a prayer book open to the side with the image of the Passion of Christ.
Priests, the altar and sacred objects were to sanctify the fight as God’s judgment, i.e. judicium Dei. The crucifix and prayer book also recalled the trial, judgment and execution of Christ who suffered for the sins of people. In the field blessed with symbols of Jesus’ passion, God was to indicate the guilty who would shed blood for his sins.
Each party took the first oath separately. The marshal conducted the ceremony and the priests acted as witnesses. First, the appellant, Jean de Carrouges, went to the altar, knelt with his helmet veil open, and with his bare right hand touched the cross, uttering the words:
– I swear by the memory of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit present here, as well as by the rightful Christian faith and holy baptism, that I firmly believe that my cause is holy, good and just, and that I will lawfully defend myself in this duel. – Then he called again God, the Virgin and Saint George as his witnesses.
After these words, the knight returned to his place, and Jacques Le Gris approached the altar. He knelt down and made a similar oath to his innocence.
For the second oath, the warriors knelt facing each other on either side of the altar. They placed their gloved hands on the cross again, their fingers almost touching. Each man swore by his soul that his cause was just, that he spoke the truth, and that he would deserve the loss of heavenly happiness and eternal hellish suffering if he committed perjury. Each also swore that no one had cast a spell on him or his horse, and that he “rely only on the justice of his cause, his body, his mount, and his weapons.” Then they both kissed the crucifix.
The third and final oath was the most binding. The men knelt on both sides of the altar, facing each other, with the veils of their helmets open and their right hands on the cross, but this time they simultaneously knit their left, bare hands together (la main sinistre), and the marshal raised them on his open palm. Thus connected, the opponents swore to each other. De Carrouges was the first to speak again:
– Oh, Mr. Jacques Le Gris, whose hand I hold, I swear by the Holy Spirit, by the holy faith and baptism that I have received from God, that the deeds and words that I have attributed to you and that others have attributed to you are true and that I had just and fair reason to sue you when yours is lying.
Le Gris was still clutching his opponent’s hand as he spoke the words:
– Oh, Mr. Jeanie da Carrouges, whose hand I hold in mine, I swear by the Holy Spirit, the holy faith and the baptism God gave me, that you sue me falsely. So I have a good and fair reason to defend myself.
After swearing, both men kissed the crucifix again.
The form of the third oath was typical of many medieval ceremonies, ranging from marriage to the oath taken by a vassal to a senior. In all these cases, when taking the oath, the participants held their right hands, while before the court duel their left hands were grasped – a sign that hostility was the bond between the rivals.
By taking their oaths, warriors endangered not only their lives, fortune, and honor, but also their immortal soul. One of the priests pointed out the sacred objects on the altar and solemnly reminded the participants of the duel and all those gathered that the result of the fight would decide “to condemn both the body and soul of that one who is wrong, because they have sworn an oath and will be judged by God.”
Hearing the priest’s warnings, the warriors simultaneously rose and returned to their places on opposite sides of the field.
Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
