In the midst of the devastating Hundred Years' War between France and England, Jean de Carrouges, a Norman knight fresh from combat in Scotland, returns home to yet another deadly threat. His wife, Marguerite, has accused squire Jacques Le Gris of rape. A deadlocked court decrees a "trial by combat" between the two men that also leaves Marguerite's fate in the balance. For if her husband loses the duel, she will be put to death as a false accuser. While enemy troops pillage the land, and rebellion and plague threaten the lives of all, Carrouges and Le Gris meet in full armor on a walled field in Paris. What follows is a fierce duel, the final one sanctioned by governing powers, before a massive crowd that includes the teenage King Charles VI, during which both combatants are wounded--but only one fatally. Based on extensive research in Normandy and Paris, The Last Duel brings to life a colorful, turbulent age and three unforgettable characters caught in a fatal triangle of crime, scandal, and revenge. The Last Duel is at once a moving human drama, a captivating true crime story, and an engrossing work of historical intrigue with themes that echo powerfully centuries later.
Physical Descriptionprint 242 pages : illustrations, maps ; 21 cm.
EditionCrown trade paperback edition.
PublisherNew York : Crown, [2021].
Copyright℗♭2004.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-233) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Part one. Carrouges -- The feud -- Battle and siege -- The crime of crimes -- The challenge -- The inquiry -- Part two. The judgment of god -- Oaths and las words -- Mortal combat -- Convent and crusade epilogue.