[bksvol-discuss] from the this wish
- From: "jbaugh" <jim.baugh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Bksvol-Discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2006 22:50:18 -0500
Just submitted Ths Last Duel by Eric Jager
From the Publisher
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 tumultous
eras, the fourteenth 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.
Jim B
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