Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s medieval epic, The Last Duel, which galloped into theaters this week, is the latest adaptation of Eric Jager’s The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France, a true story of trial by combat in medieval France.The combat in question involved Jean de Carrouges (Damon), a French knight, and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), who agreed to a “trial by combat,” a judicially sanctioned settlement for legal disputes. (The method was used to settle legal charges where a witness was missing and where only the parties involved could testify. Their hands would legally settle the dispute. Or, as the film contemporizes the legal battle: “truth does not matter; there is only the power of men.”) This particular duel is notable for being the final duel—the last duel!—in the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Paris.The Resources for the Historical European Martial Arts and Sports Community notes the duel was also significant for its records. Few trials by combat were actually described by contemporary sources. While legal texts explain how the trial ought to play out, t… Click below to read the full story from Men’s Health
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