Jean de Carrouges

Infobox Military Person
name= Sir Jean de Carrouges
lived= c. 1330s – 25 September 1396
placeofbirth= Carrouges, Normandy
placeofdeath= Nikopol, Bulgaria


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battles= Hundred Years War; campaigns in Normandy and Scotland, Crusade of Nicopolis
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Sir Jean de Carrouges IV (c. 1330s – 25 September 1396) was a fourteenth century French knight who governed estates in Normandy as a vassal of Count Pierre d'Alençon and served under Admiral Jean de Vienne in several campaigns against the English and the forces of the Ottoman Empire. He became infamous in medieval France for fighting in the last judicial duel permitted by the French king and the Parlement of Paris. The combat was decreed in 1386 to contest charges of rape Carrouges had brought against his neighbour and erstwhile friend Jacques Le Gris on behalf of his wife Marguerite. It was attended by much of the highest French nobility of the time led by King Charles VI and his family, including a number of royal dukes. It was also attended by thousands of ordinary Parisians and in the ensuing decades was chronicled by such notable medieval historians as Jean Froissart, Jean Juvénal des Ursins and Jehan de Waurin.

Described in the chronicles as a rash and temperamental man, Carrouges was also a fierce and brave warrior whose death in battle came after a forty year military career in which he served in Normandy, Scotland and Hungary with distinction and success. He was also heavily involved in court politics, initially at the seat of his overlord Count Pierre of Alençon at Argentan, but later in the politics of the Royal household at Paris, to which he was attached as a "chevalier d'honneur" and Royal bodyguard in the years following the judicial duel. During his life he conducted a long trail of legal and financial dealings which infuriated his contemporaries and may have invited violence against himself and his family. The truth of the events which lead him into public mortal combat in the Paris suburbs may never be known, but the legend is still debated and discussed 600 years later.

Early life

Carrouges was born in the late 1330s in the village of Saint-Marguerite-de-Carrouges as the eldest son of knight and minor noble Sir Jean de Carrouges III and his wife Nicole de Buchard. [Typically for the period, Jean de Carrouges' name is subject to an array of spellings: Froissart calls him "Jean de Caronge" (sometimes anglicised in translation to John) whilst The Encyclopedia Britannia calls him "Jean Carrouge". Other sources, including the "Chronique du Religieux de Saint-Denys", use "Jean de Carrouges", as does Jager, whose wide range of research indicates this to be the correct spelling.] Carrouges III was an influential man in lower Normandy, being a vassal of the Count of Perche and a veteran soldier in his service.Jager, p.11] Carrouges III had been rewarded for his long military service in the Hundred Years War with a knighthood and the title of Viscount of Bellême, a rank that came with command of a vital hill castle overlooking the town as well as the role of sheriff in the vicinity, a post carrying significant financial and social rewards.Jager, p.16]

Carrouges IV grew up within his father's domain, centred around the village of Carrouges where the family maintained their own hereditary castle.Jager, p.14] He followed his father into the armed service of the Counts of Perche and served in several minor campaigns against the English and "routiers" in Normandy. Following his majority at age 21, he was given a parcel of the family lands to administer and became interested in solidifying and expanding the family holdings. In 1367 the family castle and the village of Carrouges were destroyed by English soldiers and a new castle was built on a hilltop nearby, under instructions from Charles V of France.

In the early 1370s, Carrouges IV married Jeanne de Tilly, a daughter of the Lord of Chambois whose dowry included lands and rents vital to Carrouges' ambition of expanding his family estates. Shortly after their wedding Jeanne gave birth to a son, whose godfather was a neighbour and close friend of de Carrouges, Squire Jacques Le Gris. In 1377, Pierre d'Alençon inherited his brother Robert's county of Perche and with it the castle of Bellême. In addition, he gained the fealty of his brother's vassals, including the Carrouges father and son as well as Jacques Le Gris. The younger Carrouges and Le Gris soon joined the court circle of the Count, centered around the town of Argentan.

It was at Argentan that the friendship between Carrouges and Le Gris began to deteriorate, as Le Gris rapidly became a favourite of Count Pierre. Whilst Carrouges was overlooked, Le Gris was rewarded for service to the Count, inheriting his father's lordship of the castle at Exmes and being granted a newly purchased estate at Arnou-le-Faucon. Carrouges became jealous of his friend and the two men soon became rivals at the court.Jager, p.20] A year after entering Count Pierre's service, tragedy struck Carrouges as both his wife and son died of unknown but natural causes. In response, Carrouges left home and joined the service of Jean de Vienne accompanied by a retinue of nine squires.Jager, p.22] With this force, under the overall command of King Charles V, Carrouges distinguished himself in minor actions against the English in Beuzeville, Carentan and Coutances in a five month campaign, during which over half his retinue were killed in battle or by disease.

Marguerite de Thibouville

Returning home in 1380 after a successful campaign, Carrouges married Marguerite de Thibouville, only daughter of the highly controversial Robert de Thibouville. Thibouville was a Norman lord who had twice sided against the French king in territorial conflicts, betrayals he was lucky to survive alive, albeit in reduced circumstances. By the union of Marguerite and Carrouges, Thibouville hoped to restore his family's status and wealth whilst Carrouges was hoping for an heir from the young Marguerite, whom contemporaries described as "young, beautiful, good, sensible and modest".Jager, pp.24-26,]

Shortly after his marriage, Carrouges revealed another motive for the union. The valuable estate of Arnou-le-Faucon, given to his rival Jacques Le Gris two years earlier, had been formerly owned by Carrouges' father in law and had been bought by Count Pierre for 8,000 French livres in 1377. Carrouges immediately began a lawsuit to recover the land based on an assumed prior claim to it. The case dragged on for some months until ultimately Count Pierre was forced to visit his cousin King Charles VI to officially confirm his ownership of the land and his right to give it to whomever of his followers he chose. Despite losing the case, the lawsuit reflected very poorly on Carrouges at the court in Argentan and resulted in his further estrangement from Count Pierre's circle.Jager, p.31]

Now on foot, the knights drew swords and returned to battle, Le Gris again proving stronger than his opponent and slowly gaining the upper hand. After several minutes of engagement, Carrouges slipped and Le Gris was able to stab his rival through the right thigh. As the crowd gasped and murmured, Le Gris stepped back to view his opponent's injury and Carrouges desperately counter-attacked, wrestling Le Gris to the ground. Le Gris' heavy armour prevented him from regaining his feet and Carrouges repeatedly stabbed at his floored opponent, his blows denting but not puncturing the thick plate steel. Realising that his sword was inadequate, Carrouges straddled Le Gris and used the handle of his misericordia to smash the lock holding Le Gris' faceplate in position. Even as his opponent struggled beneath him, Carrouges tore the plate off and demanded that Le Gris admit his guilt. Le Gris refused and cried out "In the name of God and on the peril and damnation of my soul, I am innocent". Infuriated, Carrouges drove his dagger through Le Gris' neck, killing him instantly.

Standing over his vanquished opponent, Carrouges remained on the field as the crowd cheered him and pages rushed to bind his wound.Jager, p.180] He then kneeled before the King, who presented him with a prize of a thousand francs in addition to a royal income of 200 francs a year. Only then did he greet his wife, in an emotional scene before the thousands of spectators. Jean and Marguerite de Carrouges then, with the crowd following in a great procession, rode from the abbey to the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, to give thanks for the victory.

A few weeks after the duel, Parlement awarded Carrouges a further six thousand livres in gold and a position within the Royal Household. Such rewards enabled Carrouge to begin further legal action, attempting to exert his earlier claim to Arnou-le-Faucon. However, this land which Carrouges so coveted remained beyond his reach. Count Pierre, who held the land, never forgave Carrouges the death of his favourite, and held the estates from him in court.Jager, p.187]

Royal Service

Over the next three years, Jean and Marguerite de Carrouges had two more children and settled in Paris and Normandy, profiting from their celebrity with gifts and investments.Jager, p.186] In 1390, Carrouges was promoted to a "chevalier d'honneur" as a bodyguard of the King, a title which came with a substantial financial stipend and was a position of important social standing. The following year he was dispatched to Hungary on a mission to investigate the severity of the threat from the Ottoman Empire, the boundaries of which had been steadily spreading under Sultan Bayezid I. In this mission he was second in command to Jean de Boucicant, a Marshal of France and famous soldier, indicating the elevated social position Carrouges enjoyed following the duel.Jager, p.188]

In 1392 however, Carrouges was present for one of the more notorious occurrences in fourteenth century France; the first descent into madness of King Charles VI. As a "chevalier d'honneur", Carrouges accompanied the King on campaign and thus was present when the Royal Army entered Brittany to hunt for Pierre de Craon, a noble who had fled Paris following a failed attempt to murder Olivier de Clisson, Constable of France. [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Olivier_De_Clisson Olivier De Clisson] , "Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition", Retrieved on 26 July 2007 ] As the army passed Le Mans on 8 August 1392, a loud noise within his entourage startled the French King, who believing himself to be under attack, lashed out at the nearest person to him. The man happened to be his brother Louis of Valois, who turned and fled from his brother’s sword. Killing several pages who attempted to calm his temper, the King set off on full pursuit of Louis, leaving the army strung out across the countryside behind him. The pursuit continued for hours until the exhausted King was eventually subdued by his bodyguard, including Jean de Carrouges.Jager, p.189]

Crusade of Nicopolis

In early 1396, following the peace treaty with the England, the French army mobilised against another pressing threat; that of the Turks to the east as part of a new crusade. As a leader of the original party to investigate events in Hungary, it was natural that Jean de Carrouges would return with his followers in the service of his old commander, Admiral Jean de Vienne.Jager, p.193] The army crossed Central Europe, united with the Hungarians and marched south, burning the city of Vidin and massacring the inhabitants before following the course of the Danube southeast, cutting a swathe of destruction through Ottoman territory. On the 12 September, the army arrived at the city of Nicopolis but were repulsed from its walls and settled into a siege.

Two weeks later, Sultan Bayezid arrived with a large army to the south of the town and took up a strong defensive position, challenging the crusaders to meet him. The crusader army moved to confront him on 24 September, but poor disciple and fractured leadership between the national factions resulted in a premature assault by the French force against the bluffs controlled by Ottoman troops. With the allied army strung out, Bayezid marshaled his reserves and defeated the crusaders in a furious engagement in which fell a most of the allied army.P.198, Billings] Thousands more were captured and executed after the battle by the victorious Turkish troops. The exact fate of Sir Jean de Carrouges in the midst of this melee is unknown but it is probable that he fell close to his commander Jean de Vienne, whose forces were trapped in a gully and decimated by Turkish cavalry.Jager, p.196] Following his death, his estates passed to his ten year old son Robert and a mural of Jean and Marguerite de Carrouges was painted in the Abbey of St. Etienne in Caen to celebrate his memory. Since that time however, both the family and mural have faded into obscurity.Jager, p.13]

Legacy

Due to the controversy and celebrity surrounding the case, the judicial duel between Carrouges and Le Gris was the last ever permitted by the French government and as such a well attended and infamous event, it soon attracted near-legendary status. [http://www.college.ucla.edu/news/05/ejager.html A Fatal Medieval Triangle] , "UCLA College of Letters and Science", Retrieved on 25 July 2007 ] In France the memory of the duel far outlasted its participants, primarily a result of it being recorded soon after by the contemporary chronicler Jean Froissart. Over the following century, vivid and imaginative accounts were carried in the chronicles of Jean Juvénal des Ursins and the Grandes Chroniques de France as well as by Jehan de Waurin and others, many embellishing the story with imaginative twists.Jager, p.203] The factual details of the case are unusually well recorded for a medieval trial as the records of the Parlement de Paris have survived intact and Jacques Le Gris' lawyer Jean Le Coq kept meticulous notes on the case which still exist. In addition to a clear view of proceedings these notes also contain Le Coq's own concerns about his client, whose innocence Le Coq deemed highly suspect.Jager, p.122]

Despite these records, the event entered many historical texts as an example of a great miscarriage of justice which therefore brought the tradition of trial-by-combat to an end. Several chronicles, including the "Chronique du Religieux de Saint-Denys" and the Chronicles of Jean Juvénal des Ursins, tell of a deathbed confession to the rape by another man. This story, which is without basis in fact, was subsequently repeated in many later sources, most notably the Encyclopedia Britannica which for many years contained a version of the tale under the entry for "Duel". [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Duel Duel] , "Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition", Retrieved on 25 July 2007 ] This information was eventually removed in an edition printed in the 1970s.Jager, p.207]

Other sources have discussed the story in varying degrees of detail, including a section in Diderot's Encyclopédie, in the "Histoire du Parlement de Paris" by Voltaire and in a number of books written in the nineteenth century, including a work in the 1880s by a descendant of Jacques Le Gris in which the author attempted to prove his ancestor's innocence. ["Forgotten Seigneurs of the Alençonnais", F. Le Grix White] In the twentieth century other authors have studied the case, the most recent being "The Last Duel" in 2004, by Eric Jager, a professor of English at UCLA. Oscar-winning film director Martin Scorsese is reportedly considering developing this book into a feature film, although this adaptation has not been confirmed. [http://www.totalfilm.com/movie_news/scorseses_fighting_the_last_duel Scorsese's fighting The Last Duel] , "Total Film, 1 December 2006" Retrieved on 27 July 2007 ]

Notes

References

Books

*cite book
author= Eric Jager| title=The Last Duel
date=2004
publisher=Century
id=ISBN 0-712661-90-5
*cite book
author= Malcolm Billings| title=The Cross and the Crescent
date=1987
publisher=BBC
id=ISBN 0-563212-82-9

Primary sources

* cite web
title = An Account of the Duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques le Gris in the Chronicle of the Monk of St. Denis
work = Chronique du Religieux de Saint-Denys, Translated by Steven Muhlberger
url = http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/MUHLBERGER/froissart/RELIG3E.HTM
* cite web
title = The French receive bad treatment from their allies, the Scots
work = Froissart's Chronicles, Translated by Thomas Johnes
url = http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/muhlberger/froissart/scotwar.htm
* cite web
title = The Scots and English each invade the other country
work = Froissart's Chronicles, Translated by Thomas Johnes
url = http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/muhlberger/froissart/scotinv.htm
* cite web
title = The life-and-death duel between Jacques le Gris and Jean de Carogne
work = Froissart's Chronicles, Translated by Thomas Johnes
url = http://www.nipissingu.ca/department/history/muhlberger/froissart/trial.htm

econdary sources

* cite web
title = Duel
work = Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition
url = http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Duel
* cite web
title = Oliver De Clisson
work = Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition
url = http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Olivier_De_Clisson
* cite web
title = A Fatal Medieval Triangle
work = UCLA College of Letters and Sciences
url = http://www.college.ucla.edu/news/05/ejager.html
* cite web
title = The Last Duel
work = Eric Jager
url = http://www.randomhouse.com/broadway/thelastduel/index.html

Persondata
NAME=Carrouges, Jean de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= French medieval knight
DATE OF BIRTH=1330s
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=25 September 1396
PLACE OF DEATH=Nikopol, Bulgaria