The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France

Dauphin is a title reserved for the male heir to the royal throne of France. By the time of The Last Duel, the succession laws of France explicitly did not allow women to inherit the crown; the title was only used for the son. When King Charles VI’s queen, Isabeau of Bavaria, gave birth to a son, that child was known as the dauphin until his early death from illness (141).

When a marriage took place, it was customary for the wife to bring with her into the marriage a payment and/or a share of land from her family. For example, when Jean de Carrouges IV’s sister Jeanne married, a portion of her father’s land was given to her and her new husband (14).

Judicial duels were a custom spread across much of medieval Europe, allowing a duel to settle an accusation of a crime. If the accuser won, it proved the defendant guilty, but if the defendant won, it proved they were innocent and that the accuser had lied. It was believed that God determined the outcome of such duels, proving guilt or innocence. By Jean de Carrouges IV’s lifetime, judicial duels were much less common and were heavily regulated and formalized under law.