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

Throughout The Last Duel, Jager calls attention to the significance of oaths and rituals in medieval politics and law. In the 14th century when The Last Duel takes place, governments are becoming more centralized and stronger, and law codes are becoming more comprehensive and complex. However, ceremonies and oaths retained a lot of significance in defining and reinforcing legal, social, and political responsibilities and relationships. For example, rituals and vows solidified the bonds between peasants and nobles and their overlords. These not only represented legal and social obligations but “cemented the mutual bonds holding society together” (10).

Oaths and rituals come into play constantly during the events chronicled in The Last Duel. These were vital to mundane events, like weddings or judicial executions, but also to rare events like the judicial duel. Carrouges and Le Gris’s duel is surrounded by planned, ritualistic events, including a procession, formulaic pronouncements by a herald, an inspection of the weapons, and a spiritual consecration of the duel with prayers and holy objects. The rituals and vows surrounding the judicial duel had the practical purpose of preparing the combatants and ensuring a “fair fight” (157). However, they also had the purpose of reminding observers and all involved that the fight was a sacred event invoking God’s intervention and that it had parameters set by the laws of the kingdom.