Sir Jacques le Gris | |
|---|---|
 The coat of arms attributed to Sir Jacques le Gris in The Last Duel, based on a coat of arms used by descendant Guiliaume le Gris du Clos in 1696.[1] | |
| Born | c. 1330s Normandy, France |
| Died | 29 December 1386 (aged c. 56) Paris, France |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France |
| Years of service | 1370–1386 |
| Rank | Captain of Exmes[2] |
| Battles / wars | Hundred Years' War |
| Awards | Lord of Aunou-le-Faucon[3] |
Sir Jacques le Gris (lit. "the Gray") (c. 1330s – 29 December 1386) was a French squire and knight who gained fame and infamy, and was ultimately killed when he engaged in one of the last judicial duels permitted by the Parlement of Paris after he was accused of rape by Marguerite de Carrouges, the wife of his neighbour and rival, Jean de Carrouges. Carrouges brought legal proceedings against Le Gris before King Charles VI who, after hearing the evidence, authorised a trial by combat to determine the question. The duel attracted thousands of spectators and has been discussed by many notable French writers, from the contemporary Jean Froissart to Voltaire.
Described as a large and physically imposing man, and rumoured to be a womaniser, Le Gris was a liegeman (feudal retainer) of Count Pierre d'Alençon and a favourite at his court, governing a large swathe of his liege lord's territory, in addition to his own ancestral holdings. Le Gris' insistence on defending his case by chivalric trial by combat, rather than opting for the safer church trial (to which, as a cleric in minor orders, he was entitled), attracted widespread support for his cause amongst the French nobility.
- ^ De Courcy, Pol Potier (2015). Nobiliaire et Armorial de Bretagne (Tome 2) [Nobility Armorial of Brittany (Tome 2)] (in French). Editions des Régionalismes. ISBN 9782824051116.
- ^ Jager 2005, p. 22.
- ^ Jager 2005, p. 23.