#Lord gris trial

Pierre was forced to visit his cousin, the King, to obtain royal approval for his purchase and consequently was furious with Carrouges. Although the lands had been legally bought by Count Pierre in 1377 for 8,000 livres, Carrouges wanted them back as part of his dowry and took Count Pierre to court to return them. Carrouges had returned from the wars with a new bride, Marguerite de Thibouville, daughter of a controversial Norman squire who, until recently, had owned Aunou. In 1381, Le Gris and Carrouges engaged in a public argument over the domain of Aunou-le-Faucon. During the course of these trips, Count Pierre introduced Le Gris at the royal court and was instrumental in gaining him the prestigious title of Royal Steward, a position within the household of the King, Charles VI. Shortly after the death of his family, Carrouges departed on campaign in Upper Normandy while Le Gris – thanks to his literacy and military skills – rose steadily in importance in Count Pierre's court, travelling with the count when he went to Paris on business. As Le Gris rose in his lord's esteem, the poorer Carrouges was frequently overlooked, resulting in a deterioration in their friendship which was only worsened by the death of Carrouges' wife and son in 1380, severing the men's family ties. When Count Pierre moved his court to Argentan, Le Gris lent him 3,000 livres and, in reward, was confirmed as Seigneur (Lord) of Exmes, and given a valuable estate at Arnou-le-Faucon.

Le Gris was an able, amiable, and intelligent man, and soon became one of the new count's favourites. With the arrival of Count Robert's brother, Pierre d'Alençon, as the new count with Robert d'Alençon's death in 1377, the friendship between the two squires became strained. Carrouges and Le Gris were so close that, in 1377, the same year that Count Robert died, Carrouges made Le Gris godfather to his eldest son, a position of great responsibility and trust. During his career, he became firm friends with Jean de Carrouges, another squire in the count's service. In 1370, his long service was rewarded when he was given command of one of his liege lord's castles at the village of Exmes. Īt some point in his life, Le Gris also married, and fathered several sons who, in turn, had descendants of their own. He also participated in several minor military campaigns in Normandy, in the entourage of Robert d'Alençon. Like his father, Le Gris was first a man-at-arms, and then a squire, in the service of the Count of Perche, a role at which he excelled.

Unusual for the time, he was educated, taking minor orders as a cleric in the church, and able to read sufficiently well to officiate at mass.

Jacques le Gris was born in the 1330s, the son of Guillaume le Gris, a minor Norman squire.

#Lord gris trial

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. The duel attracted thousands of spectators and has been discussed by many notable French writers, from the contemporary Jean Froissart to Voltaire.ĭescribed 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. 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. 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, Sir Jean de Carrouges.

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.