In 1385, a bitter feud between two French courtiers came to a terrible head when Marguerite, the beautiful young wife of Norman knight Jean de Carrouges, accused her husband's enemy, Jacques LeGris, of outraging her. After a long legal fight, Parliament finally determined that God would produce the verdict. A judicial duel to the death would decide the outcome. And the risk was great - if Carroughes was killed, Marguerite would also die.

My guest is Eric Jager, professor of medieval literature at UCLA. He summarizes the story documented so thrillingly in his book, "The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France".

More about the author here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/43532/eric-jager/

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