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

The events of The Last Duel take place in the 14th century, which is part of an era historians label the High Middle Ages. Although Europe was still recovering from the first great Black Death pandemic (1346-1353) and experiencing recurring outbreaks of the disease, it was also a time of social and economic change. Cities were reaching population levels not seen in northern Europe and the Mediterranean region since the height of the Roman Empire over a thousand years before. Also, economies were becoming wealthier and more complex by expanding more into manufacturing and trade, especially in the heavily urbanized regions of northern Italy and the Netherlands.

This brought with it some political change, too. The nobility was still a powerful political force in much of western and central Europe, as was the case with King Charles VI of France’s uncles (8). However, this was slowly changing, as the center of wealth in Europe slowly shifted from the rural farming estates, from which the nobility got most of its income, to the growing towns and cities. The nobility’s traditional role in warfare would also be under strain. Gunpowder had been used in Europe since the 13th century, but canons and guns were still too dangerous and inefficient to use commonly in warfare. The technology was gradually advancing though, and the use of cannons by the Ottoman Empire to conquer the city of Constantinople and bring an end to the Byzantine Empire in 1453 represented a major revolution in warfare. The adaption of gunpowder in war meant the traditional role of nobles in fighting, the horse-riding knight, was becoming increasingly obsolete.

Related to all this was the growth of the centralized state. More government administration was needed to handle the growing populations, cities, and economies. Overall, national governments began to take over administrative and legal functions that previously belonged to the Church or regional nobles. In The Last Duel, the French monarchy’s increasing regulation of duels, with duels eventually becoming illegal, is just one example of this trend.