Senbatsu

The battle-axe appears in the book’s account of the weapons associated with judicial combat between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris. Its place in the evidence is significant but uncertain: axes were recognized weapons for combat, and one surviving image of the duel depicts them, yet accounts of the encounter differ over what the fighters used and how they fought.

A Recognized Weapon

Axes were not an implausible addition to a judicial duel. The book notes that fighting with axes, both mounted and on foot, was common in sporting jousts, and that formularies for judicial combat also mention them. Brantôme’s description of weapons called becs de corbin is cited as possible evidence for an axe-like weapon. Together, these references place the battle-axe within the broader range of arms that could be associated with formal combat, without proving that every such weapon was used in this particular encounter.

Evidence from the Duel

The only surviving image of the duel, in a British Library manuscript, shows axes. The book also discusses later accounts that describe the men fighting with axes, including a version in which the fight takes place on horseback. These depictions support the possibility that the weapon belonged to the duel’s remembered or represented equipment, but they do not settle the precise course of the fight.

Limits of the Record

The evidence does not yield a single uncontested account of the weapons used. Other descriptions emphasize the sword fight, and the book distinguishes between reports of the duel and details reconstructed from evidence about comparable combat. The battle-axe is therefore best understood as a documented possibility, supported by combat practice and visual representation, rather than as a weapon whose use in the encounter can be stated with certainty.