Descripción
THE RETURN OF MARTIN GUERRE - THE VERY RARE FIRST EDITION OF THE JUDGE'S FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF A SENSATIONAL SIXTEENTH-CENTURY TRIAL FOR IDENTITY THEFT; THE BASIS OF NUMEROUS LITERARY, DRAMATIC, AND CINEMATIC ADAPTATIONS. This case had everything - an unhappy marriage, a sudden disappearance and a mysterious return, an accusation of impersonation, a possibly complicit wife, a family and a village divided, two dramatic trials, the sudden appearance of a surprise witness at a moment in the second trial when acquittal seemed imminent, a sudden reversal of fortune, the defendant's conviction, his public apology (declaring the wife to be an innocent victim), and his execution in front of the home of the man he impersonated. It is scarcely surprising that the case has inspired, among other things, an essay by Montaigne and one by Leibniz, a novel by Dumas, a short story by Philip K. Dick, an opera, two fine films (a French one starring Gerard Depardieu and an American one transposing the action to the Civil War, starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster), at least two musicals, and countless historical novels and radio and television episodes. In 1548, Martin Guerre, a French peasant living in the village of Artigat in the département of Ariège, stole a small amount of grain and as a result was forced into exile. This turn of events was doubly tragic for Guerre, because he had just conceived a son after eight years of impotence attributed by him and his young wife Bertrande to an evil spell (maléficiez), and he now had to abandon Bertrande and their newborn child. Eight years later, a man arrived in the village claiming to be Martin Guerre, and he was accepted as such by Bertrande and by the other villagers. He took over management of Guerre's property and had two children with Bertrande, one of whom survived. In fact, the man was one Arnaud du Tilh, who was well-known in his home village as "'dissolute,' a youth of 'bad life,' 'absorbed in every vice.' . He became known as Pansette, 'the belly,' a many with big appetites." (Natalie Zemon Davis, The Return of Martin Guerre, 1983). Suspicions concerning the returned "Martin Guerre" arose among some villagers, particularly Guerre's uncle Pierre, although Bertrande insisted that the man she now lived with was her real husband. In 1559 a soldier passed through Artigat and said that "Martin Guerre" was an impostor - the real Martin Guerre had joined the army of Spain and had lost a leg in battle. When a nearby farmhouse mysteriously burned down, its owner filed a complaint accusing "Guerre" of arson and - probably drawing in information provided by Pierre - of impersonation. Although the complaint had to be withdrawn for lack of evidence, and "Guerre," who had been arrested, was released, the respite was only temporary. Pierre carefully collected additional evidence and launched an inquiry that in due course led to a trial at which "Guerre" - now known to be Arnaud du Tilh, a/k/a Pansette - was convicted in the local court. Arnaud appealed to the Parlement in Toulouse, where his case was heard by the Criminal Chamber, or LaTournelle. This "was one of the five chambers of the Parlement and made up of a rotating group of ten to eleven judges and two or three presidents. Those who happened to be sitting on it for the appeal of 'Martin Guerre' included some of the luminaries of the court, [including] the learned Jean de Coras ." "The Chamber decided that [Coras] would be the reporter for the proceedings, which meant that he would look closely into the issues and finally prepare a report on all the arguments and make a recommendation for the sentence" (Davis, Return). At a dramatic moment in the proceedings, with the court on the verge of finding for the defendant, a man with a wooden leg appeared and stated that he was Martin Guerre. This development dramatically changed the course of the trial; the defendant was found guilty of impersonation and adultery, and sentenced to deliver a public apol. N° de ref. del artículo 2180
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