Duke John’s Skull: A Historical Whodunit
Eric Jager, University of California, Los Angeles
Thu, 9/26 · 4:30 pm—6:00 pm · Robertson Hall, Room 002
Program in Medieval Studies; Eberhard L. Faber 1915 Memorial Fund in the Humanities Council
Join us for the annual Medieval Studies Faber Lecture with Eric Jager (UCLA) on September 26 at 4:30 pm.
A reception will follow the lecture.
This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP HERE.
The murder of Duke John of Burgundy during a parley with his royal cousin Charles, dauphin of France, has been called “a tragedy on an epic scale.” The gaping ax-wound in the duke’s skull became famous as “the hole through which the English entered France” — the portal for Henry V’s conquest and a brutal English occupation. John’s demise is well documented. It took place on September 10, 1419, around 5 pm, about fifty miles southeast of Paris, on a bridge connecting the castle at Montereau to the walled town across the river. About twenty eyewitnesses were present, and many survived to give testimony. Yet still today no one knows for sure how the violence began, who precisely struck the fatal blow, or whether in fact it was done with an ax. Fierce debate has lasted for centuries, leading to exhumations of the duke’s skull and bones to determine the facts and reassessments of documents relating to this very old cold case. Who killed Duke John, was it an accident or premeditated murder, and why does the answer still matter?
Eric Jager earned a Ph.D. in English at the University of Michigan and taught at Columbia University before joining UCLA, where he teaches medieval literature and nonfiction writing. He has published scholarly books with Cornell and Chicago and trade books in the genre of “medieval true-crime.” His New York Times Best Seller THE LAST DUEL was shortlisted for a Crime Writers’ Association “Gold Dagger,” featured on BBC Radio’s Book of the Week and adapted for the Ridley Scott film of the same title. The book has appeared in 20 languages worldwide and is the first part of a projected trilogy that includes BLOOD ROYAL (2014) and DUKE JOHN’S SKULL (in progress).
**Location is subject to change pending Fall classroom assignments.
This event is supported by the Eberhard L. Faber 1915 Memorial Fund in the Humanities Council, and co-sponsored by the Medieval Black Sea Project, Center for Collaborative History.
