History's Greatest Crimes

Episode 6: Stolen Identity: The Astonishing Tale of 16th-Century Deception

• Michael and Alana

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The astonishing case of Martin Guerre remains one of history's most captivating instances of deception and mistaken identity. When Martin Guerre suddenly abandoned his wife Bertrande and young son in 16th century rural France, he left behind a family in limbo and a village full of questions. Eight years later, a man returns claiming to be Martin – slightly different in appearance but possessing remarkable knowledge of Martin's life, relationships, and intimate details.

For four years, this man lives as Martin Guerre, resuming married life with Bertrande and fathering two more children. He reclaims Martin's inheritance and position in the community until nagging suspicions from Martin's uncle Pierre grow into public accusations of fraud and deception. What follows is an extraordinary legal battle that divides the village, with conflicting testimonies from over 150 witnesses about whether this man truly is Martin Guerre.

Just when it seems the accused might prevail in his appeal to a higher court, a stranger with a wooden leg appears claiming to be the real Martin Guerre, freshly returned from military service in Spain. The courtroom drama intensifies as both men maintain their claims to Martin's identity, with Bertrande caught between them. Was she truly deceived for years, or might she have recognized the fraud but chosen to accept him regardless?

The case culminates in one of history's most dramatic courtroom revelations, raising profound questions about identity, memory, and human relationships that resonate powerfully even in our modern age of digital impersonation. Join us as we unravel this centuries-old mystery that continues to challenge our understanding of how we recognize those closest to us and what it means to truly know another person.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome back to History's Greatest Crimes, where we unravel historical events that blur the lines between truth and deception, right and wrong.

Speaker 2:

I'm Alayna, and with me is Michael. Today we journey back to 16th century France to discuss a case of identity theft. We're about to explore a case so bizarre, so unsettling. It not only captivated the people at the time but continues to fascinate historians centuries later. Just as an aside, michael, I'll say that I absolutely love studying the crimes of the medieval and early modern eras. I find it fascinating how people's lives and their problems and aspirations centuries ago can be simultaneously so different and yet so familiar to us today. So, dear listeners, get ready for the perplexing case of the return of Martin Gere.

Speaker 1:

This case is so dramatic, with so many twists and questions left unanswered, that the story leaves room for us to continue to ponder what exactly happened in Artegat, a small town in southern France. Life there was largely dictated by the seasons, the land and family ties, so it was strange to the residents of the village when a local man named Martin Gare just up and left his family one day. Martin Gare was a young man and he came from a relatively successful family and had a beautiful wife named Bertrand de Roles and a young son named Sanxi. But regardless of why Martin left, he did so leaving his family in limbo as they waited to see if he would return. Eight years later, martin Gare did return, and he looked a little different and spoke a little different but who wouldn't? After spending eight years in a different kingdom, right? And he seemed to remember details that only the actual Martin would know.

Speaker 2:

But not everything was as it seemed. Eventually, another Martin Gere showed up. He claimed to be the real Martin, while the other Martin Gere was an imposter. As you can imagine, people were a bit shocked. Who was the real Martin Gere, and why were multiple people claiming to be the same person? The answer, as you'll hear, is anything but simple A real historical head-scratcher. So, michael, picture a small rural village in the south of France in the 1540s, set against a background of farms and mountains and the occasional picturesque castle. Arctica was the sort of little town in which everyone knew everyone else. The Gere family finding some financial success were what we might call rich peasants. With that in mind, in the late 1530s the Geres decided to marry their son Martin to Bertrand de Rolles, who came from a similarly financially established family.

Speaker 1:

So this was a marriage based on more than just romantic love, then.

Speaker 2:

Precisely. It was a union that intertwined families and futures. Bertrand brought her own connections and properties to the marriage, just as Martin did, and perhaps the families were a bit too enthusiastic about marrying off their children because at the time of their marriage, both Martin and Bertrand were only about 11 or 12 years old. Both Martin and Bertrand were only about 11 or 12 years old. That was considered rather young to be wed, even during an era when people tended to marry early. In fact, the records show that after Martin and Bertrand were married, it was eight years before the marriage was actually consummated. And, according to those same records, the marriage between Martin and Bertrand was only eventually consummated after they acquired and both consumed a potion. That potion was supposed to undo the effects of a spell that the young couple and others thought were preventing them from being intimate as husband and wife. Regardless of whether it was the potion or a placebo effect, it appeared to work because soon after, martin and Bertrand had a son named Songsy. Shortly after, in the late 1540s.

Speaker 1:

It seemed like a happy ending for Martin and Bertrand. They were destined to inherit family wealth in the future and seemed to have an established place in the town. But a year or so later, in 1548, Martin Gare did the unthinkable he left town and abandoned his family.

Speaker 2:

Does anyone know why he left?

Speaker 1:

Not entirely Later. Testimony would suggest that it was because Martin's own father had accused him of stealing a small amount of grain from him. That's plausible, since it points to some underlying family conflict. But Martin's response seems a touch too extreme when one considers that the family he had and the inheritance he would be leaving behind. We can only speculate on his reasons, unfortunately. Perhaps it was more than just family conflict. Perhaps it was youthful discontent, perhaps Martin didn't enjoy the role in the village that he had seemed predestined for from birth. But ultimately Martin was gone for eight years without having any contact with his family.

Speaker 2:

And without knowing whether Martin Gere was alive or dead, his family was unable to move on. Bertrand in particular would have faced considerable challenges, not just emotionally but practically. She continued to live with the Gere family as she had when Martin was there, and that was probably due to the fact that there was no set time for how long someone could be gone before their spouse could remarry. And since this was a fairly patriarchal culture at the time, a missing husband could create a lot of problems for his wife and children when it came to land ownership and inheritance.

Speaker 1:

So poor Bertrand was neither fully a widow or fully a wife in the traditional sense. She was just a permanent question mark in the Gare household.

Speaker 2:

Exactly Michael. But then a miracle seemed to take place In 1556, eight years after Martin left, a man appeared in Artica claiming to be the long-lost Martin Gare.

Speaker 1:

That must have created quite a stir in the village.

Speaker 2:

It certainly did, and keep in mind that in the mid-1500s no one carried ID. Photographs wouldn't be a thing for another few centuries, and the only records of people the government kept concerned birth, deaths and who owed taxes. So there was no way to verify that the long-lost Martin Gere was the real one. Sure, the man looked a little different he was a bit stockier than people remembered and wore a beard, whereas he'd been clean-shaven before. But everyone admitted that he did sort of look like the Martin Gere they remembered, and it's likely that many admitted that everyone would have looked a little different after eight years, right. Plus, this man seemed to know intimate details of Martin's life, recalling shared memories with Bertrand and other villagers. He greeted people by name, almost everyone he saw, and if they had trouble recognizing him he brought up previous conversations and other such memories that sounded familiar. He even reminded Bertrand of the white hosen he left in a coffer when he left town eight years ago, which was true.

Speaker 1:

So it's like the prodigal son returning, isn't it? Everyone thought that after eight years Martin Gare was either dead or never going to return home by choice. So this seemed to be a miraculous turn of events and it didn't seem possible that the man could know that much detail without actually being the real. Martin Gare Bertrand, after what the sources describe as expressing some initial hesitation and doubt, seemed to eventually accept him as her long-lost husband. Martin Gare's four sisters also swore that he was indeed their brother and, in general, martin enthusiastically embraced his old life and embraced his old life which embraced him back.

Speaker 2:

And the community largely accepted him too, because why wouldn't they? He seemed to slot back into Martin's life with a remarkable degree of familiarity. When asked where he had been, martin explained that he had been off fighting with armies in Spain, and that seemed plausible, considering the ongoing conflict between Spain and France. At that time, king Henry II of France declared war on the Holy Roman Emperor, with the goals of taking parts of Italy for the French Kingdom and making France the strongest European kingdom. In this war, known as the Italian War, the Spanish supported the Holy Roman Emperor against France, and so Spanish and French armies fought multiple battles and skirmishes against each other.

Speaker 1:

And this arrangement between Bertrand and Martin continued on for four more years, during which time they had two more children together, only one of which survived infancy. It seemed as though everything was back to normal, but as is often the case in history, and especially in true crime, the surface of normalcy soon begins to crack. The whispers and doubts started to creep in, creep in. So Martin Gare returned to the southern French town of Artegat in 1556 and reclaimed his former life with his wife, son and rest of his family. And for four years Martin Gare went about his business as usual helping with the family's financial accounts and business exchanges, having more children with his wife Bertrand, and making plans for the inheritance that was due to him from his late father, who had passed while he was gone.

Speaker 2:

So it was Bertrand who first suspected that Martin Gare wasn't who he said he was.

Speaker 1:

That's the interesting part. The first person to publicly and legally accuse Martin Gare of being an imposter and a fraud was his actual uncle, Pierre. Pierre was the patriarch of the Gere family and held possessions of Martin's inheritance until it was legally transferred. Over time, Pierre became increasingly convinced that the man claiming to be Martin Gere was not his nephew. Pierre agreed that the man looked like Martin and any differences in height or weight could be attributed to the passage of time. But Pierre wondered why Martin had forgotten some of the local phrases and dialects from his childhood. Pierre also questioned why Martin was no longer interested in former hobbies like swordplay and acrobatics. In addition, Pierre learned from his local friend, a shoemaker, that Martin's feet were noticeably smaller than they had been in the past. That last inconsistency in particular was difficult for him to reconcile.

Speaker 2:

Aha. So now a growing number of people, led by Pierre Gere, began to wonder who this man in their midst actually was and what his intentions were.

Speaker 1:

Precisely, pierre Gere essentially became the antagonist to this new Martin, actively challenging his identity. Pierre and those he convinced around him went around town publicly accusing him of the crime of imposter. Martin Guerre, of course, denied the accusations and in turn accused Pierre of trying to find a way to keep Martin's inheritance for himself, and that seemed plausible. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that someone tried to keep an inheritance that wasn't theirs. It was a small town and people, of course, took sides. At one point, the records note that Pierre and his son-in-law actually physically confronted Martin Gare. It was also noted that Bertrand put herself between Martin and her attackers in an effort to defend him. Bertrand was convinced that Martin Gare was Martin Gare and no one else.

Speaker 2:

It truly sounds like a family drama playing out on a village stage. You could almost feel the tension as neighbors take sides, torn between the familiar face of Martin Gere and the nagging doubts fueled by Pierre's accusations.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, the village of Artegat became divided. Some neighbors, who had known the real Martin Gere since childhood, insisted that this man was indeed him. These included Martin's sisters insisted that this man was indeed him. These included Martin's sisters. Others, who perhaps noticed the discrepancies or were swayed by Pierre's arguments, claimed he was not the real Martin. In fact, pierre did some investigative work by himself and found a witness who stated that the man claiming to be Martin Guerre was actually named Arnaud Dutille, who came from a village in a different part of France, not Artica.

Speaker 2:

But what about Bertrand? She had lived as this man's wife for the last four years. Surely she knew whether the man she shared a household and bed with for the last four years was Martin Gere or not.

Speaker 1:

And that's a really interesting question. You know, as we just discussed, Bertrand sided with Martin Gere at this point in the story.

Speaker 2:

She said that he was not a fraud and was her true husband trying to protect her honor and her children's legitimacy from harm, because Bertrand had more children with Martin Gere after he returned right, and if the man claiming to be Martin Gere wasn't actually her husband, then that posed the question of whether or not Bertrand was guilty of adultery and whether her children had been born out of wedlock.

Speaker 1:

Now that's a pickle. There's a lot at stake for Bertrand in this situation. We should note at this point that in the background of this local conflict, the Protestant Reformation was raging across Europe In the years after the case of Martin Gere concluded. Many of the families listed in the Artigot records converted to Protestantism. One of Martin Luther's foundational theological arguments was that Christians didn't actually need a priest to intervene between them and God. Instead, one could directly ask God for forgiveness of their sins, and regular people could conduct their own sacred rites, like baptism and marriage, without a priest. This was a foundational idea for the most popular Protestant sects in southern France, like the Lutherans or the Huguenots.

Speaker 2:

I see where you're going here. The historian Natalie Zeman Davis has suggested that Bertrand must have eventually figured out that the man she was living with wasn't actually Martin Gere, but that she may have grown attached to him regardless. Davis argues that perhaps the spread of Protestant ideas gave people more agency over their own relationship with God, leaving some to assume that a marriage, a unity between two people, was something that could be decided by those two people involved, and thus perhaps Bertrand and the present Martin Gere assumed that their marriage was legitimate before God and that's all they needed Now. I personally think that that reasoning is a bit of a stretch, but anything is possible in this story.

Speaker 1:

And that's an intriguing theory. Okay, so for some of the records, we know that the growing suspicions and accusations against the man living as Martin Gare eventually led to a formal legal proceeding in the nearby village of Riu. It was a very popular spectacle at that time. People from Artigas and the surrounding areas flocked to Rieu to witness this extraordinary, unbelievable case.

Speaker 2:

In terms of evidence, the court relied heavily on witness testimonies. Over 150 people eventually came to Rieu to testify. These witnesses were asked to identify the accused man and to recall details about the real Martin Gere, and the conflicting testimony that followed clearly demonstrated the difficulty in establishing identity based on memory alone, especially after such a long absence. The shoemaker gave his testimony about the different shoe sizes, and others claimed that Martin Gere had specific physical marks, such as extra teeth in his jaw, a scar on his forehead, three warts on his right hand and, apparently, according to the records, each of these was discovered on the prisoner.

Speaker 1:

So, by all accounts, then, the self-proclaimed Martin was remarkably convincing. As mentioned, he seemed to know everyone. He had greeted all of them by name and knew something of their past when he had first saw them. This ability to recall personal details created a strong initial impression. Furthermore, during the trial at Rieu, he continued to demonstrate an astonishing knowledge of Martin Gare's life. He could recall the places and people that Martin Gare had allegedly visited in France and Spain during his absence, and this information was subsequently verified by the court.

Speaker 2:

And his convincing performance extended to his interactions with Bertrand. When questioned separately, bertrand and the self-proclaimed Martin repeated the same details of their early life together, and this shared knowledge undoubtedly swayed some in the community and even, for a time, the court. It's almost as if they had constructed a early life together, and this shared knowledge undoubtedly swayed some in the community and even, for a time, the court.

Speaker 1:

It's almost as if they had constructed a shared narrative together.

Speaker 2:

I agree. But here's the thing when the case went to trial in Rio, bertrand was actually listed as being part of the plaintiff, along with Pierre Gere, martin's primary accuser. This was a big shift from before. As we explained, in the time leading up to the legal proceedings in Rio, bertrand vehemently supported the returned man as her husband, even declaring that he was quote Martin Gere, my husband, or else some devil in his skin end. Quote Now, at least officially. At this point, bertrand was standing against Martin in court.

Speaker 1:

That sudden switch seemed odd to everyone at the time too. On a number of occasions, Martin Gare claimed that Pierre and his supporters had manipulated and even coerced Bertrand in deciding against him, and this seems very possible considering Bertrand's very cautious and minimal statements during the trial at Rieu.

Speaker 2:

The self-proclaimed Martin put on a very convincing performance and his detailed knowledge nearly led to his exoneration. He centered his defense on the idea that Pierre Gere's accusations stemmed from a property dispute and personal animosity. As we noted before, that seemed like a plausible explanation, but ultimately the judge presiding over the trial in Rieu declared Martin Guerre guilty of imposture and of abusing his wife, Bertrand de Roles. He stated that the man who claimed to be Martin Guerre was actually Arnaud de Till, and he sentenced him to be beheaded and quartered.

Speaker 1:

The fact that he was to be beheaded and quartered was actually a bit of a compliment to the former Martin turn Arnaud, since beheading was supposed to be reserved for the nobility.

Speaker 2:

I'm sure he was very grateful, but the former Martin didn't want to be executed at all and he immediately appealed the judge's decision to the Parliament of Toulouse, a higher court and the former Martin seemed set to make yet another convincing argument in his defense, seeing this as his last chance for exoneration. But just when it seemed like he might prevail against Pierre, something astonishing happened.

Speaker 1:

That's right, elena. Just as the next trial starts going, the real Martin Gare showed up. Stay with us as we discuss what happened when two Martin Gares claimed to be the real one. Imagine the courtroom scene the accused Martin Gare, aka arnaud dutille, standing firm in his claim that he is not an imposter. Bertrand de rolls, the wife, watching on unsure what would become of her, regardless of the trial's outcome. Pierre gare, the paternal uncle of martin gare, resolute in his accusations that the man known as martin gare was a fraud. And then a strange man with a wooden leg enters the courtroom bearing the unmistakable marks and resemblance of the true Martin Gare. It's the ultimate plot twist, a moment ripped straight from the most thrilling of dramas.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, michael. Even through the centuries old records, the shock and confusion in the courtroom is palpable On seeing the man, the false Martin Arnaud Dettel exclaimed. Quote newcomer evildoer rascal, this man has been bought for cash and has been instructed by Pierre Gere. End quote.

Speaker 1:

It's hard to fathom the psychological impact of that moment. What about Bertrand? How did she react to the sudden appearance of the man she hadn't seen for over a decade?

Speaker 2:

And this is where the narrative becomes particularly complex. Some of the records from the trial portray Bertrand as a dupe. Finally realizing her error upon seeing the real Martin, she supposedly quote asked his pardon for the wrong she had done him unknowingly. End quote. However, modern historians are more conflicted about Bertrand's motivations. As we've discussed before, historians like Natalie Zeman Davis have suggested that there might have been some level of complicity. It's hard to believe that Bertrand would have been entirely fooled for three years. It seems more likely that she realized the truth over time and then consciously chose to accept Arnaud as Martin, perhaps even forming a genuine connection with him. It's possible that they even contrived to continue the lie together.

Speaker 1:

So some historians see Bertrand not as a victim of deception, but as more of an active participant in this unfolding drama.

Speaker 2:

Precisely. But this interpretation hasn't gone unchallenged. Other modern historians, particularly Robert Finley, have argued that there's a lack of direct evidence for Bertrand's knowing complicity and if we take the original records at face value, they clearly indicate that Bertrand was deceived. Plus there's the fact that when the trial about you know the Martin Gere imposter began, bertrand was listed as part of the plaintiff with Pierre and even if she was doing so reluctantly, she was still legally opposing Martin Gere. Personally, I think I fall more into this second camp of historians. In a time without photographs and good records, would a woman actually recognize her husband after eight long years? And we can't forget that there was no real intimacy between the couple for eight years after they married so very young and really only left a year or so between when Bertrand became pregnant and had their son and when Martin Gere abandoned them. So when Bertrand became pregnant and had their son and when Martin Gere abandoned them, so could Bertrand be sure? Perhaps she was actually duped. What do you think, michael?

Speaker 1:

I actually side with the first group of historians that have suggested that Bertrand must have at least strongly suspected the truth. Just because she was a peasant doesn't mean she didn't have common sense, and common sense says that being an abandoned wife was a difficult spot to find oneself in. I think she knew at least eventually and decided that being married to a fraud was better than being married to an absent husband. Whether Bertrand and Arnaud de Till started conspiring together at some point, I'm not sure, but it's a fascinating clash for historical interpretation, highlighting the challenges of piecing together the motivations and intentions of peoples from centuries past. So, after the dramatic entrance of a second Martin Gare, what happened within the courtroom?

Speaker 2:

The arrival of the real Martin Gare threw the entire trial into disarray and necessitated a new round of intense questioning. Both Arnaud and Bertrand were confronted with Martin. According to the records, bertrand quote trembled like a leaf and wept. End quote. The real Martin, upon seeing Bertrand, is quoted as saying how is it possible that you could have given consent to this abuse For my uncle and my sisters? There's some excuse, but none in the touch of the man on the woman. End quote. This highlights Martin's own belief in Bertrand's culpability. He thought she must have known the man wasn't really him. But I also think it's possible that Martin was a bit angry at the situation and perhaps didn't really like his family and wife much to begin with, seeing that he had abandoned them eight years before.

Speaker 1:

Arnaud, even in the face of the second Martin, initially refused to renounce his claim, but it was at this point that Bertrand, under now immense pressure, completely shifted her stance. The records state that quote. Within the course of a day, with no new evidence forthcoming, Bertrand stated to the judge of Rieu that Arnaud de Till was not her husband. The historian we keep referencing, Natalie Zeman Davis, has suggested that Bertrand still wasn't fully convinced that the new Martin Gare was the actual, real one. Davis goes on to theorize that Bertrand made the statement after Pierre and the others threatened her access to her children, to her relatives and to her family property if she did not accuse Arnaud as well.

Speaker 2:

The trial at Toulouse, marked by this stunning revelation, became a battleground not only for determining the identity of Martin Gare, but also for understanding the complex role played by Bertrand de Roles. The judges now had to grapple with the undeniable truth that one of the Martins was indeed an imposter.

Speaker 1:

Elena. As we prepare to discuss the dramatic aftermath of the trial, I keep returning to a fundamental question when in the world was the real Martin Gare for those eight years? He vanished from Artegat France.

Speaker 2:

It's a crucial piece of the puzzle, michael, and one where the sources offer some intriguing, albeit incomplete, answers. We know the catalyst for his departure was that strange incident in which Martin's father accused him of stealing grain from him and because of that he seemingly left behind everything his patrimony, his parents, his son and his wife, and the sources all agree that no one heard from him for a long time.

Speaker 1:

So the initial trigger is clear, even if it seems a bit irrational to us today. But where did he go after leaving?

Speaker 2:

The most concrete evidence points to Martin Guerre's service in the Spanish army. He was definitely present at the Battle of St Quentin in 1557, and it was there that the records suggest that he lost his leg to a French arquebus. An arquebus was a long gun, one of the first handheld firearms in Europe. These guns were large, awkward and slow to load and fire. Even in ideal situations it took somewhere between 20 and 60 seconds to reload and fire. The Spanish and French armies both adopted their use in military conflicts and they were very effective in battles. Martin Gere would have had his leg amputated afterwards and his outcome would have been touch and go for a while. That sort of injury would have definitely ended his military career, so it's possible that it prompted him to return to Artica. And besides that information, there's surprisingly little detail about Martin Gere's specific whereabouts during those eight years. What we know is that both Martin Gere's claimed that they had both been off soldiering during that time.

Speaker 1:

The records themselves also conflict on how the real Martin Gare found out that someone was impersonating him in Artigas. Some sources suggest that Martin, tired of soldiering, had already planned to return home to Artigas already, and only through luck did he discover his imposter in the nick of time. Other sources suggest that Martin Gere didn't even plan to return to Arctica, but did so after hearing about his identity being stolen.

Speaker 2:

And that then prompts our next question. If the second Martin Gere was the real Martin Gere and the first one was an imposter named Arnaud de Till, is there a possibility that Martin and Arnaud met before Arnaud's arrival in Antarctica? Did the sources offer any hints of that?

Speaker 1:

Yes, they do, and some of the testimonies during the trial suggested that Arnaud de Till, quote, could have accompanied the said Martin to war and, under pretext of friendship, heard from him numerous private and particular things about himself and his family, end quote. It's a logical suspicion. Where else would an imposter like that gain such intimate knowledge of Martin himself? We have to remember that Arnaud de Tille seemed to know things only the real Martin Gere would remember when he first came to town.

Speaker 2:

A wartime connection. Well, it's plausible on the surface, but do we actually know that the second Martin Gere was the real one? Perhaps Arnaud de Till was right? Perhaps the second Martin Gere was a paid actor under the instruction of Pierre Gere? As we've already noted, it was really hard to fully verify someone's identity, particularly if they were a common peasant.

Speaker 1:

Well, one by one, Martin Gare's relatives recognized the second Martin as the real one. The judges even set up a theatrical test during which the second Martin Gare was placed among a group of men all dressed alike. The records don't reveal whether all of them sported a wooden leg, but regardless, through this little legal exercise, Pierre recognized the second Martin as his nephew, as did Martin's sisters. By all accounts, Pierre and the sisters all hugged and wept at the reveal.

Speaker 2:

But here is where I think things get a little odd. When questioned, the second Martin Gere seemed to not remember as many details about his past as the first Martin, and it was only at the last minute moments before he was executed that the first Martin admitted that he was actually Arnaud de Till. At that time he beseeched the second Martin Gere to be kind to Bertrand, as she was a woman of honor, virtue and constancy. He explained that he had learned all of his information from Martin Gere's friends, who first mistook him for the real Martin Gere, and then he apologized to Bertrand and asked God for mercy. That series of events makes you wonder if they executed the right man. What if the first Martin Gere simply accepted his fate and wanted to make sure the second imposter Martin Gere would be good to his wife?

Speaker 1:

Since we're throwing around theories, then we can't forget that the historian Natalie Zeman Davis offered a more speculative, almost romantic possibility In what she calls a quote thought experiment. Davis imagines a scenario where the two young men, both being wanderers, might have met somewhere. She even posits a situation where Martin, two young men, both being wanderers, might have met somewhere. She even posits a situation where Martin, perhaps conflicted about his life in Artigas, might have subtly encouraged Arnaud, his doppelganger, to take his life back home and Arnaud, being a quote golden tongue peasant, might have seized this opportunity of prince and pauper might have seized this opportunity of.

Speaker 2:

Prince and Pauper. It's a compelling narrative, but Davis emphasizes its hypothetical nature right.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. She stresses that, quote this is a hypothetical scenario, not the one Arnaud confesses. To end, quote Again. This is one of those times where we have to decide whether to only follow what the sources say or make assumptions based on what we consider to be things that humans do.

Speaker 2:

Before we move on to discuss what ultimately happened to everyone in the end, I think we should discuss the elephant in the room when it comes to Davis's theory that Martin Gere encouraged Arnaud to take on his identity. Taking into consideration the long period of abstinence between the couple for eight years after their marriage, one might suspect that Martin wasn't interested in Bertrand or any other woman in the village. That just might not have been a sexual preference, but we have to remember that in the 1500s sexual preferences weren't as clearly defined as they are today, particularly since homosexual acts at that time were not considered spiritually or legally acceptable. So while it's a possibility, I think reality is probably a bit more complex.

Speaker 1:

But I think it might be acceptable to say that Martin Gere was not satisfied to accept the social responsibilities and relationships that have been thrust upon him as a boy and young man in the small town of Artigas.

Speaker 2:

Well said, Michael. In the 1500s, most people were born with a predetermined path in life, and there were only so many ways to get out of it. If you are a wealthy woman or man, you might become a nun or a monk, but even that profession wasn't often a personal choice for the individual, but rather something that the family decided for them. The only way for Martin Gere to control his own life was to abandon it completely and start over somewhere else.

Speaker 1:

So the court in Toulouse decided in 1557 that the second Martin Gare was the real one. And for the second time the first Martin, aka Arnaud de Till, was proclaimed an imposter. This time, the judge in Toulouse handed down an even severer sentence. No longer would Arnaud be offered the quicker death of beheading, now he would be hung to death. The judge noted that he did not sentence him to be burned alive. Instead, arnaud's corpse would be burned after the hanging, so that quote the memory of so miserable and abominable a person would disappear and completely be lost. End quote.

Speaker 2:

Well, that's intense.

Speaker 1:

No kidding. And the actual event itself was even more intense. Four days after Arnaud's sentencing, the gibbet of Arnaud's hanging was built directly in front of Martin and Bertrand's house. On the day of his hanging, martin wore the garb of a pentanant, a white shirt, bare head and bare feet, with a torch in his hands. His jailers first took him to the town church where he kneeled and asked for pardon from God, the King, the court, martin Gare, bertrand de Roles and Pierre Gare. He was then led through the village with a hangman's rope around his neck. After mounting the stairs to the gibbet, he made his plea to Martin Gare to be kind to Bertrand, and then the foreman Martin Gare, be kind to Bertrand. And then the foreman Martin Gere. Our note to Till was executed as planned.

Speaker 2:

Wow, what a story. I wonder what became of the real Martin, gere and Bertrand, as we discussed before. When Bertrand first faced the real Martin, he reportedly exclaimed how is it possible that you've given consent to this abuse For my uncle and my sisters? There's some excuse, but none in the touch of the man on the woman end quote that doesn't sound very positive.

Speaker 1:

It certainly does not. It's interesting the judge in the Toulouse, during the second trial, made some attempt to reconcile Martin and Bertrand. He rebuked Martin for abandoning his wife and he rebuked Bertrand for not recognizing the fraud, but then he urged them to forget the past. It's not clear from the records whether the couple succeeded in doing so or not.

Speaker 2:

And we also have to question what happened to the surviving child of Arnaud and Bertrand, the one born in the years after Arnaud appeared in Artega and presented himself as Martin Gere.

Speaker 1:

It appears that the courts took some pity on the child, a girl named Bernard. A little girl would now be known as Bernard Dutille rather than Bernard de Gere, but she would be considered legitimate. This decision was based on the legal theory that for a child to be considered illegitimate, both parents had to be conscious of the circumstances. The children of a woman unaware that she had married a fraud would still be legitimate and, as noted, the court decided that Bernard's mother, bertrand, had been duped by Arnaud. In addition, the daughter, bernard, was allowed the goods and properties of the belated Arnaud de Till. This was a particular point of leniency, since the courts had the right to confiscate all of his possessions and the possessions of a person executed by the law. What isn't clear is where she ended up. The brother of Arnaud, a man named Jean de Till of Le Pen and a certain Dominique Rebendaire of Toulouse, were appointed to be her guardians, so it's unlikely that Bernard was allowed to continue living with her mother and Martin de Guerre.

Speaker 2:

That part is a little bit rough, poor Bernard de Tille.

Speaker 1:

I agree. Well, we've delved deep into the 16th century in this incredible story, but, as historians, what can the story of Martin Guerre teach us today, almost five centuries later?

Speaker 2:

That's a crucial question, michael. The enduring power of this story lies in its ability to illuminate timeless aspects of the human condition At its heart. The case of Martin Gere raises profound questions about identity, that seemingly fixed concept that can be so easily manipulated and questioned. It also starkly highlights the fallibility of memory and perception and, fundamentally, it explores the complexities of human relationships, the shifting loyalties, motivations and the intricate dance of trust and deception within families and communities.

Speaker 1:

And in our contemporary world, these themes resonate with striking relevance. We live in an era saturated with misinformation and carefully crafted online personas. The ease with which identities can be assumed or fabricated online mirrors in a digital context. The imposter of Arnaud Dutille. The struggle for truth in a landscape of manipulated information echoes Bertrand's dilemma in the court's arduous process of discernment.

Speaker 2:

Think about the prevalence of online scams and identity theft today. Individuals are constantly bombarded with sophisticated attempts to deceive them, to assume their identities for financial gain or other malicious purposes. Just as Arnoud Dettel likely meticulously learned the details of Martin Gere's life to convince the villagers, modern-day fraudsters painstakingly gather personal information to create believable false identities. The digital realm offers new avenues for deception, but the underlying human vulnerabilities the desire to believe, the difficulty in discerning truth from falsehood, the reliance on social cues those remain remarkably consistent.

Speaker 1:

Ultimately, the Return of Martin Gere is more than just a curious historical anecdote. It serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring human capacity for both deception and belief and the constant challenge of uncovering truth in a complex world. The differing interpretations by historians like Davis and Finley underscore the multifaceted nature of historical inquiry and the difficulty in definitively knowing the past.

Speaker 2:

Join us next time as we delve into another intriguing case from history's dark corners. Stay curious. Bye.

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Dr. Alana

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Dr. Michael

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