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Summary: “The return of Martin Guerre” by Natalie Zemon Davis Princeton University historian Natalie Zemon Davis took a circuitous route to writing The Return of Martin Guerre. She originally conceived the idea as a screenplay and became a historical consultant on a French film version of Martin Guerre’s story. The story itself, while historical in nature, is legend, and thus particularly open to interpretation and speculation. Davis decided to write the book when, during her research working on the film, she determined that the story was too vast to cover in a movie alone. Source material about the events she describes is not abundant. Over four hundred years had passed and not many of the firsthand participants were able to write. Davis thus relied mainly on two well-known versions of the story: Arrest Memorable du Parlement de Tholosae, by Jean de Coras, who was one of the judges in the case, and Admiranda historia de Pseudo Martino Tholosae, by Guillaume Le Sueur.

The story of Martin Guerre begins in the summer of 1560 when, after an eight-year absence, Martin returns to Southern France and the small town of Artigat. Martin, however, is an impostor by the name of Armaud du Tilh. During his time in a nearby town, Armaud has learned enough about Martin and his life to be able to conceive his deception and attempt to claim Martin’s former life. Armaud manages to get himself accepted by Bertrande, Martin’s wife, as well as by others from Martin’s past. Armaud lives with Bertrnade for over three years, during which time they have two daughters, although only one survives past infancy. As Davis’ narrative continues, it becomes clear that she has embraced a point of view that other historians had traditionally relegated to a secondary position: that of the peasants and their lives.

Armaud’s disagreements over money with an uncle named Pierre Guerre lead the uncle to suspect that Armaud might be an impostor. Bertrande defends her “husband” and refutes the uncle’s allegation. Pierre brings suit in the name of Bertrande, and Armaud goes on trial. Witnesses are split on the issue of the man’s true identity. Some express certainty that Armaud is indeed Martin while

others, including Armaud’s “real” uncle, clearly say that he is not Martin. Bertrande struggles with the question, not wishing to seem less than honorable, since if she is incorrect it would make her an adulteress. Davis puts forth the hypothesis that Bertrande is actually in cahoots with the “new” Martin, and is aware that he is an impostor. This man is deemed by the court to be Armaud, not Martin, and is sentenced to death. When he appeals to a higher authority and is close to receiving an acquittal, the real Martin Guerre appears and the impostor is again sentenced to death.

Davis seems to have reassigned the role of central figure in her text, perhaps due to the increasing attention to the place of women in history during the years when she was writing her account of Martin Guerre. The role of Bertrande has, it can be argued, taken on that of protagonist over both the real Martin and the imposter Martin, whose actions seem to have initiated the entire situation. Bertrande, in Davis’ telling, is readily complicit in the deception—though later, when the real Martin surfaces, she aims to write off her actions as mistakes.

In addition to covering the legend of Martin Guerre in an accessible narrative form, Davis is true to her historian roots and gives exacting background information as well. Martin and Bertrande were of well-off families when they married in 1538, likely at the very early ages of fourteen for him and twelve for her. Martin suffered from impotence and it was eight years before they conceived a son. Martin’s disappearance is explained by an estrangement with his father that was instigated by Martin’s theft of grain from an older man.

The Return of Martin Guerre has a cohesive storyline in spite of stemming from a variety of source materials. Davis gives detailed insights into the region in which the events took place and into the lives of those involved. The people are ordinary and simple but filled with ideas and individuality. The now-ancient mechanisms of criminal courts were no less ominous in people’s lives in the sixteenth century than the high-tech trappings of justice systems are today. The inner selves of the people involved with and affected by either the real or the false Martin Guerre are complex. Individuals are guided by self-interest and motivations that are not always what they seem. Their choices, too, are

not always what they seem. Further, the focus on the peasantry provides insight into personalities from opposing class statuses, suggesting that the gap between those classes may not be as wide as it once appeared....