Macaire. Earlier use of the name Before Lemaître created his politically charged Macaire character, the name Robert Macaire was associated with a figure in a 14th-century legend who was required to engage in trial-by-combat with a dog. A melodrama called Le Chien de Montargis, ou la Forêt de Bondy premiered in Paris on 18 June 1814 and ran until 1834. It was translated into English and German. In an English-language compendium of oddities published in 1869, Macaire murders a man in the forest of Bondy on the outskirts of Paris. The only witness to survive in the victim's dog. King Charles V orders a trial by combat and the dog defeats Macaire, which leads to Macaire's conviction and hanging. References External links Literary characters introduced in 1823 Theatre characters introduced in 1823 Fictional outlaws Fictional career criminals Comedy theatre characters Male characters in theatre Male characters in literature Fictional French people