Duel is a form of combat between two armed persons conducted according to set rules or code. It is usually fought with either pistols or swords in the presence of witnesses. The modern duel, based on disputes over individual honor, arose in Italy in the 1300’s, during the Renaissance, and spread throughout Europe and the Americas. In some countries, dueling continued into the 1900’s. People fought duels over matters that were not suited for settlement through courts. Duels were often fought over charges of cowardice, insults to family members, cheating at cards, or a person showing improper regard for another person’s status.
The modern duel probably originated in the medieval custom of the judicial duel. In a judicial duel, the accused and the accuser fought to prove the truth of their claims. People assumed that God would favor the innocent person. Over time, dueling codes were written in order to regulate the combat.
Duels varied according to the severity of the insult involved. Many conflicts were settled peacefully by intermediaries, called seconds. If negotiations failed, the seconds would set the terms of the combat. More serious offenses meant more dangerous forms of combats. By the late 1700’s, bravery and self-control exhibited throughout a duel were more important than winning or losing. Many duels ended with one of the combatants being wounded or with no one harmed at all. Dueling was illegal in most regions, but people were seldom punished even if someone died in a duel.
Dueling became common in the United States in the 1800’s. Many famous Americans fought duels. Aaron Burr fatally wounded Alexander Hamilton in 1804, in a pistol duel. Burr blamed Hamilton for his defeat in an election for governor of New York (see Hamilton, Alexander). General Andrew Jackson killed Charles Dickinson in 1806, in a pistol duel. Jackson challenged Dickinson for comments made in a newspaper. Commodore Stephen Decatur died in a pistol duel with a fellow naval officer in 1820. Henry Clay fought John Randolph in a pistol duel in 1826, but neither was hurt. Clay challenged Randolph because Randolph had made insulting remarks about him in the United States Senate.
Dueling was frequent in European society as people used it as a means of demonstrating their status. Ferdinand Lassalle, a leading German socialist, died in a pistol duel fought over a woman in 1864. Dueling became particularly important for politicians. They used duels to gain publicity, prove their convictions, and to repel attacks on their character or policies by their opponents. Theodor Herzl, an Austrian leader of the Zionist movement in the late 1800’s, encouraged Jews to defend their honor against critics through dueling.
Dueling diminished after the 1800’s as political disagreements became less personal. Also, the violence of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and World War I (1914-1918) largely ended the notion that combat was an honorable way to settle a dispute.
