A duel is a formalized type of combat. As practised from the 15th to 20th centuries in Western societies, a duel was a consensual fight between two people, with matched deadly weapons, in accordance with rules explicitly or implicitly agreed upon, over a point of honour, usually accompanied by seconds (who might themselves fight), and in contravention of the law.

The duel usually developed out of the desire of one party (the challenger) to redress a perceived insult to his honour. The goal of the duel was not so much to kill the opponent as to gain "satisfaction," i.e., to restore one's honor by demonstrating a willingness to risk one's life for it.

Duels may be distinguished from trials by combat, in that duels were not used to determine guilt or innocence, nor were they official procedures. Indeed, duels were often illegal, though in most societies where dueling was socially accepted, participants in a fair duel were not prosecuted, or if they were, were not convicted. Only gentlemen were considered to have honor, and therefore qualified to duel. If a gentleman was insulted by a person of lower class he would not duel him but would beat him with a cane or whip or have his servants do so. Dueling is now illegal in all but a few countries around the world. A judicial duel portrayed in a facsimile from the Cérémonies des Gages des Batailles, a manuscript of the fifteenth century in the National Library of Paris. ... Gentlemen is the plural of the word gentleman. ...

Rules

Sabre duel of German students, around 1900, painting by Georg Mühlberg (1863-1925)

Duels could be fought with some sort of sword or, from the 18th Century on, with pistols.[1] For this end special sets of duelling pistols were crafted for the wealthiest of noblemen. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (869x568, 226 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Säbelmensur (um 1900), Gemälde von Georg Mühlberg (1863-1925), Rechte abgelaufen. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (869x568, 226 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Säbelmensur (um 1900), Gemälde von Georg Mühlberg (1863-1925), Rechte abgelaufen. ... Sabre duel of German students, around 1900, painting by Georg Mühlberg Georg Mühlberg(1863-1925) was a German Painter. ... The European dueling sword in the narrow sense is a basket and cage hilted weapon in use specifically in duels from the late 17th to the 19th century. ... A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... Dueling pistols are pistols of identical appearance, reliability and accuracy that were used in a classical duel. ...

After the offense, whether real or imagined, the offended party would demand "satisfaction" from the offender,[2] signalling this demand with an inescapably insulting gesture, such as throwing the glove before him, hence the phrase "throwing down the gauntlet". This originates from medieval times, when a knight was knighted. The knight-to-be would receive a ritual slap in the face, said to be the last one he ever had to accept without retaliating tenfold. Therefore anyone being slapped with a glove was considered like a knight, to accept the challenge or be dishonoured. Contrary to popular belief, hitting one in the face with a glove was not a challenge, but could be done after the glove had been thrown down as a response to the one issuing the challenge. Each party would name a trusted representative (a second) who would, between them, determine a suitable "field of honor", the chief criterion being isolation from interruptions. Duels traditionally took place at dawn, for this very reason. It was also the duty of each party's second to check that the weapons were equal and that the duel was fair. Pair of gauntlets, Germany, end of the 16th century Gauntlet is a name for several different styles of glove. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ...

At the choice of the offended party, the duel could be:

• to first blood, in which case the duel would be ended as soon as one man was wounded, even if the wound was minor:
• till one man was so severely wounded as to be physically unable to continue the duel;
• to the death, in which case there would be no satisfaction until the other party was mortally wounded;
• or, in the case of pistol duels, each party would fire one shot. Even if neither man had been hit, if the challenger stated that he was satisfied, the duel would be declared over. A pistol duel could continue until one man was wounded or killed, but to have more than three exchanges of fire was considered barbaric, and somewhat ridiculous if no hits were achieved.

Under the latter conditions, one or both parties could intentionally miss in order to fulfill the conditions of the duel, without loss of either life or honor. However, to do so, "to delope", could imply that your opponent was not worth shooting. This practice occurred despite being expressly banned by the Code Duello of 1777. Rule 13 stated: "No dumb shooting or firing in the air is admissible in any case... therefore children's play must be dishonourable on one side or the other, and is accordingly prohibited." Practices varied, however, and many pistol duels were to first blood or death. The offended party could stop the duel at any time if he deemed his honor satisfied. In some duels there were seconds (Stand Ins) who in the event of the primary dueler not able to finish the duel would then take his place. This was usually done in duels with swords where one's expertise was sometimes limited. The second would also act as a witness. Delope (French for throwing away) is the practice of throwing away ones first fire in a duel, in an attempt to abort the conflict. ... A code duello is a set of rules for a one-on-one combat, or duel. ...

For a pistol duel, the parties would be placed back to back with loaded weapons in hand and walk a set number of paces, turn to face the opponent, and shoot. Typically, the graver the insult, the fewer the paces agreed upon. Alternately, a pre-agreed length of ground would be measured out by the seconds and marked, often with swords stuck in the ground. At a given signal, often the dropping of a handkerchief, the principals could advance to the marker and fire at will. This latter system reduced the possibility of cheating, as neither principal had to trust the other not to turn too soon. Another system involved alternate shots being taken—the challenged firing first.

Many historical duels were prevented by the difficulty of arranging the "methodus pugnandi". In the instance of Dr. Richard Brocklesby, the number of paces could not be agreed upon; and in the affair between Mark Akenside and Ballow, one had determined never to fight in the morning, and the other that he would never fight in the afternoon. John Wilkes, who did not stand upon ceremony in these little affairs, when asked by Lord Talbot how many times they were to fire, replied, "just as often as your Lordship pleases; I have brought a bag of bullets and a flask of gunpowder." Richard Brocklesby (August 11, 1722 – December 11, 1797), English physician, was born at Minehead, Somerset. ... Mark Akenside (November 9, 1721 – June 23, 1770), was an English poet and physician. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... William Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot, Viscount Ingestre, 2nd Baron Talbot of Hensol (16 May 1710 - 27 April 1782) was an English nobleman. ...

History

In English, the word duel is attested from the latter half of the 15th century. It derives from Old Latin duellum (Classical Latin bellum "war"), in Middle Latin associated with duo "two" by popular etymology, shifting its meaning to "one-to-one combat". The word is ultimately from the root "to burn, to destroy", cognateto Old English teona "damage". (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... The Forum inscription is one of the oldest known Latin inscriptions. ... Classical Latin is the language used by the principal exponents of that language in what is usually regarded as classical Latin literature. ... Medieval Latin refers to the Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the liturgical language of the medieval Roman Catholic Church. ... A fake etymology is an invented explanation (etymology) for the origin of a word. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ...

Physical confrontations related to insults and social standing pre-date human society, but the formal concept of a duel, in Western society, developed out of medieval judicial duel and older pre-Christian practices such as the Viking Age Holmganga. Judicial duels were deprecated by the Lateran Council of 1215, but in 1459 (MS Thott 290 2), Hans Talhoffer reports that in spite of this, there were still seven capital crimes that were still commonly accepted to be settled by a judicial duel. Most societies did not condemn dueling, and the victor of a duel was regarded not as a murderer but as a hero, his social status often increased. During the early Renaissance, dueling established the status of a respectable gentleman, and was an accepted manner to resolve disputes. Dueling in such societies was seen as an alternative to less regulated conflict. Young people interacting within a an ethnically diverse society. ... The term Western world or the West (also on rare occasions called the Occident) can have multiple meanings depending on its context (i. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Judicial Duel. ... The Viking Age is the name of the age in Northern Europe, following the Germanic Iron Age. ... Holmgang (or holmganga) was a Nordic duel practiced by Norsemen. ... The Fourth Council of the Lateran was summoned by Pope Innocent III with his Bull of April 19, 1213. ... A certified copy of the Magna Carta March 4 - King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a crusader to gain the support of Innocent III. June 15 - King John of England was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning... Events September 23 - Battle of Blore Heath. ... Portrait of Talhoffer (pictured left), and his coat of arms, from the 1459 Fechtbuch Depiction of a judicial duel between a man (standing in a pit) and a woman, (Thott 1459, fol. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The first published code duello, or "code of dueling", appeared in Renaissance Italy; however, it had many antecedents, ranging back to old Germanic law. The first formalised national code was France's, during the Renaissance. In 1777, Ireland developed a code duello, which was indeed the most influential in American dueling culture. A code duello is a set of rules for a one-on-one combat, or duel. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... Year 1777 (MDCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Prominent duels

To decline a challenge was often equated to defeat by forfeiture, and was sometimes even regarded as dishonorable. Prominent and famous individuals ran an especial risk of being challenged for duels.

The Russian poet Alexander Pushkin prophetically described a number of duels in his works, notably Onegin's duel with Lensky in Eugene Onegin. The poet was mortally wounded in a controversial duel with Georges d'Anthès, a French officer rumoured to be his wife's lover. d'Anthès, who was accused of cheating in this duel, married Pushkin's sister-in-law and went on to become French minister and senator. The whole affair was instigated by anonymous letters, apparently written by two homosexual princes in order to revenge d'Anthès for his homosexual affair with the Ambassador of Holland.^{[citation needed]} Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (Russian: Алекса́ндр Серге́евич Пу́шкин, IPA: ,  ) (June 6 [O.S. May 26] 1799 – February 10 [O.S. January 29] 1837) was a Russian Romantic author who is considered to be the greatest Russian poet[1][2][3][4] and the founder of modern Russian literature. ... Eugene Onegin (Russian: Евгений Онегин, BGN/PCGN: Yevgeniy Onegin) is a novel in verse written by Aleksandr Pushkin. ... Georges-Charles de Heeckeren dAnthès Georges-Charles de Heeckeren dAnthès, baron (1812–1895). ...

In 1864, American writer Mark Twain—then editor of the New York Sunday Mercury—narrowly avoided fighting a duel with a rival newspaper editor, apparently through the quick thinking of his second, who exaggerated Twain's prowess with a pistol. [3] [4] [5] Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),[1] better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, writer, and lecturer. ...

Among the most famous duels are the American Burr-Hamilton duel, in which notable Federalist Alexander Hamilton was fatally wounded, and the duel between Duke of Wellington and the 10th Earl of Winchilsea, wherein each participant intentionally failed to shoot the other. A contemporary artistic rendering of the 11 June 1804 duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton by J. Mund. ... The term federalist refers to several sets of political beliefs around the world. ... Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757–July 12, 1804) was an Army officer, lawyer, Founding Father, American politician, leading statesman, financier and political theorist. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ...

The last fatal duel in Canada saw Robert Lyon challenge John Wilson to a pistol duel after a quarrel over remarks made about a local schoolteacher whom Wilson ended up marrying after Lyon was killed in the duel. A commemorative plaque The son of a British officer, Robert Lyon was the last fatality in Canadian duelling history, shot by a fellow law student, John Wilson in 1833. ...

(See also: List of famous duels) The following is a list of famous duels. ...

Unusual duels

In 1808, two Frenchmen are said to have fought in balloons over Paris, each attempting to shoot and puncture the other's balloon; one duelist is said to have been shot down and killed with his second. [6]

Thirty-five years later, two men are said to have fought a duel by means of throwing billiard balls at each other. [7]

Some participants in a duel, given the choice of weapons, are said to have deliberately chosen ridiculous weapons such as howitzers, sledgehammer, or forkfuls of pig dung, in order to show their disdain for the proceedings. [8] 19th century 12 pounder (5 kg) mountain howitzer displayed by the National Park Service at Fort Laramie in Wyoming, USA A howitzer is a type of artillery piece that is characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small explosive charges to propel projectiles at trajectories with... A sledgehammer. ...

Duelling in particular countries

Greece

In the Ionian Islands in the 19th century, there was a practice of formalised fighting between men over points of honor. The tradition was unusual in that it was carried on by peasants rather than the aristocracy. The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: Ionioi Nisoi, Ιόνιοι Νήσοι; Ancient Greek: Ionioi Nesoi, Ιόνιοι Νήσοι) are a group of islands in Greece. ...

Knives were the weapons used in such fights. They would begin with an exchange of sexually-related insults in a public place such as a tavern, and the men would fight with the intention of slashing the other's face, rather than killing. As soon as blood was drawn onlookers would intervene to separate the men. The winner would often spit on his opponent and dip his neckerchief in the blood of the loser, or wipe the blood off his knife with it.

The winner would generally make no attempt to avoid arrest, and receive a light penalty, such as a short jail sentence and/or a small fine.[9]

Poland

In Poland duels have been known since the Middle Ages. Polish duel rules were formed based on Italian, French and German codes. The best known in Poland code was written as late as in 1919 by Władysław Boziewicz. In those times duels were already forbidden in Poland, but the "Polish Honorary Code" was quite widely in use. Punishments for the participation in duels were rather mild (up to a year imprisonment if the result was death or grievous bodily harm). Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

[10]

Philippines

Dueling is widely known to have existed for centuries in the Philippine Islands. In the Visayan islands, the offended party would first "hagit" or challenge the offender. The offender would have the choice whether to accept or decline the challenge. In the past, choice of weapons were not limited. But most often, bolos, rattan canes, and knives were the preferred weapons. Rules may be agreed upon. Duels were either first-blood, submission, or to the last man standing (last man still alive). Duels to death were known as "huego-todo" (without bounds).

Widely publicised duels are common in Filipino martial arts circles. One of those very controversial and publicised duel was between Ciriaco "Cacoy" Cañete and Venancio "Ansiong" Bacon. It was rumored that Cacoy won in this match by executing an illegal maneuver but this rumor was not yet proven to this day. Another match was between Cacoy and a man identified only by his name "Domingo" in the mountain barangay of Balamban in 1948 which was also very controversial. Some claimed that this event was just a hoax.

Opposition to dueling

The Roman Catholic Church and many political leaders like King James I & VI of Britain, usually denounced dueling throughout Europe's history, though some authorities tacitly allowed it, believing it to relieve long-standing familial and social tensions. The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ... James VI and I King of England, Scotland and Ireland James VI of Scotland and I of England (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) was a King who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

United States

Dueling began to fall out of favor in America in the 18th century. Benjamin Franklin denounced the practice as uselessly violent, and George Washington encouraged his officers to refuse challenges during the American Revolutionary War because he believed that the death by dueling of officers would have threatened the success of the war effort. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Benjamin Franklin (January 17 [O.S. January 6] 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the most well known Founding Fathers of the United States. ... George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799)[1] led Americas Continental Army to victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and was later elected the first president of the United States under the U.S. Constitution. ... Combatants American Revolutionaries French Monarchy Spanish Empire Dutch Republic Oneida and Tuscarora tribes Polish volunteers Prussian volunteers Kingdom of Great Britain Iroquois Confederacy Hessian mercenaries Loyalists Commanders George Washington Nathanael Greene Gilbert de La Fayette Comte de Rochambeau Bernardo de Gálvez Tadeusz Kościuszko Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben Sir...

By the end of the 19th century, legalized dueling was almost extinct in most of the world. Some American states have laws which establish procedures for legal dueling, but it is unlikely that they would be upheld in court. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Many jurisdictions have very high level bans laid against dueling, with stiff penalties for violation. Several United States state constitutions ban the practice, the most common penalty being disenfranchisement and/or disqualification from all offices. In the context of the United States of America, a state constitution is the governing document of a U.S. state, comparable to the U.S. Constitution which is the governing document of the United States. ...

• Constitution of Alabama (Article IV, Section 86):
  • "The Legislature shall pass such penal laws as it may deem expedient to suppress the evil practice of duelling.
• Constitution of Kentucky (Section 228 and 239):
  • Members of the General Assembly and all officers, before they enter upon the execution of the duties of their respective offices, and all members of the bar, before they enter upon the practice of their profession, shall take the following oath or affirmation: I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this Commonwealth, and be faithful and true to the Commonwealth of Kentucky so long as I continue a citizen thereof, and that I will faithfully execute, to the best of my ability, the office of .... according to law; and I do further solemnly swear (or affirm) that since the adoption of the present Constitution, I, being a citizen of this State, have not fought a duel with deadly weapons within this State nor out of it, nor have I sent or accepted a challenge to fight a duel with deadly weapons, nor have I acted as second in carrying a challenge, nor aided or assisted any person thus offending, so help me God.
  • Any person who shall, after the adoption of this Constitution, either directly or indirectly, give, accept or knowingly carry a challenge to any person or persons to fight in single combat, with a citizen of this State, with a deadly weapon, either in or out of the State, shall be deprived of the right to hold any office of honor or profit in this Commonwealth; and if said acts, or any of them, be committed within this State, the person or persons so committing them shall be further punished in such manner as the General Assembly may prescribe by law.
• Constitution of Mississippi (Article 3, Section 19):
  • Human life shall not be imperiled by the practice of dueling; and any citizen of this state who shall hereafter fight a duel, or assist in the same as second, or send, accept, or knowingly carry a challenge therefor, whether such an act be done in the state, or out of it, or who shall go out of the state to fight a duel, or to assist in the same as second, or to send, accept, or carry a challenge, shall be disqualified from holding any office under this Constitution, and shall be disenfranchised.
• Constitution of Tennessee (Article IX, Section 3):
  • Any person who shall, after the adoption of this Constitution, fight a duel, or knowingly be the bearer of a challenge to fight a duel, or send or accept a challenge for that purpose, or be an aider or abettor in fighting a duel, shall be deprived of the right to hold any office of honor or profit in this state, and shall be punished otherwise, in such manner as the Legislature may prescribe.
• Uniform Code of Military Justice (Article 114):
  • Any person subject to this chapter who fights or promotes, or is concerned in or connives at fighting a duel, or who, having knowledge of a challenge sent or about to be sent, fails to report the facts promptly to the proper authority, shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

• Florida State Constitution of 1838, Article 6, Section 5:
  • No person shall be capable of holding, or of being elected to any post of honor, profit, trust, or emolument, civil or military, legislative, executive, or judicial, under the government of this State, who shall hereafter fight a duel, or send, or accept a challenge to fight a duel, the probable issue of which may be the death of the challenger, or challenged, or who shall be a second to either party, or who shall in any manner aid, or assist in such duel, or shall be knowingly the bearer of such challenge, or acceptance, whether the same occur, or be committed in or out of the State.

The Alabama Constitution is the basic governing document of the U.S. state of Alabama. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Penal (originally Peñal) is a town in southern Trinidad. ... The Constitution of Kentucky is the document that governs the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States. ... The constitution of Mississippi is the governing document of Mississippi. ... The word citizen may refer to: A person with a citizenship Citizen Watch Co. ... The Tennessee State Constitution is the basic document of governance for the U.S. state of Tennessee. ... The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the foundation of military law in the United States. ... A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a military court that determines punishments for members of the military subject to military law. ...

Modern duels

Dueling still continues to occur, albeit not with regularity.

• Paraguay is one country in which dueling is still legal, so long as both duelists are organ donors.^{[citation needed]}

• Fencing is a sport which simulates a sword fight, but with 'weapons' that are not intended to injure—and obviously without any assumption that the physical conflict is related to a personal conflict as with a duel.

• In May of 2005, twelve youths aged between fifteen and seventeen were arrested in Japan and charged with violating a dueling law that came into effect in 1889. Six other youths were also arrested on the same charges in March.

• Some German, Austrian and Swiss Burschenschaften (student fraternities) hold up the tradition of real fencing with sharp blade, called Mensur.

• It is uncommon, though not unheard of, for members of the same US college fraternity, who finding themselves in a fairly serious disagreement, to fight a duel via fisticuffs. Especially in the South, there are informal arrangements whereby the two brothers meet in a specified place and "fight it out", with seconds. Such an event was documented in the Louisiana Tech student newspaper in the early 1990s.

• In the British Army, junior soldiers of the same rank who have a grievance are sometimes encouraged to settle the matter inside the boxing ring, witnessed by other soldiers. Fighting takes place according to Queensberry rules. Note that the two participants are invariably of equal rank.

Fencing advertisement for the 1900 Summer Olympic Games This article is about the sport, which is distinguished from stage fencing and academic fencing (mensur). ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Burschenschaften are German associations of university students formed by liberal ideas. ... Academic fencing or Mensur fencing is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by certain types of Studentenverbindungen in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ... Look up fraternity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), the noble art , prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight... The Marquess of Queensberry rules are a code of popularly accepted rules in the sport of boxing. ...

Game-theoretic aspects of duelling

Dueling is a scenario sometimes used in discussions of games and game theory. Tug of war is an easily organized, impromptu game that requires little equipment. ... Game theory is often described as a branch of applied mathematics and economics that studies situations where multiple players make decisions in an attempt to maximize their returns. ...

One example is a dueling-type scenario with 3 participants, each with different levels of skill as a marksman. Shooter A has a 95% rate of accuracy, shooter B has 75%, and C has 5%. The shooters take positions on an equilateral triangle; each chooses a target and (if alive) fires one shot. To be fair, it is agreed that the shooters will shoot in reverse order of their skill, i.e. first C, then B, then A.

The question is, if you are shooter C, what is the best strategy? At first glance, it might seem like shooting at A would be best, but really the best thing to do is to shoot in the air. That way, B will shoot at A, and if he misses, A will shoot at B. Either way, C will end up with the first shot at the survivor. C exchanges the first shot in a "truel" for the first shot in a proper duel. A truel is a duel involving three mutual opponents (that is, each one for themselvevs, not two-against-one). ...

See also

In the world of cinema, dueling has provided themes for such motion pictures as Stanley Kubrick's 1975 Barry Lyndon (an adaptation of a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray from 1844) and Ridley Scott's 1977 The Duellists, which adapted Joseph Conrad's 1908 short story The Duel. [11] [12] The 1943 film The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp shows the two main characters becoming friends after fighting a duel, the preparations for which are shown in great detail. Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an influential and acclaimed American film director and producer. ... Barry Lyndon (1975) is a film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon (1844) by William Makepeace Thackeray. ... William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist of the 19th century. ... Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields, England) is an influential Academy Award-nominated English film director and producer. ... The Duellists (1977) was Ridley Scotts first feature film, based on the Joseph Conrad short story The Duel. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, it features two French Hussar officers, DHubert and Feraud (played by Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel). ... Joseph Conrad. ... The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) is a film by the British writer-director-producer team of Powell & Pressburger under the banner of The Archers, starring Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. ...

• List of famous duels
• European duelling sword
• Fencing
• trial by combat
• Dueling Society
• Holmgang

The following is a list of famous duels. ... The European dueling sword in the narrow sense is a basket and cage hilted weapon in use specifically in duels from the late 17th to the 19th century. ... Fencing advertisement for the 1900 Summer Olympic Games This article is about the sport, which is distinguished from stage fencing and academic fencing (mensur). ... A judicial duel portrayed in a facsimile from the Cérémonies des Gages des Batailles, a manuscript of the fifteenth century in the National Library of Paris. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Egill Skallagrímsson engaging in holmgang with Berg-Önundr, painting by Johannes Flintoe Holmgång (or holmganga) was a duel practiced by Norsemen. ...

References

Scholarly studies: US and Canada

• Ayers, Edward L. Vengeance and Justice: Crime and Punishment in the 19th Century American

South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.

• Baldick, Robert. The Duel: A History of Duelling. London: Chapman & Hall, 1965.
• Cramer, Clayton. Concealed Weapon Laws of the Early Republic: Dueling, Southern Violence, and Moral Reform
• Freeman, Joanne B. Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic (2002)
• Freeman, Joanne B. “Dueling as Politics: Reinterpreting the Burr-Hamilton Duel.” The William and Mary Quarterly 53 (April 1996): 289-318.
• Frevert, Ute. "Men of Honour: A Social and Cultural History of the Duel." trans. Anthony Williams Cambridge: Polity Press, 1995.
• Greenberg, Kenneth S. “The Nose, the Lie, and the Duel in the Antebellum South.” American Historical Review 95 (February 1990): 57-73.
• James Kelly. That Damn'd Thing Called Honour: Duelling in Ireland 1570-1860" (1995)
• Kevin McAleer. Dueling: The Cult of Honor in Fin-de-Siecle Germany (1994)
• Morgan, Cecilia. "'In Search of the Phantom Misnamed Honour': Duelling in Upper Canada." Canadian Historical Review1995 76(4): 529-562. ISSN 0008-3755 Fulltext in Ebsco. From the 1790s to 1840's, certain groups of Upper Canadian men engaged in the practice of dueling, a form of settling disputes that can be analyzed in terms of gender and class relations. In the context of a colonial society whose elites attempted to enforce hierarchy and paternalism, the code of honor that underpinned dueling was an integral part of these men's definitions of upper-class masculinity. A number of duels that were fought in the colony demonstrate both the flexibility of this code and the multiple ways it could be used to define gentlemanly character. At the same time, honor had its limitations, the most central and important being the use of the male body to defend both familial and professional reputations. This option was not open to women of the same class and racial backgrounds. Those who engaged in dueling were likely to be members of the Upper Canadian elite, lawyers, and to a lesser degree, military officers; these men used dueling as a form of extralegal justice. But there were those in the colony who opposed dueling and contested the kind of masculinity embodied by the duelist. This opposition was part of colonial opposition to hierarchic dominance by an elite; it was also influenced by transatlantic discourses concerning gender relations and the family that valorized the bourgeois husband and father and divorced male honor from physical violence.
• Rorabaugh, W. J. “The Political Duel in the Early Republic: Burr v. Hamilton.” Journal of the Early Republic 15 (Spring 1995): 1-23.
• Schwartz, Warren F., Keith Baxter and David Ryan. “The Duel: Can these Gentlemen be Acting Efficiently?.” The Journal of Legal Studies 13 (June 1984): 321-355.
• Steward, Dick. Duels and the Roots of Violence in Missouri (2000),
• Williams, Jack K. Dueling in the Old South: Vignettes of Social History (1980) (1999),
• Wyatt-Brown, Bertram. Honor and Violence in the Old South (1986)
• Wyatt-Brown, Bertram. Southern Honor: Ethics and Behavior in the Old South (1982),

Popular works

• The Code of Honor; or, Rules for the Government of Principals and Seconds in Duelling (1838)[* [13], John Lyde Wilson
• Robert Baldick. The Duel: A History (1965, 1996)
• Thomas Gamble. Savannah Duels & Duellists (1923)
• Harnett C. Kane. Gentlemen, Swords and Pistols (1951)
• Paul Kirchner. Dueling With the Sword and Pistol: 400 Years of One-on-One Combat (2004)
• William Oliver Stevens. Pistols at Ten Paces: The Story of the Code of Honor in America (1940)
• Benjamin C. Truman.The Field of Honor (1884); reissued as Duelling in America (1993).

John Lyde Wilson (May 24, 1784 – February 12, 1849) was an antebellum Democratic-Republican Governor of South Carolina from 1822 to 1824 and an ardent supporter of dueling. ... Paul Kirchner (born January 29, 1952, in New Haven, CT) is an American writer and illustrator. ... Benjamin Cummings Truman (October 25, 1835 - July 18, 1916), was a American journalist and author; in particular, he was a distinguished war correspondent during the American Civil War, and an authority on duels. ...

Trivia

• In William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, Prince Hamlet duels with Laertes in what was supposed to be a clean fight. The infuriated Laertes, however, is in search of revenge and poisons the tip of his sword. During the duel, he cuts Hamlet with the point, envenoming the young prince. Likewise, Hamlet poisons Laertes and King Claudius with the exact same sword before succumbing to the venom himself.

Hamlet and Horatio in the cemetery by Eugène Delacroix For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ...

External links

• The dishonor of dueling.
• Allen, Douglas, W., and Reed, Clyde, G., 2006, "The Duel of Honor: Screening for Unobservable Social Capital," American Law and Economics Review: 1-35.