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Duelling, in Europe, was a
privilege of the upper class. Laws
and customs required that officers and gentleman defend their honorable
status. In the 1760’s social pressures had pushed the sword out of
fashionable dress attire. The
sword had been the weapon of choice, on the field of honor, before that
time. The use of pistols became more popular,
and by 1770 gun makers in Europe were producing custom sets of pistols
designed exclusively for duelling.
Duelling was, after all, conducted with exquisite politeness, according to a code that
was honorable and fair. Society
treated it as a private matter, allowed only among the countries elite
the “upper strata’ men with unquestionable honor, those that by
there very social standing had earned the right to take the life of
another. Intellectuals
rationalized it, Poets romanticized it, Politicians defended it, and so
it flourished for 70 years across all of Europe and North America. The foundation for justifying
dueling goes way back to laws from A.D. 501.
The basic presumptions were: 1) Brave men did not deserve to
suffer, 2) Cowards did not deserve to live, 3) God would protect the
party whose quarrel was just. The
Judicial Duel was the universal way disputes were resolved in Europe.
In the era of Knights there were small wars where teams were sent
against each other, in one "no death" event 60 people
died. There was a lot to gain by besting someone; their clothes,
horse, weapons, rings, home, wife. There is little question if you talk about
formal duelling in general
that the French were “ The Fathers”.
This site focuses on Duellng Pistols and their reign as the
weapon of choice. As time
went by the monarchs of Europe established many guidelines, but one of
importance to the justification of dueling was
“The Rules and Articles of War”.
This document was designed to cover how countries would interact
when in conflict. It was also specific about an officer’s behavior.
An officer that submitted to insults or was involved in behavior
unbecoming to a gentleman could be court marshaled.
In order to maintain your status, rank, and social standing you
had to be willing and able to duel. A set of dueling pistols in your
home became the statement of the upper class.
Its mere presence said you were in the class and would be allowed
to duel. The guns made
everyone aware that you were a man of honor and had the courage to
defend your family honor. Officers
and Gentlemen were the social police of the era.
The bad boys of the day had to watch their consumption,
interactions, contacts with females, statements, etc.
Specific actions could generate an immediate challenge.
Officers were court marshaled and gentlemen lost there social
standing for not acting as “a gentleman was expected to act”. This included third party issues where the officer or
gentleman was merely present and it was felt they should have challenged
the actions of a third party to the first party. Fighting a duel
was in fashion, and the young bloods seeking notoriety were anxious to
have an opportunity to display their skills. Kings, Presidents,
Senators, Supreme Court Justices, all participated in duels, Andrew
Jackson is said to have fought in 14 duels. In order to discourage duelling
among his officers "Fredric the Great" built a gallows on the
field of honor to hang the survivor. By the 1830’s factors began to
exert a negative influence on dueling in England.
Many people had died, too many gentlemen seemed ready to defend
their honor. Public opinion
was turning in England. By
1837 Queen Victoria had coerced the military into disavowing dueling.
By 1844 “The Rules and Articles of War” were amended,
officers could give and accept apologies and remain perfectly honorable. Officers would actually be court marshaled for not taking
active measures to prevent a duel.
And the duel quickly fell from social grace in England, Canada,
and the Northern States of America.
In New Orleans, site of the famous "Duelling Oaks - where up to 12
duels were fought in one day", the police
began to enforce the laws against duelling in 1855. Dueling continued in the Southern
States of America until the Civil War. In France and Germany dueling was commonplace until
WWI. Major bloody wars with mass deaths impacted societies view on
individual dispute resolution, the mind set that justified duelling also
justified wars, and society had seen enough of blood based solutions to
disputes. Many things are personal opinion; I have reached the following conclusions. In the duelling pistol trade the English were “The Fathers”. They made the first sets; had major innovation that improved design, handling qualities, and accuracy. The English clearly lead the way. The French were “The Fathers of the Duel” from the beginning and went design crazy with cased gun sets. They produced very elaborate sets that were beautiful pieces of art. Actual duels in France evolved to social showmanship, in some years hundreds of duels were fought and no deaths. They had a purpose; they made a clear public statement that the two individuals (or the parties they represented) disagreed. The potential for loss of life was minimized, but the romance of the duel survived in France. The Germans were the unique holdout in Europe. Some say it was a statement of Germanys evolution away from the rest of Europe. Germans fought duels right up to World War I. The duels were deadly, someone usually died. Other places are known for having first-class makers of Duelling Pistol Sets; Belgium, Prague, Vienna, and America. |
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Send mail to jim@duellingpistols.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
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