Duel Standards

You remember The Three Musketeers, the literary creations of Alexandre Dumas?

It turns out that in the factual surroundings of early to mid 17th Century France they were not all that they were made out to be.

In terms of courage, swashbuckling-ness  and gallantry they were hard to beat indulging in jolly japes against Cardinal Richelieu and his troops and upholding the questionable morality of the French Queen.

Coming to think of it they did seem to have a lot of time on their hands to engage in sword fighting, drinking, wenching and dashing about all over the kingdom and at any time of the day and night.

In fact, I have come to realise that Athos, Porthos, Aramis and the wannabee D'Artagnan were all members of the idle and work-shy nobility of that era setting a terrible example and only serving to perpetuate the worst aspects of a lifestyle that could not be sustained in emerging representative and democratic societies.

Their activities, for all their entertainment value, were illegal not to mention irresponsible, reckless and ridiculous.

One of their particular faults was a fascination for the fashionable craze of duelling. This was one to one combat which was still going strong as a main bringer of premature death amongst the noble class and all in the name of upholding honour and reputation.

In France duelling was an epidemic. The monarch, Charles IX, even back in the 16th Century was known to have wept publicly over the updated list of fatalities by the sword which seemingly affected every well-to-do family. The surviving duellist in a deadly bout could expect to be arrested and hanged as a deterrent to this activity. This sanction did not have any influence.

By 1614, the English King, James 1st was similarly aghast at the senseless waste of life and issued a proclamation against duelling, but it was largely ignored.

So why did the nobility and aristocracy feel it necessary to duel?

Swords were everyday attire and so any confrontation or dispute over something or nothing at all could bring these weapons into play. Any affront, perceived or actual could spark a duel from an insult aimed at a wife or sister, a funny look, a lie, being short changed in a tavern or being fobbed off with substandard goods and services by a trades-person or merchant. Other pretences were documented by Social Historians to include one protagonist having more beard hair than the other, another a quarrelsome eye colour and even where an individual was accused of waking up a dog in the street by coughing.

The art of sword fighting was encouraged, primarily for readiness for war but increasingly in self defence.

The Italians were experts in fencing and published Manuals, with elaborate and graphic woodcut illustrations, became popular. They showed technique and style almost in a choreographed form but also the best places to lunge and thrust to kill and maim. Instruction was given on paths of least resistance to vital organs such as through the eye socket, to the throat and under the armpit.

There developed a highly ritualised Code to the duel.

A venue for a dawn encounter was usually centred on a Park or other open space away from the town or city, such as heathland. Appointed lieutenants or Seconds were empowered to try to persuade the duellists to resolve their dispute in a peaceful manner but failing that they ensured fair play in the loading and selection of weapons before counting out the standard 6 paces each from a back to back position, calling "Fire" on the drop of a handkerchief and tidying up the mayhem and bloodshed afterwards.

This was so far detached from the depiction of duelling in the popular literature and theatre of the time where it was used as a dramatic and plot enhancing tool which went down well with readers and audiences alike.

The arrival of firearms to succeed swords as weapon of choice in the late 17th and early 18th centuries was a matter of trepidation for the authorities in fear of a massive escalation in fatalities and mortal woundings.

In actuality there was a decline in deaths from duelling. The mere act of putting your life at risk under fire was regarded to be sufficient to restore honour and a resolution could take place in a shake of hands thereafter.

This was not of course in every case.

Whilst duelling was illegal and carrying a death penalty there were blatant double standards in the Law Courts. Under Trial by peers a surviving Aristocratic duellist would invariably be found not guilty of murder but yet the poor and needy in society including women and children were being hanged or deported to the Colonies for theft of bread and staple foodstuffs.

There was a tangible change of opinion in British Society to be firmly averse to duelling and this was no more evident than in 1829.

The Duke of Wellington, a National Hero through his military exploits and by then the Prime Minister was challenged to a duel by The Earl of Winchelsea who opposed policy to emancipate Catholics in Ireland. At dawn in Battersea, London both men fired into the air but suffered the hostility of the press and public opinion with Wellington in particular being criticised for his ill judgement in potentially committing a deadly crime and throwing away all of his achievements.

There followed a further shift in attitudes and this was endorsed by 1840 Statute enforcing the forfeiture of pension to any military personnel killed in a duel. This sanction gave legitimacy to declining a challenge to a duel with the emphasis now on protecting the financial interests of a wife and children rather than upholding personal honour.

Court based Civil Litigation began to be seen as the only civilised way to resolve a dispute or difference of opinion.

The last duel on English soil was in 1852 involving French Nationals and resulting in a mortal wound.

Such was the press coverage and public interest that even Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the scene of the confrontation.

This firmly marked the end of a shameful era of pointless but nevertheless tragic pursuits by the ruling classes in the name of honour.

(Source; Pistols at Dawn, BBC World Service May 2010. Justin Champion)