Duel facts for kids
A duel was a special kind of fight between two people. They both used similar deadly weapons, like swords or pistols. Before the fight, they agreed on a set of rules. Duels were usually about a person's honor. The main goal was often to restore someone's honor, not always to kill the opponent. Duels were not official laws. Instead, individuals carried them out.
People in Western societies practiced duels from the 1400s to the 1900s. For example, in 1804 in the United States, two famous politicians, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, had a duel. After the American Civil War, dueling became illegal in all U.S. states. Punishments for dueling could be very serious. Dueling was outlawed because groups formed against it and worked to make it illegal.
How Duels Worked
Duels could be fought with swords or pistols. The person who felt insulted or dishonored would "challenge" their opponent to a duel. This was often done by throwing a glove down or hitting the opponent with a glove.
The Seconds
Each person then had to find someone to be their "second." The seconds were important. Their job was to choose a safe place for the duel. They also made sure that the weapons used were fair and equal for both fighters.
When Duels Ended
The person who started the duel usually decided when it would finish. Duels could end in different ways:
- One person was injured, even if it was a small injury.
- One person could no longer fight because they were too hurt.
- One person was killed or badly injured.
- Pistol duels could end after the first shot, even if no one was hit. Most pistol duels did not last longer than three shots.
Images for kids
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The Code Of Honor—A Duel in the Bois De Boulogne, Near Paris, wood-engraving after Godefroy Durand, Harper's Weekly (January 1875)
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Depiction of a judicial combat in the Dresden codex of the Sachsenspiegel (early to mid-14th century), illustrating the provision that the two combatants must "share the sun", i.e. align themselves perpendicular to the sun so that neither has an advantage.
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Commemorative poster for the fourth centennial of the Disfida di Barletta, the Challenge of Barletta, fought on 13 February 1503 between 13 Italian and 13 French knights all shown wearing full plate armour.
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Minamoto no Yoshihira and Taira no Shigemori (Japan in 1159)
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German students of a Burschenschaft fighting a sabre duel, around 1900, painting by Georg Mühlberg (1863–1925)
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An anti-dueling sermon written by an acquaintance of Alexander Hamilton.
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Pistol dueling as an associate event at the 1908 London Olympic Games
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The fictional pistol duel between Eugene Onegin and Vladimir Lensky. Watercolour by Ilya Repin (1899)
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Depiction of the pistol duel of Alexander Pushkin vs. Georges d'Anthès, January 1837
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Wild Bill Hickok's duel with Davis Tutt became the quintessential quick draw duel in US history.
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An Act for the punishing and preventing of Duelling (1728), Massachusetts Bay Colony
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Gada (mace) duel between Bhima and Duryodhana
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Depiction of the duel of Miyamoto Musashi vs. Sasaki Kojirō
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See also
In Spanish: Duelo para niños
