Duel (fr. Duel <lat. Duellum - "duel", "fight of two") is a confrontation between two duelists in order to satisfy the desire of the initiator to call to account for the desecration of their own dignity. The most widespread of this kind of fights were in France, Germany, and England.
Duel is the privilege of the elite
In the 16th century, there was a tendency to resolve conflict situations arising between high-ranking persons (including crowned ones) through dueling duels. It is known that Charles V (Emperor of Germany) challenged Francis I (King of France). Napoleon Bonaparte himself, at one time, received an invitation to take part in a duel with the Swedish king Gustav IV. History also stores information about the unfavorable outcomes of such confrontations, for example, King Henry II of France was mortally wounded in a duel with Count Mongomery. However, with the end of the French Revolution, the equality of estates reigned, entailing universal permission to sort things out in such a noble confrontation.
At first, the duels proceeded solemnly and were a public action. In France, the duel required the approval of the king, who was personally present at the duel. If desired, the ruler could at any moment stop what was happening with a conventional gesture. So, if the king dropped the scepter to the ground, the confrontation ended immediately.
Dueling Code
An incident that occurred in 1578, when, in addition to the duelists themselves, four seconds were involved in the duel, served as a pretext for the creation of punitive measures, as well as for the regulation of the dueling code.
Only two take part in the duel: the offender and the one to whom the insult was inflicted.
You can only demand satisfaction once.
The purpose of the fight is to increase respect for one's own honor and dignity.
If one of the duelists was more than 15 minutes late for the event, he was considered to have evaded the fight.
Fighting was allowed only with sabers, swords, and pistols.
The right to choose a weapon, as well as the first shot, is automatically given to the offended, otherwise it is decided by drawing lots.
The seconds pledged not only to take part in the development of the strategy, but also to strictly enforce the rules.
The first shooter is not allowed to shoot into the air.
The shooter is obliged to stand motionless at the barrier in anticipation of a retaliatory step.
In addition, it was forbidden to put on chain mail, start a duel without a signal from a second, retreat, and the like.
At the end of the battle, the opponents shook hands with each other, and the incident was considered settled.
It should be noted that by the end of the 19th century, the dueling code became many times more humane than the one that was typical even for the first half of the same century.
