ABOUT FACTS NET History

One area that we managed to improve over in the last few hundred years is the settling of disagreements. In the old days, if you had a disagreement with someone they or you might be challenged to a duel. Can you imagine getting in a traffic disagreement and the driver pulls out his sword and so do you and you have at it while spectators watch? Many duels were very organized, especially those where nobles were concerned, but you also had impromptu duels which we would just call fights today.

Duels were fought for all different reasons, some of which were honor, money, politics and women. I think it might have been even worse if you and someone else were a little high, that is to say under the influence. This might have led to even more duels since alcohol tends to wipe out one's inhibitions. In the middle ages in Japan some of the Samurai were so skilled that they would fight each other for hours and usually both would wind up dead. But we are mostly talking about western culture here. Lets start with some British duels.

Sword Duel

There was a duel that was fought in 1613. Edward Bruce was the Lord of Kinloss and he got into a disagreement with Sir Edward Sackville. They couldn't fight in their own country because it would have angered the king so they stole away to the Netherlands. They both wanted the same woman, Venetia Stanley. When the duel was ended, Bruce was dead. Sackville went back to the woman but she rebuffed him and married Sir Kenelm Digby. I guess the message here is that you should check with the woman first and see if she loves you, BEFORE you fight the duel!

In 1667, George Villers and Francis Talbot, Earl of Shewsbury, fought a duel. They were both the upper crust of society at the time. They had seconds with them to assist in assuring the rules of combat were carried out properly. The duel was fought to the death. The winner was Francis Talbot. He didn't get to enjoy his victory for very long, however, since Shewsbury's second promptly killed him. I guess when you pick a second for a duel you should pick the biggest, toughest one who is preferably the best shot or swordsman for protection.

Some duels led to imprisonment, or worse. Even if you won a duel in the later years, depending on the country, you might be subject to criminal charges. In 1749, two captains had a disagreement and felt that the only way they could settle it was to duel it out. Captain Clark and Captain Innis, both of the Royal Navy, fought a duel in 1749. Clarke killed Innis and was charged with murder. He was sentenced to death but the king decided to give him a royal pardon. He was a very lucky man.

When we think of duel, we think of two men fighting it out, but this was not always the case. In 1792 two women were having a conversation when they got into a disagreement over the age of one of them. Wow, this was an important reason to duel! The women were Lady Almeria Braddock and Mrs Elphinstone. Lady Braddock was the injured party and insisted upon pistols. This duel is very famous and known as the petticoat duel. The duel took place in Hyde Park, in England and shots were fired. They women were not very good with pistols and the only damage was a bullet through a hat. This didn't satisfy Lady Braddock who insisted that they now switch to swords. After a lengthily battle, Mrs. Elphinstone received a sword wound through the arm. After the arm wound, Mrs. Elphinstone wrote an apology.

Duels were not only fought in Britain, they were fought throughout Europe and in the Colonies.

In 1837 the most famous of all the Russian duels was fought. A French officer named Dantes fought a duel with Aleksandr Pushkin and killed him. Supposedly Dantes had become the lover of Pushkin's wife. He eventually married Pushkin's sister-in-law. It is said that this whole sad affair took place because Dantes had a homosexual affair with the Ambassador of Holland and two homosexual princes set it up as revenge, hoping Dantes would be killed.

The most famous American duel, bar none, was the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Aaron Burr was the Vice President. Hamilton tried to get Burr ousted but didn't succeed but Burr was replaced on the Republican ticket by George Clinton of New York in 1804. Burr then ran for New York governor but lost and became a political liability. During a Federalist dinner Hamilton slurred the reputation of Burr. It was printed in all the papers and Burr was enraged. He wrote Hamilton and demanded an apology. Letters went back and forth but Burr never received satisfaction and challenged Hamilton to a duel in 1804. The duel took place in Weehawken, New Jersey on July 11. Burr shot Hamilton who fired into the air. Hamilton died the next day. Jefferson called Burr, "A great man in little things, he is really small in great ones."

I think the best way to end this article is to tell the story of the last Canadian duel. Two best friends, a Mr. Dooley and Mr. Healey fell in love with the same woman. The year was 1873. They were quarreling bitterly over her when one challenged the other to a duel. They met in a field with their seconds. The men lined up back to back and began to march the obligatory 10 paces and were beginning to feel that they had made a horrible mistake. At the tenth pace they turned and Healey fired his pistol. Down went Dooley. Healey felt a wave of terrible grief come over him as he sobbed at the loss of his friend. As it turned out, there was nothing to cry about. The seconds knowing the two men very well, decided to load the guns with blanks, Dooley had merely fainted. The grateful duelists thanked their seconds and left.