Presumably, the first duel in Russia can be considered a duel that took place in 1666 in Moscow between two hired foreign officers - the Scot Patrick Gordon (later Peter's general) and the Englishman Major Montgomery. But at that time, this custom had not yet penetrated among the Russians. Nevertheless, isolated precedents forced Princess Sophia, in a decree of October 25, 1682, which allowed all service people of the Muscovite state to carry personal weapons, to stipulate a ban on duels. Peter the Great, vigorously implanting European customs in Russia, hastened to prevent the spread of duels with cruel laws against them.
Chapter 49 of the Petrine Military Regulations of 1715, called “Patent on duels and initiation of quarrels”, proclaimed: “No insult to the honor of the offended can in any way belittle”, the victim and witnesses of the incident are obliged to immediately report the fact of insult to the military court; non-delivery was also punished. For the challenge itself to a duel, deprivation of rank and partial confiscation of property was supposed, for entering a duel and drawing weapons - the death penalty with complete confiscation of property, not excluding seconds.
The “Military Article” of 1715, published as an appendix to the Peter the Great charter, in which two articles were devoted to duels, spoke even more definitely on this score. The first of them (“Article 139”) stated: “All challenges, fights and fights through cue are strictly prohibited. Thus, so that no one, no matter who he may be, high or low rank, a born local or foreigner, although another, who by words, deeds, signs or anything else was prompted and provoked to do so, would by no means dare to call his rival, below fight with him with pistols or swords. Whoever commits against this, of course, both the summoner and whoever comes out, has to be executed, namely, hanged, although who among them will be wounded or killed ... then hang them by the feet after death.
The next article (“Article 140”) stipulated the same about the seconds: “If someone quarrels with whom and begs the second,” then the second “should be punished in the same way.” As you can see, the punishments for the duel were executed in a typically Petrine, mercilessly brutal style. Despite this, Peter's legalizations against fights, which were formally in force until 1787, have never been applied in all these seventy years. What's the matter?
And the fact that the very concept of honor in its European meaning has not yet entered the consciousness of the Russian nobility, and there were practically no duels until the second half of Catherine's reign. It should not be forgotten that Peter's innovations in relation to Western customs and mores were too superficial, for the most part, the Russian nobility in terms of upbringing and internal culture for a long time did not differ much from the common people, and the desire to wash away the insult of honor with blood in a fair fight was alien to him. In addition, the fear of reprisals from the state was still exceptionally great; until 1762, an ominous "word and deed" acted.
Therefore, when duels began to spread among the youth of the nobility in the Catherine era, representatives of the older generation reacted to this with unconditional condemnation. D. I. Fonvizin, in “A sincere confession in deeds and my thoughts,” recalled that his father considered the duel “a matter against conscience” and taught him: “We live under the laws, and it’s a shame, having such sacred defenders, what are the laws, to figure it out ourselves on fists or on swords, for swords and fists are one, and a challenge to a duel is nothing but the act of violent youth. And let us remember how Pyotr Grinev, the hero of Pushkin's The Captain's Daughter, was scolded for a duel with Shvabrin by his father Andrei Petrovich Grinev in his letter: rank: for you have proved that you are not yet worthy to wear a sword, which was granted to you for the defense of the fatherland, and not for duels with the same tomboys like you yourself.
Nevertheless, duels gradually penetrated more and more into the environment of noble youth. And the reason here was not so much the “spirit of violent youth”, in which law-abiding fathers reproached the children with disapproval, but the emerging sense of honor and personal dignity, which developed gradually, with the development of education and class education, and intensified with each new generation. The youth of the nobility, still faithful to the oath and to the throne, did not allow the state to interfere in matters of honor. Later, this formula was succinctly and concisely expressed by General Kornilov in his life credo: "Soul - to God, heart - to a woman, duty - to the Fatherland, honor - to no one."
By the time duels were spread in Russia, the formidable articles of the Petrine article, which punished by death for a duel, were thoroughly forgotten, since sixty years had passed since their publication. And before the "powers that be" there is a problem: how to deal with duels? In 1787, Catherine the Great published the "Manifesto on Combats". In it, duels were called a foreign plantation; the participants in the duel, which ended bloodlessly, were punished with a fine (not excluding the seconds), and the offender, “like a violator of peace and tranquility,” was exiled to Siberia for life. For wounds and murder in a duel, the punishment was imposed as for the corresponding intentional crimes. The duel reached its apogee in the first half of the 19th century. The prohibition of duels was reaffirmed in the “Code of Criminal Laws” of 1832 and the “Charter of the Military Criminal” of 1839, published under Nicholas I, which obligated military commanders “to try to reconcile those who quarrel and provide satisfaction to the offended by collecting from the offender.”
But nothing helped! Moreover, duels in Russia were distinguished by the exceptional rigidity of the conditions of unwritten codes: the distance ranged from 3 to 25 steps (most often 15 steps), there were even duels without seconds and doctors, one on one, they often fought to the death, sometimes they shot while standing in turn back at the edge of the abyss, so that in the event of a hit, the enemy would not survive (recall the duel between Pechorin and Grushnitsky in Princess Mary). Under such conditions, both opponents often died (as was the case in 1825 at the duel between Novosiltsev and Chernov). Moreover, the regimental commanders, formally following the letter of the law, actually encouraged such a sense of honor among the officers and, under various pretexts, were released from those officers who refused to fight in a duel.
At the same time, Nicholas I personally treated duels with disgust, his words are known: “I hate the duel. This is barbarism. In my opinion, there is nothing knightly in it. The Duke of Wellington destroyed her in the English army and did well." But it was precisely in the 20-40s of the 19th century that the high-profile duels of Pushkin with Dantes, Ryleev with Prince Shakhovsky, Griboyedov with Yakubovich, Lermontov with de Barant and Martynov fell.
With the advent of relative freedom of the press in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, the disputes around the duel were transferred to its pages. Opinions were divided between supporters of the duel and its opponents. Among the first stood out jurists Lokhvitsky, Spasovich, military writers Kalinin, Shveikovsky, Mikulin; in the camp of opponents there were no less respectable names: military figure, teacher and writer General M. I. Dragomirov, military lawyer Shavrov. The point of view of the supporters of the duel was most clearly expressed by Spasovich: “The custom of a duel is among civilization as a symbol of the fact that a person can and should, in certain cases, sacrifice his most precious good - life - for things that from a materialistic point of view have no meaning and meaning: for faith, homeland and honor. That is why this custom cannot be waived. It has the same basis as war."
Even under Emperor Nicholas I, according to the “Code of Criminal Punishments” of 1845, responsibility for duels was significantly reduced: seconds and doctors were generally exempted from punishment (unless they acted as instigators), and the punishment for duelists no longer exceeded - even in the event of death one of the opponents - imprisonment in the fortress from 6 to 10 years with the preservation of noble rights upon release. This provision once again reflected all the inconsistency of the legislation on duels. In practice, these measures were never applied either - the most common punishment for duelists was transfer to the active army in the Caucasus (as was the case with Lermontov for the duel with de Barant), and in case of death - demotion from officers to privates (as it was with Dantes after a duel with Pushkin), after which they, as a rule, were quickly restored to the officer rank.
A new milestone at this stage was to be the courts of the Society of Officers. Courts of the society of officers by that time existed in many European armies, playing the role of something like comrades' courts. In the Russian army, they have existed semi-officially since Peter the Great (since 1721). The society of officers of the regiment could issue attestations to officers and was a powerful tool of public opinion in the military environment. They flourished especially under Alexander I, after 1822, when the emperor himself, when analyzing the conflict between the court of the society of officers and the regiment commander, sided with the former. But in 1829, Nicholas I saw in the very fact of the existence of independent officer corporations, endowed with considerable rights, a means of undermining military discipline and banned their activities everywhere. Nevertheless, this measure, at first glance reasonable, turned out to be erroneous in practice, since the courts of the officers' society were a powerful means of moral, educational influence. Therefore, during the period of the "great reforms" of the 60s, they were (in 1863) restored and acquired an official status. A regulation was issued on their organization (in the Navy - since 1864 - the courts of captains, in each naval division). When drafting this provision, many suggested that the issues of resolving the duel in each specific case be left to the discretion of these courts, but this proposal was rejected. Nevertheless, the penalties for fights became more and more lenient.
So, in the definition of the Senate in the case of the duel of Beklemishev and Neklyudov in 1860, it was said: “The rank of the criminal and the degree of his education cannot have any influence in judging cases of duels (usually, when considering criminal cases, the education and good origin of the criminal were an aggravating circumstance. - V. X.), because this crime is so connected with a concept peculiar exclusively to educated people that the indicated circumstances appear in this case rather as a reason explaining, and therefore reducing crime. There were also tragicomic cases. One of them is described in his Notes of a Revolutionary by Prince P. A. Kropotkin. A certain officer was offended by Alexander III when he was his heir to the throne. Being in an unequal position and not being able to challenge the Tsarevich himself to a duel, the officer sent him a note demanding a written apology, otherwise threatening suicide. If the heir had been more sensitive, he would have apologized or himself given satisfaction to a person who did not have the opportunity to call him. But he didn't. After 24 hours, the officer fulfilled his promise exactly and shot himself. Enraged, Alexander II sharply scolded his son and ordered him to accompany the officer's coffin at the funeral.
Finally, in 1894, at the very end of the reign of Alexander III, fights were officially allowed. The order of the military department No. 118 of May 20, 1894, and entitled: “Rules on the consideration of quarrels that occur among officers”, consisted of 6 points. The first paragraph established that all cases of officer quarrels were sent by the commander of the military unit to the court of the officers' society. The second paragraph determined that the court could either recognize the reconciliation of the officers as possible, or (in view of the severity of the insults) decide on the need for a duel. At the same time, the court decision on the possibility of reconciliation was advisory in nature, the decision on the duel was binding. The third paragraph stated that specific conditions duels are determined by seconds chosen by the opponents themselves, but at the end of the duel, the court of the society of officers, according to the protocol presented by the senior second-manager, considers the behavior of duelists and seconds and the conditions of the duel. Paragraph four obliged the officer who refused to duel to submit a letter of resignation within two weeks; otherwise, he was subject to dismissal without petition. Finally, paragraph five stipulated that in those military units where there are no courts of the society of officers, their functions are performed by the commander of the military unit himself.
If in the second half of the 19th century the number of duels in the Russian army clearly began to decline, then after the official permission in 1894, their number again sharply increases. For comparison: from 1876 to 1890, only 14 cases of officer duels reached the court (in 2 of them, the opponents were acquitted); from 1894 to 1910, 322 duels took place, of which 256 - by decision of the courts of honor, 47 - with the permission of military commanders and 19 unauthorized ones (none of them reached the criminal court). Every year there were from 4 to 33 fights in the army (on average - 20). According to General Mikulin, from 1894 to 1910, 4 generals, 14 staff officers, 187 captains and staff captains, 367 junior officers, 72 civilians participated in officer duels as opponents. Of the 99 insult duels, 9 ended in a heavy outcome, 17 with a minor injury, and 73 without bloodshed. Of the 183 duels for severe insult, 21 ended in a severe outcome, 31 with a minor injury, and 131 without bloodshed. Thus, the death of one of the opponents or a serious injury ended in an insignificant number of fights - 10-11% of total number. Of all 322 duels, 315 took place with pistols and only 7 with swords or sabers. Of these, in 241 duels (i.e., in 3/4 of the cases) one bullet was fired, in 49 - two, in 12 - three, in one - four and in one - six bullets; the distance ranged from 12 to 50 paces. The intervals between the insult and the duel ranged from one day to ... three years (!), But most often - from two days to two and a half months (depending on the duration of the trial by the court of honor).
So at the beginning of our century, duels were quite common in Russia. The well-known political figure, leader of the "Union of October 17" A. I. Guchkov fought a duel "more than once, even gaining the glory of a breter (although he himself was by no means of noble origin). Ilya Ehrenburg in his memoirs" People, Years, Life "describes a duel between two famous poets- Nikolai Gumilyov and Maximilian Voloshin - in the pre-revolutionary years, the reason for which was one of the pranks, for which Voloshin was a great master; during the duel, Voloshin fired into the air, and Gumilyov, who considered himself insulted, missed. By the way, a shot in the air was allowed only if the one who called for the duel fired, and not the one who called - otherwise the duel was not recognized as valid, but only a farce, since none of the opponents endangered themselves.
Then other times came. The best representatives of the Russian intelligentsia and officers, with their scrupulous notions of personal honor, were thrown overboard by the revolution and found themselves in a foreign land. In the proletarian state, such concepts as honor and duty were at first generally declared to be remnants of the exploitative past. Duels were replaced by denunciations, the concept of state benefit overshadowed everything else, the nobility was replaced by the fanaticism of some and the prudence of others.
The duel tradition originated in modern times among the Western European aristocracy. Such fights had strict rules. It was determined by the code - a set of generally accepted rules. The duel in Russia was adopted in its classic European form. The state fought against this custom for a long time, declaring it illegal and persecuting those who, despite the prohibitions, went to shoot themselves or fight with the enemy with cold weapons.
Code
The generally accepted code established the causes and causes of fights, their types, the procedure for conducting, rejecting and accepting a challenge. Every duel in Russia followed these rules. If a person violated these installations, he could be dishonored. There were several national codes. The differences between them were insignificant.
The first dueling code can be considered a French document of 1836. It was published by the Comte de Chateauviller. On the basis of this code, analogues were built in other countries, including Russia. Another important pan-European set of rules was the collection, which in 1879 was published by Count Verger. The most famous Russian domestic document of this kind was the Durasovsky Code of 1912. According to the rules from which it was composed, duels were organized in Russia. The 19th century was a period of generalization of these traditions. Therefore, the code was known to every nobleman and officer even before the appearance of its Duras edition. The 1912 edition was only a set of recommendations to reinforce commonly known practices.
The tradition of the classic duel of the New Age is considered the successor to the Western jousting tournaments of the Middle Ages. In both cases, the battle was considered a matter of honor with a certain ritual, from which none of the opponents departed. were abolished in the 16th century due to the fact that the usual equipment of opponents was outdated and became ineffective. It was then that the foot duel was born, which reached the pinnacle of its evolution in the 19th century.
Weapon
Initially, duels in Russia, as in other countries, were fought exclusively with edged weapons. These were the blades that aristocrats or soldiers used to carry with them. These types of weapons were rapiers, swords, daggers. If it was a judicial duel (common only in the Middle Ages), then the choice depended on the decision of the court. He was influenced, among other things, by the class of opponents. In the case when the rivals did not belong to the "noble" strata of society, they could even fight with axes or clubs.
Dougs and shields ceased to be used in the 17th century. At that time, the technique of fencing was developing rapidly. Attack speed began to play a large role in combat. As a result, a massive transition to rapiers began, which were already exclusively piercing, and not chopping weapons.
In the 18th century, when dueling in Russia was gradually becoming a widespread tradition in the army, single-shot trigger pistols began to spread more and more. The use of firearms has changed a lot in the tradition of tete-a-tete fights. Now the result of the battle was not affected by the physical fitness or age of its participants. Melee weapons required more skills. If one duelist was distinguished by skillful swordsmanship and defended himself better, he risked almost nothing. In a fight with pistols, on the contrary, everything was decided by almost blind chance. Even a bad shooter could kill his opponent, for this it was enough to have more luck.
Canonical and exotic
Many duels in 19th century Russia were deliberately fought using an identical pair of pistols (specially made and up to the slightest detail similar). All these factors maximally equalized the chances of opponents. The only difference between these pistols could be the serial numbers on the trunks. Today, the duel in Russia is remembered only as a foot battle. However, such a format did not appear immediately. Previously, gun duels were popular, in which opponents sat on horseback.
More rare were fights where rifles, shotguns or carbines were used. Nevertheless, cases of the use of long-barreled weapons have also been recorded. Some of the fights were even more exotic. A duel is known in Russia, when opponents (headquarters captain Zhegalov and bailiff Tsitovich) used copper candelabra, since one of the participants could neither fence nor shoot.
Call
Traditionally, duels began with a challenge. The reason for it was an insult, when a person believed that he had the right to challenge his offender to a duel. This custom was associated with the concept of honor. It was quite broad, and its interpretation depended on the specific case. At the same time, material disputes about property or money were resolved in the courts among the nobility. If the victim filed an official complaint against his offender, he no longer had the right to challenge him to a duel. The rest of the fights were arranged because of public ridicule, revenge, jealousy, etc.
It is also important that, according to the concepts of that era, only an equal in social status could insult a person. That is why duels were held in narrow circles: between nobles, military men, etc., but it was impossible to imagine a battle between a tradesman and an aristocrat. If a junior officer challenged his superior to a duel, the latter could reject the challenge without damage to his honor, although there are cases when such battles were nevertheless organized. Basically, when the dispute concerned people from different social strata, their lawsuit was resolved exclusively in court.
In the event of an insult, the code recommended calmly demanding an apology from the offender. In case of refusal, a notification followed that seconds would arrive at the enemy. The challenge could be written (cartel) or oral. It was considered good form to turn to the offender during the first day after the insult. Call delay was frowned upon.
There were cases when a person insulted several people at once. The rules of duels in the 19th century in Russia in this case established that only one of them could challenge the offender to a duel (if there were several calls, only one of your choice was satisfied). This custom ruled out the possibility of reprisals against the offender by the efforts of many people.
Types of insults
The code divided insults into three types according to their severity. Ordinary insults were caused by words and hurt only the vanity of a nobleman. They did not concern reputation or good name. These could be sarcastic statements, public attacks against appearance, manners of dressing, etc. Grave insults were inflicted with an indecent gesture or word. They affected reputation and honor. This could be an accusation of deceit or foul language. Such acts, as a rule, led to duels before being wounded or before first blood.
Finally, the code regulated insults of the third degree. Aggressive actions were classified as such: throws with objects, slaps, blows. Such insults, carried out or incomplete for some reason, were equally regarded. They also included the betrayal of his wife. If the offended responded with a similar insult towards his offender, he did not lose his right to call a duel. However, there were nuances. If the offended responded with a more serious insult (for example, gave a slap in response to a slight mockery), then the offender became the offended party, who received the right to set a duel.
Characters
Only the duelists themselves, their seconds, as well as the doctor could attend the duel in Russia. The 19th century, whose rules were based on generally accepted principles, is considered the heyday of this tradition. The later code forbade challenging the next of kin to a duel. For example, it was impossible to fight with a brother, but it was possible with a cousin. Duels between debtors and creditors were also prohibited.
Women, as well as men with serious injuries or illnesses, could not become participants in the battle. There was also an age limit. Calls from older people over 60 were not welcome, although there were exceptions. If a person who was not able or did not have the right to participate in a duel was insulted, he could be replaced by a "patron". As a rule, these people were the next of kin.
The honor of a woman could theoretically be defended with a weapon in the hands of any man who volunteered, especially if the insult was inflicted on her in public place. When a wife was unfaithful to her husband, her lover turned out to be in a duel. If the husband cheated, he could be called by a relative of the girl or any other man who wished.
Seconds
The classical rules of dueling with pistols suggested that between the challenge and the fight itself, the offender and the offended should not communicate and meet with each other. Seconds were appointed to conduct negotiations, who organized the preparations for the duel. As them, the code recommended to choose people with a spotless reputation and equal social position. The seconds vouched with their honor that the duel would comply with the norms of the code and be organized under equal conditions for rivals.
It was considered wrong when an interested person was taken to organize the duel. That is why duels in Russia, the rules of which were binding on all parties, forbade the appointment of a close relative as a second. Powers " right hand” were determined by those who participated in the duel. The duelist could allow the second to act completely at his own discretion, or even accept peace from the second of the person who offended him. As a rule, assistants only transmitted messages, acting as couriers.
If the confidants failed to agree on peace, a discussion of the technical details of the upcoming clash began. It depended on their agreement whether the duel would be deadly or only to first blood, what would be the barrier distance (if these were pistol duels). In Russia, the code allowed to turn to a person respected on both sides so that he could be an arbitrator if the seconds could not agree on the terms of the duel. The decisions of such a person were accepted by the opponents without objection. One of the two seconds took on another important function. He gave orders at the duel itself (gave the command to shoot, etc.). A doctor was needed at a duel, firstly, to ascertain injuries or death, and secondly, to help those who were injured.
Battle progress
As a rule, duels took place in secluded places and early in the morning. The time of arrival of the opponents was strictly defined. If a participant was late for more than 15 minutes, his opponent could leave the place of the duel, and the one who was late in this case was recognized as deviant and deprived of honor.
At the beginning of the fight, the seconds once again offered to end the conflict amicably. In case of refusal, they announced the prearranged rules of the duel. Apologies to the last barrier were banned in Russia. Anyone who began to hesitate when the manager had already announced the start of the duel was recognized as a coward. Opponents fired or attacked each other with cold weapons after the command of one of the seconds. He declared the duel over. The duel ended after the use of pistols, injury or death (depending on the agreements) of one of the participants from a stabbing weapon.
If in the end the duelists remained alive, at the end they shook hands with each other. The perpetrator apologized at the same time. Such a gesture did not humiliate him in any way, since the honor was restored by a duel. Apologies after the fight were considered only a tribute to tradition and the norm of the code. Even when duels in Russia were distinguished by cruelty, the seconds after the end of the battle necessarily drew up a detailed protocol of what had happened. It was certified by two signatures. The document was necessary to confirm that the duel took place in full accordance with the norms of the code.
Melee duels
Standard options for duels were established in the aristocratic environment by the 19th century. First of all, the nature of the duel was determined by the weapon used. Duels in Russia in the 18th century were also carried out with rapiers. In the future, this generally accepted set was preserved and became a classic. Most often, identical weapons were used, but with the consent of the parties, each opponent could use his own blade.
Dueling with bladed weapons could be mobile or stationary. In the first version, the seconds marked out a long area or path, on which the free movement of fighters was allowed. Retreats, detours and other fencing techniques were allowed. A motionless duel assumed that the opponents were located at a striking distance, and the battle was fought by the duelists who stood in their places.
The weapon was held in one hand, and the second remained behind the back. It was impossible to beat the enemy with their own limbs. It was also forbidden to capture an enemy blade. The fight started after the signal given by the second-manager. Only this person had the right to immediately stop the battle at the first request. This principle was one of the most important for any duel in Russia. The 19th century, whose rules seem amazing today, laid the concept of honor in people, and it was they who forbade disobeying the manager, even if he was the enemy's second.
In the case when the opponent dropped his weapon, his counterpart stopped the fight and waited for the blade to be raised. Duels to wound or to first blood stopped after the first hit. Then the doctor spoke. If he concluded that the wound was too severe to continue the fight, the duel ended.
Pistol fights
In the 19th century, a pair of pistols was always kept in the house of every noble family. He held on for a very specific purpose. Firearms were given after being challenged to a duel. These pistols were single-shot. In this case, only those that had not yet been used and were considered unfired were used. This rule was necessary in order not to give any of the opponents a noticeable advantage.
The familiar pistol immediately gave the shooter a head start. It was all the stronger because in the 19th century firearms was made mostly individually, and each copy was different unique characteristics. The use of twin pistols solved this problem. Participants arrived at the place of the fight with their untouched pair sets. The rules for dueling pistols in Russia stated that the choice between sets was made by drawing lots.
According to a common tradition, duelists using firearms fired only one shot at a time. Quite often, as a result of such volleys, no one died or was even injured. Even in this case, the duel was considered over, and honor restored. Opponents were not at all eager to deal with each other. At the same time, a deliberate (or even demonstrative) shot past the target could generally be regarded as an insult. There are cases when such gestures led to a new duel.
Less commonly used was the practice in which the seconds agreed on a duel before the first injury. In this case, if the shots did not hit anyone, the pistols were loaded again until someone hit the opponent. With a new attempt, the seconds could reduce the distance between the opponents and thereby increase the risk for the duelists.
Types of gun duels
Like the rules for duels with melee weapons, the rules for firearms assumed the possibility of a motionless duel. In this case, the opponents stood at a distance of 15-20 steps from each other. Shots could be fired simultaneously at the command of the manager or in turn, determined by a random draw.
The most common in Russia was a mobile duel with barriers. In this case, a special path was marked between the opponents. Its borders were marked by obstacles, which could be any large objects. After the command of the steward, the rivals began to converge, moving towards each other. Stopping at the barrier, the duelist fired a shot.
A distance of 15 steps in Russia was considered "peaceful". At this distance, the arrows rarely hit the target. It was a "noble distance". However, despite his imaginary safety, Alexander Pushkin is 20 steps away. Blind duels were also practiced. In such a duel, men fired shots over their shoulders, standing with their backs to each other.
Some duels were arranged according to the principle of Russian roulette. It was resorted to in case of irreconcilable hostility between the shooters. Opponents stood at a distance of 5-7 steps. Of the two pistols, only one was loaded. Weapons were distributed by lot. Thus, the rivals maximized the risk and randomness of the outcome. The lot gave equal chances, and it was on this principle that the rules of dueling with pistols were based. The code also included a barrel-to-mouth duel. The difference with the previous one was only that both pistols were loaded. Such showdowns often ended in the death of both shooters.
The most brutal duels made Western Europeans perceive Russian duels of the 19th century as "legalized murder." In fact, the state struggled with this tradition for a long time. Duelists often lost their ranks and fell into exile.
Fights between rivals were a common thing at all times - among various classes and different peoples. Somewhere they fought only to the first blood (as, for example, the Vikings), and somewhere - until the death of one of the duelists. In some countries, the fighting took place in the presence of many spectators, in others it was completely secret. At the same time, weapons could also be the most diverse.
An interesting thing: if two come together and hit each other with their fists, this is considered indecent behavior. And if two combatants arrange a duel, this speaks of their honor and dignity. Of course, some people thought that duelists were just bullies who set a bad example, but a lot of people believed that real men should behave in this way.
Over time, duels became the main way to resolve private conflicts, because of which many people died. In a number of countries, duels were banned by law, but they were still held. There were even rules for their conduct. For example, in 1836. in France, a special code for duelists was issued, although the duels themselves were already officially banned here. And this code was successfully adopted not only in France, but also in many other countries of the world, for example, in Russia.
The rules strictly regulated the behavior of the participants in the battle, who before that could trip the enemy, hit him in the back and even finish off the wounded. Also, according to the rules, when challenged to a duel, the offender should have been hit in the face or thrown white glove under his feet. After that, a "place of action" was chosen, doctors and two seconds were invited, of which one was appointed manager. Duelists were allowed to be late for a duel no more than fifteen minutes. When everyone was in place, the manager traditionally turned to opponents with a proposal to make peace. If they refused, then a weapon was chosen for the duel and the distance was measured. The fighters dispersed to the barriers and, after the command of the steward, fired at each other.
Before the duel, they also agreed on whether they would shoot simultaneously or alternately. Usually shooting was carried out from thirty paces. Sometimes both opponents were injured or even killed.
If they fired in turn, then the first shot was made by the one who called for a duel. Whoever was called could discharge his weapon into the air. A wounded duelist was allowed to shoot prone. In the event that both opponents remained alive and unharmed, they shook hands with each other and dispersed.
In addition to firearms, the duelists also used edged weapons - swords, sabers, knives. Some originals used axes, canes, razors, candelabra, and so on to sort things out. However, in such battles it was not easy for the seconds to follow the actions of the fighting, and in addition, the forces of the duelists often turned out to be unequal. Therefore, most rivals tried not to resort to such weapons.
Dueling Ban
Dueling in France was banned in the 16th century. The reason for this was the death of thousands and thousands of aristocrats. Similar laws were also in force in other states, but everything was in vain ...
If the authorities became aware of the duel, they roughly punished the duelists so that it would be discourteous for others. Cardinal Richelieu, for example, introduced the death penalty for them, which in rare cases was replaced by exile with the complete confiscation of property. This applied not only to duelists, but also to seconds and spectators.
Under Peter the Great, Russia also introduced (for the first time) the death penalty for participation in a duel, and according to the decree of Catherine the Great, the guilty were either exiled to Siberia or imprisoned. Nicholas II sent duelists to war as privates.
However, everything was in vain. Moreover, in Russia they began to shoot themselves without doctors, without seconds, from a distance of ten steps! Having fired once, the opponents did not disperse, but fought "until they hit." It is clear that most duels ended in someone's death.
Women's duels
Surprisingly, among the duelists there were also women who fought even more severely and more sophisticated than men: women's duels ended in death much more often. Often they developed into a real massacre with the participation of seconds and spectator friends. If they fought with swords, then the tip of the weapon was often moistened with poison, but if they were shooting, then until they were seriously injured or someone died.
The famous opera singer Julie d'Aubigny fought many duels with ladies and even men. Once at a ball, she opposed three rivals and managed to injure them. To avoid execution, Julie had to spend several years outside of France.
Stories are known and quite funny female duels. For example, the one that happened because of the composer Franz Liszt between his beloved Marie d'Agout and the loving French writer George Sand. As a weapon, these determined ladies have chosen ... their long nails. The duel took place in Liszt's house, and the composer himself at that time sat in his office. The "nail duel" ended in a draw; yelling and pretty scratching each other, the ladies dispersed. After that, George Sand no longer sought the location of Liszt.
And how do you like this fact: the Empress Catherine II mentioned by us, who forbade duels in Russia, in her youth (before accession to the throne) participated in an armed duel and more than once acted as a second for other ladies.
The most famous men's duels
A.S. Pushkin participated in more than a hundred duels. Many opponents were famous people of that time (for example, Küchelbecker), but the last duel for the poet was with Dantes, who spread evil jokes about Pushkin and his family. Mortally wounded, the Russian genius died two days later.
The Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who lived during the Renaissance, once fought with swords with a relative who managed to cut off part of his nose. Brahe spent the rest of his life with a silver prosthesis in his nose ...
Lermontov and Martynov were considered friends, which, however, did not save them from a fatal duel. The reason for the confrontation was the jokes that the poet made about Martynov. The result of all this turned out to be far from comical: a bullet pierced Lermontov's heart and lungs ...
Two English gentlemen - Member of Parliament Humphrey Howarth and nobleman Earl Barrymore - quarreled in a pub and scheduled a duel. Howarth, a former army surgeon, appeared to her completely naked, although he was not a joker, much less a pervert. Just as a physician, he knew that the wounded died, as a rule, not from the wounds themselves, but from an infection brought from their clothes. Seeing his opponent in this form, Earl Barrymore burst out laughing and announced that he would not shoot at a naked peasant, and also did not want to be killed by him. The duel thus did not take place.
Alexandre Dumas participated in a rather peculiar duel: the loser by lot had to kill himself. The famous writer was out of luck. Dumas went into another room and fired into the air, after which he returned and announced that he was aiming at the temple, but missed.
The seventh American president, Andrew Jackson, fought a duel with a man who insulted his wife as a young man. Andrew was shot in the chest and the surgeons were unable to extract the bullet. She stayed with Jackson for life ...
The duel of the minions (approaches of the French king Henry III) with the Guizars (supporters of the Duke of Guise) is quite famous, in which four participants were killed and two were seriously injured. By order of the king, a marble monument was erected on the grave of the dead.
A French aristocrat, besides a handsome man and womanizer, Comte de Boutville fought duels twenty times, and this despite the fact that Cardinal Richelieu banned them in the country under pain of death. Of course, Richelieu knew about all these fights of his favorite and constantly forgave him. However, for the twentieth time, Boutville crossed all boundaries, arranging a showdown in broad daylight, and with a large crowd of Parisians. The cardinal simply could not forgive this without dropping his reputation. And the count was publicly beheaded.
Bismarck, the first Chancellor of Germany, also fought duels; in twenty-seven duels, he lost only two battles, receiving minor injuries. By the way, in Germany at that time duels were forbidden only with a fatal outcome, but there were no duels ending in minor injuries.
But the most remarkable duel in the world took place in 1808, it took place in balloons. Young people did not share the lady and decided to find out the relationship in such an original way. It was not the most accurate, but the most cunning shooter who won the duel, who shot the ball - and his opponent simply crashed.
Finally, it should be said that in many countries Latin America fights were banned only at the turn of the millennium, that is, quite recently, and in Paraguay they are allowed to this day ...
Translated from Latin, the word "duel" means "duel". It involves 2 people. One of them is the offender, and the second defends his honor. In this case, the death of one of the duelists is not ruled out. Today, such fights are extremely rare, and they are punished in accordance with the law. If one of the participants in the duel kills the other, then this is considered as a murder. According to current concepts, a humiliated and offended person should go to court, and not take up a pistol or a sword.
Things were quite different 100 years ago. A grave insult was washed away only with blood. But this practice took place only among persons of the noble class. People of low birth decided contentious issues fists. But the nobles used edged or firearms. Pistols, swords and sabers were used. AT different time government duels were treated differently. But more often negative than positive. After all, full of strength young people who could bring great benefits to their state perished.
History of the duel
In ancient times, there were no duels. So-called judicial duels were arranged between people. It was believed that God is on the side of the innocent, and this person will definitely win. It was allowed to put another person in such a duel instead of oneself. After all, the court was God's, and therefore it did not matter who was fighting. According to the concepts of people, the winner is always the one on whose side the truth is.
However, practice has proven that God is not always objective. Often the obvious villain was the winner, and the honest man was defeated. Therefore, gradually such fights came to naught, as they turned out to be unviable.
Joust
Knightly tournaments can also be called the progenitors of duels, although they carried purely competitive functions. The knights demonstrated their strength and dexterity. At the same time, they sought not to kill the opponent, but to knock him off the horse. But among them the concept of honor was very strongly developed. It was these moral attitudes that passed to the nobles born in the 15th and 16th centuries.
They no longer exhausted themselves with physical exercises from the age of 5, in order to tirelessly swing a huge sword in heavy armor. This lost its relevance, as powerful crossbows appeared, and then muskets. But the concepts of honor and dignity remained. Therefore, dressed up gentlemen, meeting on the narrow city streets, did not want to give way to each other. They resolved such conflicts with the help of swords. Sometimes the city guards managed to separate the fighters, and sometimes the soldiers ran up to the cold corpses.
When did the duel start?
The duel in the sense in which we present it first originated in Italy at the end of the 14th century. It was in this sunny country that it became customary for young nobles to allow conflict situations with melee weapons. They went to a secluded place and fought there until the first blood or until the death of one of the opponents.
This fad turned out to be very contagious and quickly spread to France. This people is also southern, so his blood is hot. But in England, such fights were practiced much less frequently. The same can be said about Germany.
duel fever
Mass dueling fever fell on the XVI-XVIII centuries. The nobles began to die in huge numbers. This forced the kings to issue laws against bloody fights. But they were of little help. People continued to kill each other with amazing tenacity. Moreover, the reason for the fight could be just a sideways glance or a discourteous tone.
Deadly duels received a second wind in the 19th century, when firearms came into use. Here, the physical data of the opponents did not play any role. A lot depended on luck. After all, they shot in turn, according to the lot. Opponents stood 20 paces apart, so it was difficult to miss.
Pistols used in duels
Dueling Code
It was in the 19th century that the dueling code. His rigorous performance was considered good tone. Deviations from the norms and rules were condemned. A challenge to a duel was carried out either orally or in writing. Moreover, the offended had to report his desire to enter into a duel within 24 hours.
They arrived at the scene early in the morning. At the same time, seconds and a doctor were present. One of the seconds took over the functions of the manager. He offered the duelists to make peace and forget the grievances. As a rule, there was a refusal. After that, the pistols were loaded and handed over to the participants in the duel. Those shot by lot. First one, then the second. At the same time, the opponents could stand at a certain distance or go towards each other to a predetermined barrier.
The duel was considered the most dangerous when the opponents fired at the same time at the command of the manager. In this case, both could die. The maximum distance between duelists usually did not exceed 30 paces. This is about 15-20 meters, so it was almost impossible to miss. If the first shooter nevertheless missed, then the second one could reserve the right to shoot for an indefinite period, or, having shot into the air, resolve the conflict in the most favorable way for everyone.
The duel very often ended with the murder or serious injury of one of its participants.
Duel in Russia
As for Russia, dueling fever began here at the end of the 18th century during the end of the reign of Catherine II. The Empress died in 1796, and fights with her were extremely rare. This was largely facilitated by the "Decree on duels", issued in 1787. The participants in such an unsightly action were threatened with exile in Siberia. If the duel ended in a murder, then the surviving participant shone hard labor.
Most big number duels fell on the reign of Nicholas I (1825-1855). It was during these years that fights took place with the participation of such famous people like Lermontov, Pushkin, Ryleev, Griboedov. This is the color and pride of the Russian nation. However, the emperor himself could not stand the duel. The participants in the duel were sent to the army in the Caucasus, in the event of a fatal outcome, they could even be demoted to the rank and file. But the nobles still shot with amazing tenacity. Participation in such fights was considered good form and added respect and authority to a person.
Russia was characterized by very short barrier distances. They were only 10-12 meters. An unpleasant nuance was also that the fight was considered over only in the event of the death or loss of consciousness of one of the participants. Therefore, if both missed the first time, the pistols were reloaded. This has never been done in Europe. Hence the large number of deaths.
It was impossible to be late for a bloody duel by more than 15 minutes. It began at the same time after the arrival of all the participants. The whole process took no more than 10 minutes. They got guns and fired. One fell, they put him in a carriage, took him away. The second went to celebrate a happy ending. And this went on for many years.
On May 13, 1894, by the highest order of Alexander III (1881-1894), fights between officers on personal grievances were allowed. Up to 1914, there were 329 such incidents, but only 32 ended in death for one of the participants. In all other cases, only minor injuries were recorded. During the First World War, there were practically no fights. This was condemned, since life had to be given for the Fatherland.
Conclusion
Today, the duel has lost its former popularity. Still, it was the prerogative of the nobility, and in the 21st century everyone is equal. Such concepts as honor and dignity are defended in court with the help of lawyers. There are courts of honor among officers, but they have nothing to do with fights. Therefore, life has become much calmer. That's just the number of violent deaths is growing every year. This is due to the growth of crime, which has no connection with the bloody fights that have gone down in history.
