The duel tradition arose in modern times among the Western European aristocracy. Such fights had strict regulations. 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 has long fought this custom, declaring it illegal and pursuing those who, despite the prohibitions, went to shoot or fight the enemy with knives.
Codex
The generally accepted code established the causes and causes of fights, their types, the procedure for holding, rejecting and accepting a challenge. Each duel in Russia corresponded to these rules. If a person violated these settings, he could be dishonored. There were several national codes. The differences between them were not significant.
The first duel code can be considered the French document of 1836. It was published by the Count de Chateauville. Based on this code, analogues were built in other countries, including Russia. Another important pan-European rulebook was the collection, which in 1879 released Count Verger. The most famous Russian domestic document of such a plan was the Duras Code of 1912. According to the rules from which it was composed, and 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 his Duras editorial board. The 1912 edition was just a set of recommendations that reinforced well-known customs.
The tradition of the classic duel of the New Age is considered the successor to the Western knightly tournaments of the Middle Ages. In both cases, the battle was considered a matter of honor with a certain ritual, from which not one of the opponents left. Knightly tournaments were abolished in the 16th century due to the fact that the usual equipment of opponents was outdated and became ineffective.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 began, reaching the peak of its evolution in the 19th century.
Weapon
Initially, duels in Russia, as in other countries, were conducted exclusively with the help of knives. These were blades that the aristocrats or the military, as usual, carried with them. These weapons were swords, sabers, rapiers, swords, daggers. If it was a judicial duel (common only in the Middle Ages), then the choice depended on the court decision. The estate of opponents influenced him, among other things. In the case when the rivals did not belong to the "noble" strata of society, they could fight even with axes or clubs.
Dagi and shields ceased to be used in the XVII century. At that time, fencing techniques developed rapidly. An important role in the battle began to play attack speed. As a result of this, a mass transition to rapiers began, which were already exclusively stabbing, and not chopping weapons.
In the XVIII century, when dueling in Russia gradually became a ubiquitous tradition in the army, single-shot trigger pistols began to spread more and more. The use of firearms has changed a lot in the tête-à-tête tradition of fights. Now the result of the battle was not affected by physical preparation or the age of its participants. Edged weapons required more skills. If one duelist was distinguished by skillful fencing and better defended, he risked almost nothing. In the battle with pistols, on the contrary, everything was decided by almost a blind incident. Even a bad shooter could kill his opponent, more luck was enough for this.
Canonicity and exoticism
Many duels in Russia of the 19th century were deliberately carried out using an identical pair of pistols (specially made and to the smallest detail similar). All these factors maximally equalized the chances of opponents. The only difference between such pistols could be serial numbers on the trunks. Today, the duel in Russia is remembered only as a foot battle. However, a similar format did not come about right away. Previously, firearms duels were popular in which opponents were riding horses.
More rare were fights where rifles, rifles or carbines were used. Nevertheless, cases of the use of long-barreled weapons have been recorded. Some fights were even more exotic. A duel is known in Russia when opponents (staff captain Zhegalov and bailiff Tsitovich) used copper candelabra, since one of the participants could neither fencing nor shooting.
Call
Traditionally, dueling began with a challenge. The reason for him 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 wide enough, and its interpretation depended on a specific case. In this case, material disputes about property or money were resolved in a noble environment in the courts. If the victim filed a formal complaint against his abuser, he no longer had the right to challenge him to a duel. The rest of the fights were arranged due to public ridicule, revenge, jealousy, etc.
It is also important that insulting a person, according to the concepts of that era, could only be equal to him in social status. That is why duels were held in narrow circles: between noblemen, military, etc., but it was impossible to imagine a battle between a tradesman and an aristocrat. If a junior officer challenged his boss to a duel, the latter could reject the challenge without damage for his honor, although there are cases when similar fights were organized. Basically, when the dispute concerned people from different social strata, their lawsuit was decided exclusively in court.
In case of insult, the Code recommended calmly demanding an apology from the offender. In case of refusal, there was a notification that seconds would arrive at the enemy. The call could be written (cartel) or verbal. It was considered good form to turn to the offender during the first days after the insult. Call procrastination was not approved.
There were often 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 (if there were several calls, only one was satisfied). This custom excluded the possibility of reprisal against the offender by the efforts of many people.
Types of insults
The code divided insults into three types according to severity. The usual grievances were caused by words and only touched the pride of the nobleman. They did not concern reputation or a good name. It could be stinging statements, public attacks against the appearance, dressing methods, etc. Serious insults were inflicted with indecent gesture or word. They affected reputation and honor. Such could be an accusation of deceit or swearing. Such actions, as a rule, led to dueling before being wounded or before the first blood.
Finally, the code regulated insults of the third degree. These included aggressive actions: throws by objects, slaps, blows. Similar insults carried out or unfinished for some reason were regarded equally. Treason of the wife was attributed to them. If the offended responded with a similar insult to the side of his offender, he did not lose his right to appoint a duel. However, there were nuances. If the offended responded with a more serious insult (for example, slapped him in response to a slight mockery), then the offender became the offended side, who received the right to appoint a duel.
Characters
Only the duelists themselves, their seconds, as well as the doctor, could attend a duel in Russia. The 19th century, whose rules were based on generally accepted principles, is considered the heyday of this tradition. The late code forbade dueling the next of kin. For example, you could not fight with your brother, but you could with a cousin. Dueling between debtors and creditors was also prohibited.
Women, as well as men with serious injuries or illnesses, could not become participants in the battle. There was also an age qualification. The challenges of older people over 60 were not welcome, although there were exceptions. If they insulted a person who was unable or did not have the right to participate in a duel, he could be replaced by a “patron”. As a rule, the closest relatives became such people.
Theoretically, any woman who volunteered could defend the honor of a woman with a gun in her hands, especially if the insult was inflicted on her in a public place. If the wife was unfaithful, her lover would end up in a duel. If the husband changed, he could be called by a relative of the girl or any other man who desired.
Seconds
The classic rules of pistol duels suggested that between the challenge and the battle itself, the offender and the offended should not communicate and meet each other. For negotiations, seconds were appointed, which organized preparations for the duel. As them, the code recommended that people with an unblemished reputation and equal social status be chosen. The seconds insured their honor that the duel would be in accordance with the code and organized under equal conditions for rivals.
It was considered wrong when an interested person undertook to organize a duel. That is why duels in Russia, the rules of which were mandatory for all parties, were forbidden to appoint a close relative as a second. The powers of the “right hand” were determined by those who participated in the duel. The duelist could allow the second to act completely at its discretion, or even accept the world from the second of the person who insulted him. As a rule, assistants only transmitted messages, acting as couriers.
If the trustees could not agree on peace, a discussion began on the technical details of the impending clash. It was up to their agreement whether the duel would be fatal or only to the first blood, what would be the barrier distance (if it was a pistol duel). In Russia, the code allowed to contact a person respected on both sides so that he could be an arbitrator, if the seconds could not agree on the conditions of the duel. Decisions of such a person were taken by opponents without objection. One of the two seconds took on another important function. He ordered the duel itself (gave the command to shoot, etc.). The doctor needed 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 early in the morning. The arrival time of the opponents was strictly determined. If the participant was late by more than 15 minutes, his opponent could leave the place of the duel, and the detainee in this case was considered rejected and deprived of honor.
At the beginning of the match, the seconds again suggested ending the conflict in peace. In case of refusal, they announced the previously agreed rules of the duel. In Russia, apologies to the last barrier were banned. Anyone who began to hesitate when the steward had already announced the beginning of the duel, admitted a coward. Opponents fired or attacked each other with edged weapons after the command of one of the seconds. He declared the duel to be over. The duel ended after the use of pistols, injury or death (depending on the agreement) of one of the participants from piercing weapons.
If in the end the duelists remained alive, in the end they shook hands. The offender at the same time apologized. Such a gesture did not in any way humiliate him, since 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 the duels in Russia were brutal, the seconds after the end of the battle necessarily compiled a detailed protocol of what happened. He was certified with two signatures. The document was necessary to confirm that the duel was in full compliance with the code.
Melee duels
Standard options for conducting duels settled in the aristocratic milieu by the 19th century. First of all, the nature of the fight was determined by the weapons used. Duels in Russia in the 18th century were held on swords, sabers and rapiers. In the future, this generally accepted set has been preserved and has become a classic. Most often, identical weapons were used, but with the consent of the parties, each enemy could use their own blade.
Duels using edged weapons could be movable or motionless. In the first version, the seconds marked a long platform or track on which the free movement of the fighters was allowed. Deviations, detours and other techniques of fencing equipment were allowed. The stationary duel assumed that the rivals were placed at a distance of impact, and the battle was fought by duelists who stood in their places.
The weapon was held in one hand, and the second remained behind. You could not beat the enemy with your own limbs. Captures of the enemy blade were also prohibited. The fight started after the signal given by the managing second. 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 today seem surprising, laid the concept of honor in people, and it was they who forbade disobeying the manager, even if they had a second from the enemy.
In the case when the opponent dropped his weapon, his vis-a-vis stopped the battle and waited for the blade to rise. Dueling before an injury or before the first blood stopped after the first hit. Then the doctor spoke his word. If he concluded that the wound was too severe to continue the fight, the duel ended.
Gun Fights
In the XIX century in the house of every noble family a pair of pistols was necessarily stored. He held on for a very specific purpose. Firearms got after a challenge to a duel. Such pistols were single-shot. In this case, only those that were not yet used and were considered unfired were used. This rule was necessary in order not to give any of the opponents a noticeable advantage.
A familiar gun immediately gave the shooter a certain head start. It was all the more powerful because in the 19th century firearms were mainly made individually, and each instance had unique characteristics. The use of twin pistols solved this problem. Participants arrived at the venue with their pristine double sets. The rules of pistol duels in Russia stated that the choice between the sets was made by lot.
According to a common tradition, duelists using firearms fired only one shot. Quite often, as a result of such volleys, no one died or even got injured. Even so, the duel was considered over, and the honor restored. Opponents did not crave 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 wound. In this case, if the shots didn’t hit anyone, the pistols recharged until someone hit the opponent. With a new attempt, the seconds could reduce the distance between opponents and thereby increase the risk for duelists.
Types of gunshot duels
Like the rules of duels with knives, the rules for a gunshot suggested the possibility of a stationary duel. In this case, the opponents got up 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 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, in which any large objects could be used. After the team manager, the rivals began to converge, moving towards each other. Stopping at the barrier, the duelist fired.
The distance from 15 steps in Russia was considered "peaceful." At such a distance, the arrows rarely hit the target. It was a "noble distance." However, despite his alleged safety, the poet Alexander Pushkin was killed in 20 steps. Blind duels were also practiced. In such a fight, men fired shots over their shoulders, standing with their backs to each other.
Some duels were arranged on the principle of Russian roulette. They resorted to it in case of irreconcilable hostility between the arrows. Opponents got up at a distance of 5-7 steps. Of the two pistols, only one was charged. The weapons were distributed by lot. Thus, the rivals maximized the risk and chance of the outcome. The lot provided equal chances, and it was on this principle that the rules of duels on pistols were based. The code also included the “barrel to barrel” fight. The difference with the previous one was only that both pistols were charging. Such clarifications of relations often ended in the death of both shooters.
The most brutal fights forced Western Europeans to perceive Russian duels of the 19th century as “legalized killing”. In fact, the state has long fought with this tradition. Duelists often lost their ranks and fell into exile.