dueling

A duel is a formal combat between two people, historically undertaken to settle a dispute over honor. It is conducted under a prearranged set of rules and rituals, and typically involves seconds who arrange terms and witness the proceedings. Weapons used varied by era and region; pistols became common in the early modern and modern periods, while sword duels—often with rapiers or sabres—were common earlier.

Dueling arose from cultures of personal honor in Europe and North America. It drew on a mix of medieval feud, chivalric code, and legal traditions, and was codified in treatises and duelling codes such as the code duello. The practice spread among military officers and civilians, and sometimes replaced formal legal channels for resolving insults or grievances.

The process typically involved a challenge, the selection of weapons and terms, and the presence of seconds and sometimes an impartial arbiter. Duels could end in reconciliation, retreat, or fatal injury; many were recorded in newspapers as public matters. Famous duels—such as the Burr–Hamilton confrontation in 1804—illustrate the social currency and danger of the ritual.

Legal prohibitions and changing attitudes toward violence led to a rapid decline of formal dueling in the 19th and early 20th centuries. By the end of the century, most Western jurisdictions banned dueling, and criminal penalties followed. Today, dueling survives mainly as a historical phenomenon and as a metaphor in culture, while related practices in sports, like fencing, emphasize regulated sport rather than personal challenge.