duellist

A duellist is a person who participates in a duel, a prearranged combat between two parties conducted under agreed rules. The practice originated in Europe during the late Middle Ages and became widespread in the early modern period as a means to settle disputes of honor when other remedies were unavailable. The spelling varies by region: duellist (British English) and duelist (American English and other variants).

Duels were fought with a range of weapons, depending on era and culture. Sword duels using rapiers or smallswords were common from the 16th to the 18th century, emphasizing fencing technique and etiquette. In the 18th and 19th centuries pistol duels became prevalent, relying on timed shots and precision marksmanship. Most duels required a challenge, the appointment of seconds, and a formal set of conditions agreed by the parties. While some codes sought to preserve honor without killing, many duels ended fatally, and participants assumed significant risk of injury or death. The practice was underpinned by a code of honor, with rules on weapons, distance, and the treatment of an opponent who fell.

Legal status and decline: from the 19th century onward, many jurisdictions criminalized dueling or linked it to severe penalties and social stigma. In many places it persists only in ceremonial, literary, or theatrical contexts, or as sports or historical reenactment. The term also appears in fiction to describe protagonists who engage in staged or romanticized combat sequences or to evoke a sense of historical atmosphere. Modern fencing and sport shooting have largely superseded duels as formal means of honor resolution.

Notable example: The 1804 duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr is widely cited, in which Hamilton was fatally wounded. Duels are noted in historical records and literature, illustrating how they shaped norms around honor and violence.