Duels and duelists. Duel in Russia: rules and code Pistol duel rules first shot

The history of fights goes back to ancient times. They fought for women, for the right to own land, for revenge, and finally, just to show their strength and humiliate, or even destroy the opponent. Even in ancient times, court fights were known that were appointed to resolve disputes over property and other issues (in particular, in Russkaya Pravda), circus gladiator fights in Ancient Rome, medieval knightly tournaments, fisticuffs in Rus'. But they are not included in the concept of a classic duel. The definition of a duel given by the Russian military writer of the beginning of the century P. A. Shveikovsky seems to us the most capacious and accurate: “A duel is an agreed fight between two persons with a deadly weapon to satisfy the desecrated honor, in compliance with the well-known customary conditions regarding the place, time, weapons, and the general situation for the performance of the battle.”

From this definition, the following main features of a classic duel can be distinguished:

1. the purpose of the duel is to satisfy the desecrated honor (and not a circus performance, not a dispute resolution and not a competition of strength);
2. there are only two participants in the duel (and not “wall to wall”), that is, the offended and his offender (hence the word “duel” itself);
3. the means of a duel is a deadly weapon (and not fists, like the merchant Kalashnikov and Kiribeevich have);
4. the presence of the rules (conditions) of a duel established by custom, mandatory for strict observance.

"The rules of the duel between Mr. Baron Georges Heckeren and Mr. Pushkin

The text of the terms of the duel between Pushkin and Dantes has reached posterity. To illustrate, here is it in full:

1. Opponents are placed at a distance of 20 steps from each other and 10 steps from barriers, the distance between which is 10 steps.
2. Opponents armed with pistols, following this sign, moving towards one another, but in no case crossing the barrier, can shoot.
3. Moreover, it is assumed that after the shot the opponents are not allowed to change their place, so that the one who fired first is exposed to the fire of his opponent at the same distance.
4. When both sides make a shot, then in case of ineffectiveness, the duel is resumed as if for the first time, the opponents are placed at the same distance of 20 steps, the same barriers and the same rules remain.
5. The seconds are direct intermediaries in every respect between opponents on the spot.
6. The seconds, the undersigned and vested with full authority, ensure, each for his side, with his honor, strict observance of the conditions set forth here.

The unwritten order of the duel

The unwritten order of the duel was as follows. At a predetermined time (usually in the morning), opponents, seconds and a doctor arrived at the appointed place. Lateness was allowed no more than 15 minutes; otherwise, the latecomer was considered to have evaded the duel. The duel usually began 10 minutes after the arrival of everyone. Opponents and seconds greeted each other with a bow. The manager elected by the seconds from his midst offered the duelists to make peace for the last time (if the court of honor recognized this as possible). In case of their refusal, the manager explained to them the conditions of the duel, the seconds marked the barriers and, in the presence of opponents, loaded pistols. When dueling with sabers or swords, the opponents undressed from the waist down to their shirts. Everything was supposed to be taken out of the pockets. The seconds took places parallel to the battle line, the doctors behind them. All actions were performed by the opponents at the command of the manager. If during the duel one of them dropped his sword, or it broke, or the fighter fell, his opponent was obliged to interrupt the duel at the command of the steward until his opponent got up and was able to continue the duel. As a rule, a sword duel was fought until one of the opponents completely lost the opportunity to continue it - that is, until a severe or mortal wound. Therefore, after each injury, the duel was suspended, and the doctor established the nature of the wound, its severity. If during such a duel one of the opponents, despite warnings, retreated beyond the border of the battlefield three times, such behavior was counted as evading or refusing to fight a fair fight. At the end of the battle, the opponents shook hands with each other.

Pistol duels had several options.

• Option 1 Opponents stood at a distance of 15 to 40 steps from each other and, remaining motionless, fired at the command in turn (the interval between the command and the shot had to be at least 3 seconds, but not more than 1 minute). If the insult was medium or heavy, then the offended person had the right to shoot first (but only from a distance of 40 steps, that is, the maximum), otherwise the right of the first shot was decided by lot.
• Option 2(relatively rare). The opponents stood with their backs to each other at a distance of 25 steps and, remaining motionless at this distance, fired continuously over their shoulders.
• Option 3(probably the most common). The opponents stood at a distance of up to 30 steps from each other and, on command, went to the barriers, the distance between which was at least 10 steps, on command, the first one fired on the move, but waited for a return shot while standing still (shooting without a command was allowed if the barriers were 15-20 steps apart, and the opponents in the initial position - up to 50 steps; but this is a relatively rare variety). With such a duel, the time for a return shot did not exceed 30 seconds, for a fallen one - 1 minute from the moment of the fall. It was forbidden to cross the barriers. A misfire was also considered a shot. The fallen one could shoot lying down (as the wounded Pushkin shot at Dantes). If during such a duel, after four shots, none of the opponents was injured, then it could be stopped.
• Option 4 Opponents stood at a distance of 25-35 steps, located in parallel lines, so that each of them had his opponent to his right, and walked along these lines to barriers that were 15 steps apart, stopping and firing on command.
• Option 5 The opponents were located at a distance of 25-35 steps and, remaining motionless, fired at the same time - on a command to count "one-two" or on a signal of three claps. Such a duel was the most dangerous, and both opponents often died (the duel between Novosiltsev and Chernov). At the end, the opponents shook hands with each other.

Note that these rules (at least the same distance), established by the end of the 19th century, were in many ways more humane than the usual rules of Russian duels in the first half of the 19th century. It is curious that if in the second half of the 19th century the number of duels in the Russian army clearly began to decline, then after official permission in 1894, their number again sharply increases.

AND It is known that the duel came to Russia from the West. It is believed that the first duel in Russia took place in 1666 in Moscow. Two foreign officers fought... Scotsman Patrick Gordon (who later became Peter's general) and an Englishman Major Montgomery (eternal rest to his ashes...).

Duels in Russia have always been a serious test of character. Peter the Great, although he planted European customs in Russia, understood the danger of duels and tried to immediately stop their occurrence with cruel laws. In which, I must admit, I succeeded. There were almost no duels among Russians during his reign.

Chapter 49 of the Petrovsky Military Regulations of 1715, called “Patent on fights and starting 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 ... even failure to report was punished. For the challenge itself to a duel, deprivation of ranks and partial confiscation of property were supposed, for entering a duel and drawing weapons - the death penalty! With the complete confiscation of property, not excluding the seconds.
Peter III banned corporal punishment for the nobility. Thus, a generation appeared in Russia for which even a sideways glance could lead to a duel. Modern parodies of duels in social networks (as Mail did not so long ago) simply humiliate this noble act and the memory of the dead, because thanks to duels, Russia has lost many great minds and worthy people.

With all the shortcomings, duels made me appreciate life, the dignity of other people and look at life in a completely different way. In addition, thanks to duels and outright trash and bastards in society, there were fewer. The fact is that among the Russian nobility, HONOR has always been the most precious thing in life.

"Soul - to God, heart - to a woman, duty - to the Fatherland, honor - to no one!" A person with a stained honor was no longer considered a nobleman. They simply did not stretch out their hands to him ... he became an outcast of society. According to the Russian dueling code, it was impossible to refuse a duel. Such an act was regarded as a recognition of their own insolvency.

The heyday of duels was during the reign of Alexander I and they continued until Alexander III (I will return to them later). It is interesting to note that Emperor Paul I seriously proposed to resolve interstate conflicts not through war, but by holding a duel between emperors ... in Europe, this proposal did not receive support.

There was also a comical case in Russia when two high-ranking officers wished to fight with artillery shots. The most surprising thing is that the duel took place. Unfortunately, I don't know the outcome.

If in Europe duels were some kind of ostentatious pampering to win over women, in Russia it was a legalized murder ... and even though duels were exiled to the Caucasus, even emperors were often forced to turn a blind eye to them, duels were necessary for society.

If now Russia, as you know, has two main troubles - fools and roads ... then at that difficult historical time there was also a third trouble - pistol duels.
The fact is that in Rus' they did not like to fight with sabers or swords. This gave too much advantage to the military and people constantly training. And all sections of the noble society wanted to participate in duels. That is why we came up with the idea of ​​shooting with pistols. Moreover, the most important rule of absurdity is pistols before a duel DID NOT SIGHT! No wonder they say "fool's bullet" ... Pistols were bought before the duel by seconds, two on each side. Immediately before the duel, lots were cast from whose pair to shoot. A misfire was considered a shot.

Pistols were bought new, and only exclusively smooth-bore pistols were suitable for duels (they have a very low accuracy of combat), and not adjusted, i.e. no smell of gunpowder from the barrel. The same pistols were not fired again in duels. They were kept as a souvenir.

With such an untrained weapon, the chances of a youngster holding a pistol for the first time and an experienced shooter were equalized. It was possible from 15 steps to aim at the leg and hit the chest. The refusal to zero in pistols made the duel not a dueling competition, but rather a DIVINE conduct. Moreover, duels in Russia were distinguished by exceptionally harsh conditions: nowhere in Europe was this the case .... the distance between the barriers was usually only 10-20 steps (about 7-10 meters!). Duelists on command converged to the barrier. The shooter was the first to stop and if he missed ... it meant almost one hundred percent death. After all, his opponent could calmly approach the barrier and make his shot from 4-7 steps ... almost point-blank! Even with untrained weapons, it's hard to miss.
Perhaps that is why, before the duel, many drank. Hand trembling didn't really matter. Duels were fought in a variety of ways. There were about five ways to duel with pistols. The most common one is described above, but it was also with firing on command, with firing without convergence in turn until the first hit, there was even an option even with firing at the sound with eyes closed ...

Officers, as a rule, fought with each other on their own terms, which were agreed in advance, but with civilians always according to the rules of the dueling code without the slightest deviation. It was considered bad taste to challenge your army commander to a duel. But this also happened often.

To some, the story described below may seem like a romantic fairy tale, to someone - a play of absurdity, but it really was. Lieutenant Gunius and Lieutenant Colonel Gorlov brought to St. Petersburg from America samples of guns designed by Khairem Berdan (later famous "Berdanks", adopted by the Russian army and served the Tsar and the Fatherland until 1891) and presented them to Tsarevich Alexander, who imagined himself in military affairs expert.
Alexander Alexandrovich did not like the guns, about which he was not slow to speak out in a rather rude manner. Gunius, a practical specialist who knew the question thoroughly, quite reasonably objected to him. A dispute ensued. The future Alexander III the Peacemaker got angry, could not restrain himself and allowed himself, in the heat of the conversation, to burst into obscene abuse against Gunius.

A man with a high concept of honor, Gunius silently ended the conversation and left without saying goodbye, and later sent a letter to Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich demanding an apology. The officer could not challenge the Tsarevich to a duel, and in a letter he set the following condition: if within 24 hours he does not receive an apology from Alexander Alexandrovich, he will shoot himself. One can only guess what Gunius experienced during those 24 hours…. But he didn't get an apology...

When everything became known to Emperor Alexander II, he was very angry and forced his son to follow the coffin of Gunius to the very grave. Alexander Alexandrovich did not dare to disobey his father, but, as they said, during the funeral, he suffered exponentially only from rain and headwind ...

Alexander III was simple and reliable, like a Berdan woman, but many nobles did not forgive him for this episode until his death.

In the photo, Alexander III with his family. When he became emperor, he almost legalized dueling. The emperor realized that they could not be avoided anyway and decided to lead the process. The fear of severe punishment only aggravated the situation, forced to shoot in the dense forests, far from medical care, and often completely turned this action into a simple murder of noble heirs or a settling of scores.

In Russia, the Order of the military department No. 118 of May 20, 1894 was issued: “ Rules for dealing with quarrels that occur among officers».

It consisted of 6 items:
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 the specific conditions of the duel are determined by the 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 the 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 the court recognized the possibility of reconciliation without prejudice to the honor of the offended, then so it happened. Otherwise, the court authorized the fight.
Incapable of a duel (whose challenge could not be accepted and who was not customary to challenge) were considered:
persons disgraced in public opinion (sharp; previously refused a duel; filed a complaint against the offender in a criminal court);
- crazy;
- minors, that is, persons under the age of 21 (except for married people, students and employees - in general, there was no clear boundary);
- persons who stood at the low levels of social culture (i.e., as a rule, representatives of the common people);
- debtors in relation to their creditors; close relatives (up to and including uncles and nephews);
- women.

Protecting the honor of a woman was OBLIGED by her natural patron(husband, father, brother, son, guardian, close relative), but interestingly, a necessary condition for the admissibility of a duel over a woman was her moral behavior - that is, a woman known for easy behavior was NOT recognized the right to protection from insults.
It became a special chic to accept a duel, but to shoot into the air. 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.
Duels were written about in newspapers, they were sucked into novels, and the details were savored for years. For female actresses performing in theaters, it was simply indecent if not a single man was injured in duels because of them. The more killed and wounded for her, the more worthy and interesting the prima.

The cavalry guards fought especially often in duels (mostly hussar regiments). The cavalry guards are the cream of Russian officers, people who have lived in the barracks since childhood, officers brought up on the bonds of honor and brotherhood ... they are all, as a rule, young, bold, famous in battles for the fatherland, knowing well that in Russia the world is short, that soon war again, which means you need to "take your own". These are people for whom the risk of death was an everyday job, and even a married lady could allow such an officer many liberties (and without condemning society). The cavalry guards have always been for Russia something like gladiators in ancient Rome ... they were forgiven everything, they were allowed a lot.

In St. Petersburg there were cases when they were shot in such a way that it looked like suicide.
Such was the duel between K. P. Chernov and V. D. Novosiltsev.
Both duelists - adjutant wing Vladimir Novosiltsev and lieutenant of the Izmailovsky regiment Konstantin Chernov were mortally wounded. All because they were shooting in 8 steps. It was hard to miss...

The cause of the duel was a woman. Novosiltsev promised to marry and managed to seduce and dishonor Chernov's sister. But because of the pressure of his mother, he refused to marry. Chernov challenged Novosiltsev to a duel with 8 steps. Both died.

The duel caused a wide resonance in society. They even wrote about her in the newspapers. Since then, duelists began to come to this place. There was a belief that visiting this place before a duel guarantees victory.

Now there is a memorial sign in that place. It was opened on September 10, 1988 at the initiative of the Forestry Academy, and first of all - the director of the library T. A. Zueva. The monument was erected in St. Petersburg, on Engels Avenue, across the street from the entrance to the academy park.

Duels in the language of statistics...
As you know, statistics knows everything. According to General Mikulin, "... from 1876 to 1890, only 14 cases of officer duels reached the court (in 2 of them, the opponents were acquitted).

Starting from the reign of Nicholas I, duels did not disappear into history, but gradually ceased ... 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 (not a single one reached the criminal court of them).
Every year there were from 4 to 33 fights in the army (on average - 20). 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 serious outcome, 17 with a minor injury, and 73 without bloodshed. Of the 183 duels for serious insult, 21 ended in a serious 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 duels - 10-11% of the total.
Of all 322 duels, 315 took place with pistols and only 7 with swords or sabers. Of these, in 241 duels (that is, 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 case by the court of honor) ... "

In the 20th century, human life began to be valued more and cynicism was already rampant in Russia. A nobleman could avoid a duel and remain a nobleman. Honor began to be replaced by practicality and financial success ... the case with Burenin is typical.
Viktor Petrovich Burenin, a journalist and literary critic, worked for many years in the popular newspaper Novoye Vremya and was infamous. People who knew Burenin in private considered him a kind and delicate person, but there was no journalist in St. Petersburg who would not be so loved in literary circles. Burenin wrote evil and bilious, did not hesitate to offend anyone, there were no authorities and moral restrictions for him. Alexander Blok called Viktor Petrovich "the luminary of newspaper scolding."
Not all writers endured Burenin's swearing stoically; Vsevolod Krestovsky was so offended by the criticism of his novel that he challenged the poisonous journalist to a duel. Burenin avoided the duel, which inspired the poets who wrote under the name of Kozma Prutkov:

"Don't duel if life is precious,
Refuse, like Burenin, and scold the enemy "...

And in our time, once noble duels have become an object for jokes and laughter ...
But all the same, duels occur. When I served in Skovorodino (Amur Region), we had a case ... because of a woman (not like Rzhevsky in the picture), two officers shot with hunting rifles in a duel. Everything is as it should be - one duelist was injured. Luckily he survived...

On the hunt in our military camp, an average of 1 - 2 people per year died, so no one in the medical battalion was surprised by a crossbow while hunting ... but this, fortunately, is more an exception than a rule ...

What the coming century has in store for us...

"On pistols at dawn!". Challenge thrown.
Rejecting a challenge will brand you a coward for life. You will meet at the chosen place and there will be 20 steps between you. Your dueling pistols are loaded. Some of you may be seriously injured or killed. Doctors stand nearby, ready to provide first aid, and your friends look at each other with apprehension. What is all this for?

Because you made fun of his hat.

One-on-one dueling (most often with swords or pistols) is an integral part of society, shaping the way of life of many thousands of nobles, knights, crusaders, politicians and cowboys from the Wild West. But apart from being a social phenomenon, the duel is an absurd instinct to compete and win. Men are ready to kill and die for a mere trifle.

Duel Basics

A duel is a tightly controlled form of wrestling. It gives equal chances to both men (women take part only in exceptional cases). The duel is held according to the rules in a predetermined place and at a predetermined time. The word "duel" itself comes from the Latin word "duellum", which comes from duo (two) and bellum (war).

Duels are rarely spontaneous. Usually the first participant challenges the second, who clarifies all the questions that have arisen from the second. A second is a friend of the duelist who enforces the rules, prepares weapons and ensures security during the duel. Also, the seconds before the duel should try to reconcile the parties, trying to defuse the situation that led to the duel. But often the seconds themselves fought on a par with the duelists. After the call, the seconds settle all the details of the duel, often spending several days on this.

After the duel has been announced, any weapon may be used at the discretion of the challenged or challenger, depending on the version of the rules. Dueling rules from 1777 state that “the challenged person has the right to choose weapons at his own discretion, if he is not a swordsman. In this case, the caller may refuse or offer another version of the weapon.

For a long time, the choice of weapons was limited to various types of swords. But over time, when pistols began to be used for duels, the rules began to indicate that only smoothbore pistols were allowed to be used. Rifles were forbidden, as they increased the accuracy and range of the shot. Many dueling rules are designed to reduce the chance of death or injury. For example, for this, in some collections it was required that the duelists stand with their backs to each other and turn only on a signal. This reduced the time to aim and reduced the possibility of hitting.

The losing participant had to hope for the mercy of the winner, who chose whether to let him live or kill him. At the same time, the dueling code allowed the winner to desecrate the body of the loser, for example, by cutting off the head and placing it in a public place.

Throw glove

A challenge to a duel may be made on the spot by throwing a glove in the face or on the ground before the opponent does so.

duel rules

In 1777, a committee of the Irish drew up a set of dueling rules, which became widely used in Europe and America. This led to its popularity being so great that people all over the world mistook it for the "official" dueling code. This set of rules was included in the "Midshipman's Manual" of the US Navy until the ban on dueling between naval officers in 1862.

The code included the rules of apology, thanks to which it was possible to cancel the duel, the requirements for the behavior of duel participants, the role and duties of seconds, in which cases the duel is considered over, and much more.

Apologies

An apology from the offending party can prevent a duel, but it's important to deliver it correctly. Most duels happened because one person offended the honor of another. Therefore, an apology was enough to resolve the conflict that had arisen before the duel. The duel code clearly defines the order in which apologies must be made. Rule #1 states that “The one who offended first should apologize first, although the retorts could have been more offensive. That is, the instigator must be the first to admit his guilt. At the same time, he may require explanations for the response remarks.

The Code also defines when verbal apologies are sufficient and when they are not sufficient to compensate for insults. Rule #5 states that “since fighting is unworthy of a true gentleman, any blow is considered a serious insult. It cannot be smoothed over with verbal apologies. If the offender does not want to bring the matter to a duel, then he must give the offended his cane, which will be used for striking. During the execution, he must ask for forgiveness from the victim.

duel etiquette

A duel is not a fight. This is a battle for honor. Therefore, it should be carried out in such a way as not to drop the dignity of both participants. Rule #13 describes behavior during a duel and is the most violated, as many duelists enter the lane with a desire to defend their honor rather than kill or maim.

So, the rule says that shooting in the air is not allowed. The challenge is only given in case of a real insult, but there must be an attempt to apologize before the duel begins. Therefore, it is unacceptable to turn such an action into a game or entertainment for children, this is a dishonor for both participants.

Since the mere fact of a duel is sufficient to satisfy, duelists may announce in advance the use of dummy bullets, shooting into the air, or some non-dangerous part of the opponent's body. The dueling code is against such behavior.

This is necessary in order to avoid vehemence in solving the case.

Seconds

The duties of seconds are described in rules No. 18 and No. 21, according to which “seconds load weapons in the presence of each other. Seconds should try to reconcile the parties before the duel and after firing a sufficient number of shots.

The dueling code allows for the intervention of seconds in the course of the duel. But this is a very specific situation and is regulated by rule No. 25: “If desired, and with the consent of the seconds, a duel between them is possible. Moreover, it must be held at the same time, and they must stand on a line perpendicular to the line of the main duelists.

The end of the duel

A duel to the death is not desirable from a code point of view, as it is a duel to restore honor, not to kill. Nevertheless, such an outcome is allowed.

The code offers five options for ending the duel: to death, to first blood, to loss of consciousness, disarmament, or after the aggressor does not ask for forgiveness. Rule #22 unequivocally defines the end of a duel as "any serious injury that may cause the hands to tremble or interfere with movement."

Perhaps the most important rule of the code does not determine the dueling process itself, but those segments of the population that can sort things out in a duel. In medieval Europe, the duel was an action for men of noble birth. Although fights broke out among commoners that could be attributed to duels, in fact, only persons of noble origin could be participants in a duel. Undoubtedly, one of the reasons was the economic component. Swords were too expensive for a peasant. In addition, the duel separated the upper strata of the population from the lower. Many countries had laws forbidding duels between commoners, and the aristocrats were often required to take part in them.

Duel between nobles

The duel is directly intertwined with the concept of honor. Nevertheless, the medieval concept of honor is strikingly different from the modern one. If now the word means a good quality and positive aspects of a person, then earlier it was associated with origin. Thus, if your family had merit to the ruling dynasty, they had a title, then, regardless of your behavior, you were an honest person.

Noble origin imposed strict requirements for the protection of one's honor. Any attempt to doubt her had to end in a challenge. In addition, the honor of the family for several generations in the past was subject to protection. At the same time, you could lose your honor at any moment. Most often this followed because of an accusation of cowardice. The easiest way to avoid the accusation of cowardice and the subsequent loss of honor was to challenge on any occasion and accept all the challenges offered to you. Otherwise, the enemy could tell everyone around about your act, inform the church and his friends about it. The consequences of such an act were different, often the family lost the favor of the monarch, the coward was deprived of the right to vote, excommunicated from the church, or could be imprisoned. Therefore, it was easier to die in a duel than to refuse it and live without honor.

The peculiarity of noble origin was that the nobles did not work. Working or buying and selling was unacceptable for a nobleman and could be a reason for loss of honor. The main income of noble families was rent from land plots. Therefore, most of the time the nobles indulged in boredom. Because of this, over time, dueling from a defense of honor grew into a sporting event. If there were no reasons for the call, then they themselves insulted others. Sometimes a simple collision in a crowd or lack of courtesy was considered the basis for a duel. If there was a lady in the company, then her honor was considered such a fragile concept that any insufficiently polite treatment could serve as an accusation of dishonor and become an occasion for a challenge to a duel.

The winner was considered better than the loser. Personal qualities were not important, the very fact of winning a duel was considered sufficient reason for this. And he was considered the best in everything. He was more honest, smarter, wiser and was a god to the loser.

Duel among commoners

Commoners also took part in duels. In the early stages, this was how guilt or innocence was determined. Until the 12th century, to prove innocence, one could pass a test of innocence, one of the options was a judicial duel. The opponent in this case was the accuser or a special fighter appointed by the court. In the event of the victory of the defendant, all charges were dropped, since it was believed that God protected him.

Many duelists challenged for practical reasons. For a man confident in his skill, this was the solution to any problem. Debts can be repaid by simply killing the creditor. Land disputes were easily resolved by dueling. Competitors in work or politics can be eliminated with the sword, not in elections with votes.

In pre-war Missouri, political duels became the norm. In his work "Dueling and the Roots of Violence in Missouri," Dick Steward emphasizes the following: "The immediate goal (of the duel) was to eliminate a political competitor." The duel has become one of the instruments of political disputes. The first governor of California, Peter Burnett, spoke of politics in Missouri in this way: "It is desirable to kill your political competitors in order to surely eliminate them from your path."

Duel evolution

The duel is closely intertwined with the knightly competitions of the Middle Ages. The creation and development of the dueling code may be related to the knightly codes of honor used by noble warriors. A knightly tournament is a duel on horseback, the formal rules of which require participants of noble birth. Before the start of the battle, both knights met in the center and raised the visor of their helmets, revealing their identity. Such an action guaranteed the noble birth of the participants. Currently, this gesture has grown into a military salute.

The appearance of firearms on the battlefield led to the disappearance of knights in heavy armor, as it did not provide protection from bullets. Therefore, massive swords were no longer needed, light bladed weapons began to develop, which made it easier to handle.

When there was a shift in emphasis to light swords, duelists appeared who practiced fencing not because of duels, but as a sport. There were competitions for the number of touches with the tip of the weapon to the enemy. Since injuries occurred quite often, the Italians began to place protection on the edges of the blades. This made it possible to protect the fighters. And until now, the art of fencing, with some restrictions, is practiced in sports.

When pistols became more popular, they even more significantly influenced the nature of duels. Dueling availability has changed as pistols are cheaper than swords. Therefore, in order to participate in a pistol duel, there was no need to purchase a sword and costly training from an Italian fencing master. Fights have become available to all segments of the population.

In the United States, doctors, newspaper editors, politicians, and lawyers have fought duels time after time. This finally opened access to the duel to everyone. Fights did not lose their popularity throughout Europe and the United States until the twentieth century.

Death duel

The duel did not die suddenly. In fact, the first attempts to ban the duel were long ago. Christian leaders did not like duels, as they clearly violated one of God's commandments. In addition, such a solution to the conflicts that arose deprived them of a certain share of power, which they did not want to lose. The confrontation between the church and the duel lasted for many centuries, until the final death of the latter. Monarchs and military leaders were also against duels, as young nobles could become officers in the army, and not die just like that.

In 1800, many politicians, writers and judges actively opposed the duel. Mark Twain, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were against duels, considering them a waste of life. Laws have been passed against dueling in many countries, but over the years, juries have found no corpus delicti in a duel.

The death of the duel was due to a combination of cultural factors. It was popular for many centuries, because it was available only to the noble class and served as a striking difference between the upper strata of society and the lower. When it became available to everyone, it lost this function. And at the same time, the destructive nature of the duel began to cause public discontent. In addition, the bloody wars of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the American Civil War and the First World War in Europe, made people think about the mass death of the younger generation. So the duel began to lose its appeal in many sections of society.

Now duels still exist, but in less bloody forms. In its purest form, the one-on-one duel turned into boxing and wrestling, they inherited the spirit of the duel, and the art of fencing was reborn into a sports discipline. Almost any face-to-face meeting is guided by the rules of etiquette, which can be considered a legacy of dueling. At the same time, she can be anywhere: at the poker table, in the corporate hall, on the tennis court or in video games ...

Publications in the Literature section

Duels and Duelists

“Have we seen many fights for a just cause? And then everything is for actresses, for cards, for horses or for a portion of ice cream, ”wrote Alexander Bestuzhev-Marlinsky in the story“ Test ”. Let's recall with Natalia Letnikova how the tradition of dueling appeared in Russia and which Russian writers had to defend their honor in a duel.

History of the duel

Valery Jacobi. before the duel. 1877. Sevastopol Art Museum named after P.M. Kroshitsky

Ilya Repin. Duel. 1896. State Tretyakov Gallery

Mikhail Vrubel. Duel Pechorin with Grushnitsky. Illustration for Mikhail Lermontov's novel "A Hero of Our Time". 1890–1891 State Tretyakov Gallery

The dueling ritual originates in Italy. Either the hot sun heated the blood of the Italians, or the southern temperament did not give rest - from the 14th century, local nobles began to look for a reason for a deadly duel in conflicts. This is how the “battle in the bushes” appeared, when the opponents went to a deserted place and fought with the weapons that were at hand. A century later, the fashion for dueling penetrated the Italian-French border and spread throughout Europe. The "dueling fever" reached Russia only during the time of Peter I.

For the first time, foreigners, officers of the Russian service from a “foreign” regiment, appeared at the barrier in Russia in 1666. Half a century later, fights were banned. One of the chapters of the Petrine Military Regulations of 1715 provided for the deprivation of ranks and even confiscation of property for a mere challenge to a duel, and the participants in the duel were threatened with the death penalty.

Catherine II issued a "Manifesto on fights", which equated killing in a duel with a criminal offense, the instigators of fights were exiled to Siberia for life. But then the fashion for a duel only flared up, and in the 19th century, when European passions began to wane, it seemed that there was not a day in Russia without a deadly duel.

In the West, the Russian duel was called "barbarism." In Russia, preference was given not to edged weapons, but to pistols, and they shot not like in Europe, from thirty steps, but almost point-blank - from ten. In 1894, Alexander III put fights under the control of officer courts, and at the beginning of the 20th century, dueling codes appeared in Russia.

Dueling Code

Ilya Repin. Study for the painting "Duel". 1913. National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan

Unknown artist. Duel of Pushkin and Dantes. Photo: i-fact.ru

Unknown artist. Duel Lermontov with Martynov. 2nd floor 19th century

There were several dueling codes in Russia, and one of the most famous was the Code of Count Vasily Durasov. The codes of all the rules were similar: the duelist could not suffer from mental illness, he had to firmly hold his weapon and fight. Only opponents of equal status could take part in the duel, and the reason for it was the desecrated honor - of the opponent himself or the lady. There were no female duels in Russia, although a few cases were known in Europe.

A challenge to a duel followed the insult immediately: a demand for an apology, a written challenge, or a visit by seconds. They protected the duelists from direct communication, prepared the duel itself and acted as its witnesses. Being late for a duel by more than 15 minutes was considered evasion from battle, and therefore a loss of honor.

Initially, duelists used edged weapons: a sword, saber or rapier. In the 18th century, dueling pistols began to be used more often, which, being absolutely identical, equalized the chances of both opponents to win. They fired in different ways, for example, over the shoulder, standing with their backs to each other ("stationary blind duel"); with one bullet for two; putting a pistol to his forehead; "muzzle to muzzle".

They shot in turn or simultaneously, on the spot or approaching each other, almost point-blank, from three steps and over a handkerchief, holding it together with their left hands. In such a desperate duel, defending the honor of his sister, the poet and Decembrist Kondraty Ryleev participated. He fought with Prince Konstantin Shakhovsky and was wounded, but not mortally.

Duels of writers

Alexey Naumov. Duel of Pushkin with Dantes. 1884

Adrian Volkov. The last shot of A.S. Pushkin. 2nd half of the 19th century

Ilya Repin. Duel of Onegin and Lensky. Illustration for Alexander Pushkin's novel "Eugene Onegin". 1899. All-Russian Museum of A.S. Pushkin

The death of one of the opponents was not an obligatory outcome of the duel. So, on the account of Alexander Pushkin there were 29 calls. In most cases, the poet's friends negotiated with the police, and Pushkin was put under arrest for the duration of the duel. For example, the reason for the duel between Pushkin and his lyceum friend Wilhelm Kuchelbecker was the epigram of the former: “I ate too much at dinner, / And Yakov bluntly locked the door - / So it was for me, my friends, / Both kuchelbeker and sickening”. The duel ended in a miss by both poets. In 1822, Pushkin and Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Starov did not agree on musical preferences: the poet asked the orchestra to play a mazurka, and the military man asked for a quadrille. Starov took the situation as an insult to the entire regiment, and a duel took place - both opponents missed.

The duel ended with Maximilian Voloshin's harmless prank on Nikolai Gumilyov. Voloshin, together with the poetess Elizaveta Dmitrieva, by agreement, published several poems under the name of Cherubina de Gabriac. Gumilyov was carried away by a non-existent lady and even tried to find out her address. Upon learning that the mysterious Spaniard does not exist, the poet became furious and challenged the joker to a duel. On the notorious Black River, two shots rang out: an angry Gumilyov missed, Voloshin fired into the air.

Two other Russian classics, Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev, also almost shot. While visiting Fet, Tolstoy casually insulted Turgenev's daughter Polina and spat in his direction. The duel did not take place only through the efforts of the writers' friends, but after that they did not speak to each other for 17 years.

The tradition of the duel in Russia is imported. Despite the fact that since ancient times in Rus' there was a tradition of both judicial duels to resolve disputes and duels before the battles of the troops, it has nothing to do with the duel we now know.

In Western Europe, the duel as a way to protect the honor of a nobleman appeared in Italy in the 15th century and began to spread very quickly to other countries. By the beginning of the 16th century, the duel was quite common for the nobility of Western Europe. At the same time, the lower limit of the age of the participants in the fight dropped to 14 years.

Despite the fact that both monarchs and the church banned dueling since the 16th century, Europe experienced a phenomenon known as “dueling fever”.

On April 27, 1578, one of the most famous duels in history, the “duel of the minions”, took place in the Tournel Park in Paris. It was a three-on-three duel between the courtiers of the king of France. Henry III(minions) and supporters of the Duke of Guise (guisars). As a result of the duel, four of the six participants in the duel were killed.

Despite the official ban on duels, the French monarch did not punish the survivors, and ordered the dead to be buried in luxurious mausoleums and marble statues were placed on them.

This attitude towards the “minion duel” led to a surge in the popularity of duels and even to the emergence of professional duelists who earned fame for themselves by endless duels. In this case, any trifle, a disliked look or a dispute over clothes could become the reason for a duel.

Peter the Great: hang those killed in duels by their feet!

In the midst of the European "dueling fever" in Russia, complete calm reigned in this sense. The first duel here took place only in 1666. Rivals were the future general Peter I Patrick Gordon and another mercenary officer, Major Montgomery.

In 1682 Princess Sophia signed a decree allowing servicemen to carry personal weapons, accompanied by a ban on duels.

In the popular film "Moor of Peter the Great", the monarch-reformer expresses his readiness to accept a challenge to a duel for his pupil. In reality, Peter the Great, despite his commitment to European culture, had an extremely negative attitude towards duels.

One of the chapters of the Petrovsky Military Charter of 1715 for a challenge to a duel provided for punishment in the form of deprivation of rank and partial confiscation of property, for entering a duel and drawing weapons - the death penalty with complete confiscation of property, not excluding seconds.

The "military article", which was an explanation of the position of the Military Regulations, confirmed the "most severe prohibition" of challenges and fights. Moreover, hanging was envisaged even for those who ... died in a duel. Their corpses were ordered to be hung by the feet.

"Legitimized form of murder"

However, until the second half of the 18th century, duels in Russia did not take on a mass character. However, when Catherine II they are becoming an increasingly popular way to sort things out, especially among young people brought up in a European spirit.

In 1787, Catherine the Great, alarmed by what was happening, issued a "Manifesto on fights." In it, duels were called "foreign planting"; 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, it was appointed as a similar criminal offense.

But nothing helped. The first half of the 19th century was the peak period for the Russian duel. At the same time, in Europe, where this tradition began to decline, the Russian duel was called "barbarism" and "legalized form of murder."

The fact is that if in Europe the period of “dueling fever” was associated with battles with edged weapons, then in Russia preference was given to firearms, which led to serious outcomes many times more often.

"Noble" duel took the life of Pushkin

In Russia, there was a rather diverse list of types of duels.

The most common was the so-called "mobile duel with barriers." A “distance” (10-25 steps) was marked on the path, its boundaries were marked with “barriers”, which could be used for any objects laid across the path. Opponents were placed at an equal distance from the barriers, holding pistols in their hands with the muzzle up. At the command of the manager, the opponents began to converge - to move towards each other. It was possible to go at any speed, it was forbidden to move back, you could stop for a while. Having reached his barrier, the duelist had to stop. The order of shots could be negotiated, but more often they fired on readiness, in random order. According to Russian rules, after the first shot, the opponent who had not yet fired had the right to demand that the opponent go to his barrier and thus be able to shoot from a minimum distance. The famous expression "To the barrier!" just means such a requirement.

A duel from a distance of 15 steps was considered "noble", because the option of a fatal outcome in this case was not so likely. Nevertheless, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was mortally wounded in a duel with 20 steps.

Fight to the death

Unlike Europe, in Russia there were types of duels that terrified the inhabitants of other countries. For example, a duel "for six steps": with this option, the opponents were located at a distance that provides a guaranteed hit. A duel of this kind often ended in the death of both participants.

Sometimes a variant of this duel was used, in which one pistol was loaded, the duelists received weapons by lot, after which both pulled the trigger. In this case, the "unlucky" was practically doomed to death.

In Europe, by the beginning of the 19th century, there were no types of duels that provided for the obligatory death of one of the participants. In Russia, there were types of duels "to the death." One of these was the duel on the edge of the abyss - the wounded in the duel fell into the abyss and died.

Gradation according to the degree of insults

The reason for the duel was the damage done to the honor of the victim, as well as the honor of his family. In certain circumstances, the call could also occur for insulting the honor of third parties who provide patronage to the caller.

The reason for the duel could not be the infliction of any material damage. In addition, filing a complaint with the authorities deprived the offended of the right to demand satisfaction with the help of a duel.

There was a whole gradation of insults, according to which the offended received the right to demand certain conditions of the duel.

It is curious that an insult inflicted on a woman was considered one step more serious than a similar one, but inflicted on a man.

Satisfaction could also be demanded from a woman who insulted a nobleman - however, such an insult was rated two steps lower than a similar one inflicted by a man. In any case, it would be the offender's relative, not herself, who would have to answer the call.

Fight with witnesses, but no spectators

It was recommended that the offended person immediately, on the spot, demand an apology in a calm and respectful tone, or immediately tell the offender that seconds would be sent to him. Further, the offended could either send a written challenge (cartel), or challenge the offender to a duel orally, through seconds. The maximum period for a call under normal conditions was considered a day. Delaying with a challenge was considered bad form.

There was another important rule that said: "One insult - one challenge." If a certain insolent person insulted several people at once, only one offended person could call him to a duel. Preference was given to the one who got the most gross insult.

It was considered extremely unethical to turn the duel into a performance. In addition to the duelists, the duel was attended by seconds and a doctor. The presence of friends and relatives of the participants was possible but not encouraged.

At a predetermined time, usually in the morning, opponents, seconds and a doctor arrived at the appointed place.

One of the parties was allowed to be late for 15 minutes. A longer delay was considered avoiding a duel and meant dishonor.

The duel usually began 10 minutes after the arrival of everyone. Opponents and seconds greeted each other with a bow.

From among the seconds, a duel manager was appointed, who supervised all actions.

Heavily offended shoots first

The steward offered the duelists for the last time to reconcile. In case of refusal of the parties, he voiced the rules of the duel. The seconds marked the barriers and loaded the pistols (if the duel was with the use of firearms). The rules of the duel required the participants in the duel to empty all their pockets.

The seconds took places parallel to the battle line, the doctors behind them. All actions were performed by the opponents at the command of the manager.

If during the duel on swords one of them dropped the sword, or it broke, or the fighter fell, his opponent was obliged to interrupt the duel at the command of the steward until his opponent got up and was not able to continue the duel.

In a duel with pistols, the degree of insult inflicted was of great importance. If the insult was medium or heavy, then the offended person had the right to shoot first, otherwise the right of the first shot was determined by lot.

Right to a replacement

The rules of the duel allowed the replacement of its participant by a person representing his interests. This was possible if it was a woman, a minor, a man over 60 years old, or having an illness or injury that puts him in a clearly unequal position with the enemy.

The honor of a woman could be defended either by a man from among the closest blood relatives, or a husband, or a companion (that is, the one who accompanied the woman at the time and place where the insult was inflicted), or, upon expressing such a desire, any man who was present at the insult or later learned about it and considers it necessary for himself to intercede for this woman.

At the same time, only a woman who had impeccable behavior from the point of view of social norms could receive the right to defend her honor. If the lady managed to become famous for her excessively free behavior, the challenge in her defense was not considered valid.

A pair of pistols in the XIX century. was kept in many noble houses in case of a duel. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

The surviving duelists became friends

Dueling rules forbade fights with close relatives, which included sons, fathers, grandfathers, grandchildren, uncles, nephews, brothers. Duels with cousins ​​and second cousins ​​were considered quite acceptable.

If, as a result of the duel, both opponents remained alive and conscious as a result, then they were supposed to shake hands with each other, the offender - to apologize (in this case, the apology no longer offended his honor, since it was considered restored by the duel, but was a tribute to ordinary courtesy). At the end of the duel, honor was considered restored, and any claims of opponents to each other about the former insult were invalid.

It was believed that the duelists who survived the battle should have become friends, or at least continue to maintain normal relations. The repeated challenge of the same person to a duel was possible only in the most extraordinary cases.

How Minister Vannovsky staged a renaissance of the Russian duel

For almost the entire 19th century, Russian monarchs passed laws aimed at banning fights. Emperor Nicholas I said: “I hate the duel. This is barbarism. In my opinion, there is nothing knightly in it. Duke of Wellington destroyed her in the English army and did well. At the same time, he significantly reduced the responsibility for duels. Approved in 1845, the “Code of Criminal Punishments” completely exempted seconds and doctors from liability, and the participants in the duel were threatened with 6 to 10 years in prison with the preservation of noble rights.

In practice, the punishment was even more lenient - most often the perpetrators, even in a deadly duel, were limited to several months in prison and a slight demotion in rank.

By the end of the 19th century, the popularity of duels in Russia began to decline. However, in 1894, at the suggestion of the Minister of War Peter Vannovsky, in order to strengthen morale in the army, duels were not just legalized, but in some cases became mandatory for officers.

The logical result was a sharp increase in the number of duels. If in the period from 1876 to 1890 in Russia only 14 cases of officer duels came to court, then in 1894-1910 322 duels took place. At the same time, over 250 of them were held by decision of the courts of officer honor, which were given the right to appoint fights. Unauthorized duels, without the permission of the chiefs, turned out to be only 19, and not a single participant was held accountable.

Of the 322 duels of this period, 315 took place with pistols and only 7 with edged weapons. Most of the fights of 1894-1910 ended in bloodless or light wounds, and only 30 ended in death or serious wounds of the duelists.

Rifle fights: how Russian emigrants died

At the beginning of the 20th century, duels fought not only the military, but also politicians, as well as cultural figures. The leader of the Union of October 17 was an avid duelist Alexander Guchkov, a duel between the poets of the Silver Age is known Nikolai Gumilyov And Maximilian Voloshin.

The institute of the Russian duel ceased to exist after the October Revolution of 1917, along with other attributes of a class society.

In the White Army, and then among the Russian emigration, until the 1930s, another original type of duel was popular - a duel on Mosin rifles. At the same time, the lethal force of this weapon made a lethal outcome almost inevitable. For desperate people, such a duel became a kind of “noble” way of suicide.