Duels :: Essays Papers

Duels This is the worth of Court take away the ladies, duels and the ballets and I would not want to be there. - A. dAubigne, Baron de Foeneste, Il, 17 Duels and the act of dueling is something that has characterized not only the imagination of historians and youthful contendfare enthusiasts, hardly also the minds of writers and readers of literature for years. The numerous literary variations on the theme of dueling are enough of an indication of its importance, and the fascination with the act continues to increase. However, dueling is more than than a literary climax or a plot yield duels have been being fought for centuries and are actually derivatives of many medieval practices. The banter duel has several predecessors, depending on which history is being referenced. The or so gross form of the word is derived from the German word Duell, which is a derivative of the Latin word duellum. Duellum is a combination of the Latin words bellum and duo, whic h connotes a war between cardinal. This simple definition seems to be the most common and the most recognizable. Historian Francois Billacois states that a duel is a fight between two or several individuals ( nevertheless always with equal numbers on any side), equally armed, for the purpose of proving either the truth of a disputed heading or the valour, courage and honour of each combatant (Billacois, 5). Historian Ute Frevert concurs, but points out that duels, especially in the redbrick era, were no mock fights, but unspoiled passages at arms in which the opponents risked their lives and which could result in serious injury, or even death (Frevert, 11). Most contemporary historians believe that the modern version of the duel developed out of three medieval institutions the feud, the discriminatory duel and the knightly tournament. The belief that dueling was derived from these three events is often referred to as the doggedness theory. Feuds in the medieval p eriod occurred when people attempted to settle disputes and lay claim revenge for insults through private vengeance, rather than by going to the governing and entrudting them to settle the matter. Judicial duels, on the other hand, were official acts, during which both parties (the complainant and the defendant) fought their grievances out on the battle field with swords in front of a judge.