![]() After the deposition of King Richard II of England, some infirm and elderly nobles were maliciously accused of treasonable words against the king and then forced to defend themselves against young and well-trained accusers. Sword duels between women also occurred, although rare. Some disabilities, such as a missing limb or eye, also prevented sword duels. Some towns exempted their inhabitants from having to fight judicial duels. The elderly, clergy members, and children were exempted from judicial duels. Other nobles only fought dismounted with longswords or poleaxes. Among nobles, dueling often began on horseback with lances and continued on foot with longswords. Judicial duels among commoners were often between craftsmen. Commoners could fight judicial duels, though they could rarely challenge nobles. Depending on the agreement, a sword duel would be stopped until the first blood was drawn, one was disarmed, severely injured, or died. Sword duels had rules on how to start and finish the combat.įor instance, one would throw down his gauntlet as the challenge, then the opponent would accept it by picking it up. However, failure to appear on the day itself would be considered a confession of guilt. On the other hand, respected men were sometimes released on sureties, letting them settle their affairs and train. In judicial duels, the accused could even be imprisoned if he was likely to flee. A sword duel was a mutual agreement between duelists.Īfter a duelist issued a formal challenge, the date and venue would be agreed to. Also, there must be no other way to prove or disprove the matter by documents or witness testimony. Generally, a crime that had been committed must be punishable by death, as at least one duelist was likely to die. In the French Ordinance of 1306, judicial duels were only allowed in certain circumstances. ![]() ![]() Rules in judicial duel varied in different periods and regions. Before the actual combat, the accuser swore his testimony was true, while the accused swore his innocence. In judicial duels, there must be reasonable grounds to suspect the accused. Others were about disputes over the rightful ownership of land. Reasons may include murder, treason, betrayal, falsehood, tarnished reputation, or personal slight. Generally, there was a high stake struggle between two duelists. There were several reasons for challenging an opponent to a duel. These provided an equal advantage to each duelist and also limited casualties. These often included a specific set of rules that duelists agreed to beforehand. Several dueling codes, also Code Duelo, set the etiquette for sword duels. These private duels evolved into illegal post-medieval honor duels. However, the Church and monarchs discouraged the practice, leading to many fights privately without legal sanction. They were rarely fought to the death and often ended before either duelist was seriously hurt. Honor duels were initially legitimate public events that were attended by huge crowds. Since some took their honor seriously, whenever some words or deeds diminished their sense of honor, a duelist would enter a duel to restore one’s honor-not to kill their opponent. The duel of honor emerged when several nobles established themselves as a social class. ![]() If still alive after the sword duel, the loser was dealt according to the law. If the opponent claims that his accuser lied, the judge might call them to fight in a sword duel, in the belief that the judgment of God would determine the winner. Generally, one would declare before a judge that his opponent was guilty of a crime. The judicial duel was a legal practice conducted before the magistrate and the public. On the other hand, the post-medieval duel of honor was often illegally fought because nobles felt their honor was slighted. The medieval judicial duel was part of the legal process and fought over a severe crime. Types of Sword Duel A duel between Charles de Lameth and the Marquis de Castries, Novem– Credits: Wiki Media CommonsĪ sword duel was a pre-arranged combat between two individuals armed with swords. Let’s explore the history of sword duels, their cultural variations, and the types of swords used. There were several reasons why duelists entered a sword duel, and the rules and customs also varied from the early Middle Ages to the early modern period. They had various types, from trial-by-single-combat or judicial duels to private honor duels. Throughout history, sword duels became a means of settling disputes and restoring lost honor.
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