A duel is a type of arranged combat between two males who have matched weapons, in accordance to agreed-upon rules. Duels were frequently based after a certain code of honor. They were fought not in order to slaughter the rival, but to actually gain plenty of ‘satisfaction’, which meant restoring one’s dignity and honor by showing that they were willing to risk their lives in battle.
A lot of people have this misconception that dueling rarely happened in history, and was only chosen as a last resort – But from America to Italy, tens and thousands of duels took place, with most participants belonging to noble and upper-class families.
The popularity of dueling waned during the end of the 19th century, and people ultimately lost interest when the major wars started breaking out. Despite dueling being romanticized, it was actually a practice that stripped most men of their youth in battle. After the American Civil War, men no longer placed importance on their reputation to the extent they previously had.
