Lesson 4: History of Dueling
Rules and Traditions
We've covered spells and skills, so now it's time to go over how you actually use them. What happens during a duel? What are the rules and traditions?
"I'd take you on any time on my own. Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
—Draco Malfoy
As Draco tells us, the difference between a wizard's duel and a typical human duel is that in a wizard's duel you can only use magic - no physical combat. This means that wrestling or punching would be frowned upon in any duel and could even get you disqualified in a competition. This leads us to the types of dueling: Wizards may duel for fun, such as in a contest, or to battle an enemy and try to kill him. Whether the duel is serious or playful, there are some traditions that are always followed.
Bowing: A proper wizard's duel begins with the two opponents bowing to each other. Even two wizards who despise each other will still perform some sign of a bow. It may be only a slight nod of the head, but they will do something to maintain this tradition.
Seconds: Each wizard in a formal duel has a "second", someone to take over if he cannot complete the duel. For example, Ron Weasley was going to be the second for Harry Potter in a duel planned against Draco Malfoy.
Other rules: If wizards are not dueling to the death, they will likely come up with other rules and restrictions for their duel. For example, they may decide unforgiveable curses are off limits. If the duel is unfriendly, however, wizards will do whatever it takes to finish off their opponents.
History of Dueling
There is not much information given to us about the history of dueling. In fact, there are only two recorded duels prior to the 20th century.
Therefore, we are going to look at how dueling came to be in the muggle society, which can be assumed to have many similarities to the the duels that exist in the wizarding world.
Some of the oldest legends contain examples of dueling, in stories involving two fighting armies. Each would produce a "champion" who would fight a one-on-one battle with the other, on behalf of their entire army. An example of this would be the story of David and Goliath. Though there were many others in each army, when David defeated Goliath in their "duel," it meant the victory of his entire army. These stories gave a positive connotation to the duel, with it representing bravery and skill.
Although dueling began as a form of justice in Europe (two arguing men would duel, with the loser being declared guilty), it soon became more like the dueling of legend, with two knights fighting each other in order to win honor. Moving out of the middle ages, dueling only grew in popularity. During the 16th century, it is believed that over 10,000 Frenchmen died in duels. The king soon tried to encourage more diplomatic ways of solving disagreements, but the dueling continued with an additional 4,000 dying in duels while Louis XIV was in power.
As Europeans began moving to the america, they brought dueling with them. In fact, the first duel in North America took place at Plymouth Rock in 1621. Especially in the south, dueling was the honorable way to defend one's pride and earn respect. Lawyers and Politicians would use duels to take out the competition, and try to make themselves look successful. By now, however, duels had become less fatal, often ending once someone started bleeding, with his opponent being declared the winner. Duels could even end in a draw, such after a single volley in a pistol duel. The men would have gained respect from having "risked their lives", even if both intentionally missed, which happened often.
Of course, there still were many deaths and terrible wounds, which led to a controversy. Some people believed that dueling was barbaric and unfair, while others thought it actually prevented violence. Their reasoning was that both people were able to get their anger out in the duel, thereby preventing any feuds from arising. They also believed that people had better manners, being careful not to offend anyone in a way that might lead to a duel. One pro-dueling view is expressed in a manual from 1836: "I should consider it very unwise in the members of government, to adopt any measures that would enforce the prohibition of duelling…the man who falls in a duel, and the individual who is killed by the overturn of a stage-coach, are both unfortunate victims to a practice from which we derive great advantage. It would be absurd to prohibit stage-travelling-because, occasionally, a few lives are lost by an overturn."
By the end of the 19th century, dueling began to die out in popularity. The United States' Civil War contributed to this greatly. As many young men lost their lives in the war, people didn't want those who were left also to die in duels. Also, with the war, people had lost a lot of money, and were therefore more likely to take a dispute to court where they could win some back, rather than a duel, where they would only experience more bloodshed.
Dueling has almost been eliminated from our society today, with the exception of sporting events. Combative events such as wrestling, or even other one-on-one events such as tennis could be seen as duels. Luckily, these do not typically result in deaths, and perhaps represent a positive and accepted way to include dueling in our culture.
Checkpoint 5: VI
Information and pictures from HP Lexicon, the Harry Potter Wiki, and the Art of Manliness website.
"I'd take you on any time on my own. Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only – no contact. What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?"
—Draco Malfoy
As Draco tells us, the difference between a wizard's duel and a typical human duel is that in a wizard's duel you can only use magic - no physical combat. This means that wrestling or punching would be frowned upon in any duel and could even get you disqualified in a competition. This leads us to the types of dueling: Wizards may duel for fun, such as in a contest, or to battle an enemy and try to kill him. Whether the duel is serious or playful, there are some traditions that are always followed.
Bowing: A proper wizard's duel begins with the two opponents bowing to each other. Even two wizards who despise each other will still perform some sign of a bow. It may be only a slight nod of the head, but they will do something to maintain this tradition.
Seconds: Each wizard in a formal duel has a "second", someone to take over if he cannot complete the duel. For example, Ron Weasley was going to be the second for Harry Potter in a duel planned against Draco Malfoy.
Other rules: If wizards are not dueling to the death, they will likely come up with other rules and restrictions for their duel. For example, they may decide unforgiveable curses are off limits. If the duel is unfriendly, however, wizards will do whatever it takes to finish off their opponents.
History of Dueling
There is not much information given to us about the history of dueling. In fact, there are only two recorded duels prior to the 20th century.
- All-England Dueling Competition of 1430: Alberta Toothill defeats Samson Wiblin with the use of a blasting charm.
- Egbert the Egregious defeats Emeric the Evil, gaining ownership of the Elder wand.
Therefore, we are going to look at how dueling came to be in the muggle society, which can be assumed to have many similarities to the the duels that exist in the wizarding world.
Some of the oldest legends contain examples of dueling, in stories involving two fighting armies. Each would produce a "champion" who would fight a one-on-one battle with the other, on behalf of their entire army. An example of this would be the story of David and Goliath. Though there were many others in each army, when David defeated Goliath in their "duel," it meant the victory of his entire army. These stories gave a positive connotation to the duel, with it representing bravery and skill.
Although dueling began as a form of justice in Europe (two arguing men would duel, with the loser being declared guilty), it soon became more like the dueling of legend, with two knights fighting each other in order to win honor. Moving out of the middle ages, dueling only grew in popularity. During the 16th century, it is believed that over 10,000 Frenchmen died in duels. The king soon tried to encourage more diplomatic ways of solving disagreements, but the dueling continued with an additional 4,000 dying in duels while Louis XIV was in power.
As Europeans began moving to the america, they brought dueling with them. In fact, the first duel in North America took place at Plymouth Rock in 1621. Especially in the south, dueling was the honorable way to defend one's pride and earn respect. Lawyers and Politicians would use duels to take out the competition, and try to make themselves look successful. By now, however, duels had become less fatal, often ending once someone started bleeding, with his opponent being declared the winner. Duels could even end in a draw, such after a single volley in a pistol duel. The men would have gained respect from having "risked their lives", even if both intentionally missed, which happened often.
Of course, there still were many deaths and terrible wounds, which led to a controversy. Some people believed that dueling was barbaric and unfair, while others thought it actually prevented violence. Their reasoning was that both people were able to get their anger out in the duel, thereby preventing any feuds from arising. They also believed that people had better manners, being careful not to offend anyone in a way that might lead to a duel. One pro-dueling view is expressed in a manual from 1836: "I should consider it very unwise in the members of government, to adopt any measures that would enforce the prohibition of duelling…the man who falls in a duel, and the individual who is killed by the overturn of a stage-coach, are both unfortunate victims to a practice from which we derive great advantage. It would be absurd to prohibit stage-travelling-because, occasionally, a few lives are lost by an overturn."
By the end of the 19th century, dueling began to die out in popularity. The United States' Civil War contributed to this greatly. As many young men lost their lives in the war, people didn't want those who were left also to die in duels. Also, with the war, people had lost a lot of money, and were therefore more likely to take a dispute to court where they could win some back, rather than a duel, where they would only experience more bloodshed.
Dueling has almost been eliminated from our society today, with the exception of sporting events. Combative events such as wrestling, or even other one-on-one events such as tennis could be seen as duels. Luckily, these do not typically result in deaths, and perhaps represent a positive and accepted way to include dueling in our culture.
Checkpoint 5: VI
Information and pictures from HP Lexicon, the Harry Potter Wiki, and the Art of Manliness website.