If one reads enough Regency romance, he comes across a scene where a duel is to proceed between two individuals. In the 1600s and early 1700s, duels were fought with, originally a rapier, later with a smallsword, and, later still, with a French foil. “A sword is a lever with a sharp edge. A rapier’s blade is lighter than a longsword’s, making it easier to feint and redirect in the midst of a swing. That’s the tradeoff, mechanically, over the heavier blade’s momentum.

“Even though the slender blade of a rapier enables the user to launch a quick attack at a fairly long and advantaged distance between the user and the opponent, and the protective hilt can deflect the opponent’s blade, the thrust-oriented weapon is weakened by its bated cutting power and relatively low maneuverability at a closer distance, where the opponent has safely passed the reach of the rapier’s deadly point.” [Burgess, Colin; Gerloff, Sabine (1981). The Dirks and Rapiers of Great Britain and Ireland. Beck. pp. 32–33.]

“The small sword or smallsword (also court sword, Gaelic: claidheamh beag or claybeg, French: épée de cour, lit. “Sword of the court”) is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier (espada ropera) of the late Renaissance. The height of the small sword’s popularity was during the 18th century, when any civilian or soldier with pretensions to gentlemanly status would have worn a small sword daily. The blade of a small sword is comparatively short at around 0.6 to 0.85 metres (24 to 33 in), though some reach over 1 metre (39 in). It usually tapers to a sharp point but may lack a cutting edge. It is typically triangular in cross-section, although some of the early examples still have the rhombic and spindle-shaped cross-sections inherited from older weapons, like the rapier. This triangular cross-section may be hollow ground for additional lightness. Many small swords of the period between the 17th and 18th centuries were found with colichemarde blades.” [Small Sword]

The modern foil is the training weapon for the small-sword, the common sidearm of 18th century gentleman. Rapier and even longsword foils are also known to have been used, but their weight and use were very different. [“THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOIL (Part 1) / LeonPaul.com”. http://www.leonpaul.com.] The foil is what most of us would imagine if we were to think upon a duel.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, duels were more commonly fought with pistols, designed for the event. The actions of the duel were based on a code of honour. Duels were not designed to “kill” someone, but to know “satisfaction”- to restore one’s honour by accepting the idea of the duel and going forward with it. Generally, this was a MAN’s way of restoring his self-esteem.

In the Regency, duels in England, as well as many European countries, were illegal. By the early 1800s, duels in England meant pistols, not blades. Another major change was the naming of one’s “second,” who jobs included, first, attempting to come to a reconciliation before the duel took place. If that was not possible, the second examined the weapons and knew confident both guns were equal in cleanliness, trigger action, etc. The person being challenged had his choice of weapons when they were presented to him, as well as the side of the field he would defend. Both men could retain their honour if they deloped, meaning shooting up in the air rather than at each other. “Delope” (a French word meaning “throwing away”) is the practice of deliberately wasting one’s first shot in a pistol duel in an attempt to abort the conflict.

“By this time the values of the duel had spread into the broader and emerging society of gentlemen. Research shows that much the largest group of later duellists were military officers, followed by the young sons of the metropolitan elite. Duelling was also popular for a time amongst doctors and, in particular, amongst the legal professions.

“Quantifying the number of duels in Britain is difficult, but there are about 1,000 attested between 1785 and 1845 with fatality rates running at at least 15% and probably somewhat higher. The last duel in England was fought in 1852. In 1862, in an article entitled Dead (and gone) Shots, Charles Dickens recalled the rules and myths of Irish duelling in his periodical All the Year Round. Under the United Kingdom law, to kill in the course of a duel was formally murder, but for much of the history of the duel the courts were very lax in applying the law, since the legal professions were themselves sympathetic to the culture of honour. The Anglican Church was generally hostile to duelling, although some clergymen duelled, but non-conformist sects were relentlessly hostile. The sovereigns generally opposed duelling but rarely were active in suppressing it.” [ [https://janeausten.co.uk/blogs/regency-history/to-punish-or-defend-the-regency-duel]

Story Blurb: Ballerinas were never ladies in Regency London, but Miss Marian Cooper was different. She was a woman of substance, the type of female a miserable example of English “quality” required to make him man enough to inherit the title of Marquess of Coulter.

Giveaway: I have 6 eBook copies of Regency Summer Melodies for those who comment on any or all of the posts regarding this release. Winners will be chosen on July 7, 2025, and contacted by email.

Regency Summer Melodies ~ releasing 5 July 2025 ~ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD8FT6C4/