It's been a long time since we've mentioned a duel in its proper form, and we won't do so again this time. Instead, we'll talk about a duel so unique that it astonished its contemporaries and remains firmly etched in the memory of posterity. I'm referring, as you've probably understood, to the duel in series that took place between François-Louis Fournier-Saarlouis and Pierre-Henoutan du Pont d'Altain, two French officers who fought each other 30 times over 19 years, from the time they were both captains in a Republican cavalry corps until they became generals in the Imperial army.
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The saga begins
It all began in Strasbourg, where they were both stationed, under the command of General Moreau. François Fournier, a bad-tempered and battle-loving hussar officer, had just killed a young man named Bloom in a duel, under some foolish pretext, and the whole city was in uproar and shock. On the evening of the funeral, General Moreau gave a ball for the townspeople, and ordered his third lieutenant, Captain Dupont, to see to it that Fournier remained outside and did not, by his presence, inflame the feelings of the invited residents. As might be expected, when Dupont stopped Fournier at the entrance to the ballroom, the latter immediately challenged him to a duel.
The first time, Dupont won, wounding Fournier quite seriously, but the latter insisted on continuing immediately after returning to his senses. The second time, Dupont was the one who was injured, and now it was he who demanded a continuation. The third time – both were injured, and both insisted that it was not over. And so it went on for the next 19 years: the two had time to develop rules of conduct between them – the fighter always had to come halfway, unless his opponent was busy with military activity, and could not make it to the ring (military activity was the only excuse accepted for postponing the duel between the two).
The duel becomes a tradition and the fighters become friends.
Over time, quite naturally, the pair became friends, opening their fights with a cordial handshake and clarifying the news of the other man's life. Dueling between officers of different ranks was a problematic issue, so both took the opportunity to fight whenever they found themselves promoted to the same rank as their opponent. Here, for example, is something from one of the letters Fournier sent to his opponent, when he learned that the latter had become a general, just like him:
Dear Dupont,
I have heard that the Emperor has done justice to your qualities and has recently promoted you to the rank of Brigadier-General. Please accept my sincere congratulations on your promotion, which your courage has made only natural and natural. I, personally, have two reasons to rejoice at this appointment. First, the satisfaction of the fortunate circumstances of your promotion; and second, the opportunity now given us to cross swords at the first opportunity.
https://youtu.be/t3ksvHXBHH0
Both were excellent fencers who fought at about the same level, but Fournier was an extraordinary marksman with pistols and used to amuse himself by smashing the pipes of the hussars under his command – he made sure to shoot them when he saw the soldier smoking while riding. Therefore, and in accordance with the accepted etiquette in dueling, the two made sure to use weapons that they were equally proficient with, until one day, in 1813, Dupont came to Fournier with the demand that the next fight be fought with pistols. He was about to get married and insisted that it should be their last fight. Fournier tried to dissuade his friend from both fateful decisions – both marriage and pistols, but finally relented and the two decided that in order to even the odds even a little, the duel would be “free” – they would ride into the forest, separate there, and then begin to line up one after the other.
It didn’t really help – the two ran into each other and hid behind their respective trees. The more sophisticated Dupont lured his rival-friend into emptying his pistols with some clothing stunts, then emerged from cover, pointing his two loaded pistols at Fournier, shouting: “Smile in my hands, but I won’t take them!” “Do what you want…” – Fournier muttered in annoyance, but he knew that with this noble gesture, Dupont and his friend had put an end to the entertainment they had been provided with for the past 19 years…
And if this tale sounds familiar to you, it's because Joseph Conrad wrote a story inspired by it and Ridley Scott made his debut film based on it, a short part of which you saw in this article. The film stars Harvey Keitel as Fournier and Keith Cardin as Dupont.
Where were duels fought in Paris?
The truth is that almost any open place (including a duel fought in the air using inflated balloons or a duel between women in Belleville using stockings). However, the most popular place for dueling, especially during the 17th century, was Vosges SquareIn the garden in the center of the square, many hundreds of battles were fought (including a duel between a pair of women who fought for the love of theDuke de Richelieu (He himself was born in the square and lived there for a certain period of time.) The square was very popular both because of its large garden and because it was located on the eastern border of Paris, which allowed the winner to easily escape the city (Cardinal de Richelieu banned the duel and threatened the death penalty against anyone who participated in it).
during French Revolution The laws of the monarchy were abolished, including the ban on duels. At the same time, everyone was allowed to carry weapons, which made these fights more and more popular. We might think that the main reason for a duel would be the honor or the heart of one of the noblewomen. This may have been true in the 17th century when theMarquis de Savigny Killed in a duel following a futile argument over his mistress. However, in the 19th century, political debates replaced romance as the most popular reason for dueling, and the warring lovers were replaced by politicians and journalists.
One of the victims of such a political duel was Victor Noir, who did not participate in the duel at all but came only to deliver an invitation from his boss (an important newspaper editor in Paris) and in response was shot dead by Prince Napoleon, who had been invited to this duel. The result, as you will read in the article about that unfortunate man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time: one of the strangest monuments inPere Lachaise Cemetery.
The tradition of dueling continued into the 20th century, and was attended by, among others, Leon Blum, who would become the first Jewish Prime Minister of Germany. FranceAnd let's end this tragic chapter in French history with a particularly amusing quote from Mark Twain:
Although many people laugh at the modern duel in France, this is a mistake, because it is one of the most dangerous institutions of our time. Since the fights are always fought in the open air, both combatants are in almost certain danger of catching cold. Lord Paul de Cassagnac, the famous fighter of Douro, was often disabled by colds. One of the great Ruffanos said that if Lord de Cassagnac continued this practice for the next 20 years and did not move the places where he used to fight to closed rooms, where he would be protected from gusts of wind, he would eventually risk his life.