The duel is associated with men fighting for their honor. They can fence, shoot, even box. Many options have accumulated over the history of mankind on how to settle scores with an enemy, and no doubt everyone knows about this.
But was the showdown with the help of duels an exclusively male occupation? Could a woman defend her honor in this way? And if she could, what weapon did she use? Or was it only cunning that helped women to deal with rivals, and an honest duel was not peculiar to them?
Were there female duels?
Although this method of sorting out a relationship is associated with most people exclusively with the stronger sex, the duel has never been the prerogative of men.
Noble ladies of the Middle Ages, and even later times, loved to throw gloves and meet rivals with weapons in their hands. Everything was in use that the men had. That is, rapiers, swords, sabers, pistols - all this could be seen in ladies' hands.
Neapolitan passions
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Not all fights have sunk into the abyss of time. For example, the duel between Dantes and Pushkin is described in full detail both in literary works and in historical documents. And quite a few other, lesser-known fights were carefully recorded or described by their witnesses and participants.
But what about women's duels? Have the names of warlike and determined ladies remained in history? Of course they stayed. The most violent and frequent duels between women took place in Naples.
The most famous duel took place in 1552. The Marquis de Vasta became its witness and chronograph. In his presence, two noble ladies, namely Isabela de Carazzi and Diambra de Pettinella, grappled with each other. The reason for the quarrel was the struggle for the attention of a very handsome young man. The verbal skirmish ended with a challenge to a duel. Fortunately, there was no bloodshed. However, the emotional intensity was so great that this story formed the basis of a number of works of art and canvases written decades later. For example, it was this case that was inspired by Jose de Ribera, who painted the famous painting "Women's Duel".
Spanish blood under crucifixion
Women's rage was not stopped by anything. Unlike men, ladies were not puzzled by conventions and rules, they were not worried about the observance of traditions and other, similar nuances. They could also grapple in the "house of God," which was completely unacceptable and even dishonorable for men.
Late in the evening of May 27, 1571, two ladies, richly and very fashionably dressed, knocked at the door of the Monastery of St. Benedict, located in Milan. Their manner and speech betrayed their noble origins. However, they did not introduce themselves, but only asked for shelter for the night. Of course, the nuns did not refuse them.
After some time, the sisters were awakened by wild screams and groans coming from the guest cell occupied by strangers. Entering the room, the nuns saw angry women fighting with daggers. Both ladies died and their names remained unknown.
Did the French women fight?
Cardinal Richelieu was a fierce opponent of duels. Anyone who has read Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers or watched a feature film knows this. But, paradoxically, it was the cardinal who provoked the most famous French women's duel, which took place in the 17th century in the Bois de Boulogne.
The Countess de Polignac and the Marquise de Nesle sorted out relations with each other on rapiers. And these noble ladies did not share not some trifle, but the attention of Richelieu himself. The incident made a strong impression on the cardinal, and he described it in his memoirs. Contemporaries believed that it was the clash of these women that became the reason that Richelieu introduced a ban on dueling.
Identical dresses - a reason for an English duel
It is generally accepted that Englishwomen are not distinguished by their violent disposition and pronounced temperament. However, history proves the opposite. The aristocrats of Great Britain were not only very aggressive, but also possessed remarkable cunning, cunning and the ability to wait for the right moment to destroy their rival. However, women in Foggy Albion did not fight for the attention of men, they found other reasons for duels.
In 1612, the Earl of Sussex gave one of the traditional balls. Lady Rockford, who arrived at it, experienced the most terrifying nightmare that can happen to a woman. Among the dancers she saw a lady in exactly the same outfit as she was wearing herself. The name of the villainess was Esther Reilly.
The ladies chose poison as their weapon of choice. They both arrived at an inn on the outskirts of London and entered a room from which there was only one to leave. The essence of the duel was simple - there were 2 glasses on the table, one of them contained poison, and the other contained ordinary wine.
History has not preserved information about how exactly the glass was chosen, who poured the poison and poured the wine. And these are very important nuances, since the result of the duel was a severe intestinal disorder, which developed in Esther Reilly, and not in Lady Rockford. Although the duel did not end in death, its circumstances and outcome suggest that one of the participants was “foul play”.
Angelica Braldi