Duel of honour

A “duel of honour” was a way of settling disputes between gentlemen over some injury or insult. The 1 had to be arranged privately because duelling was never 2 , but it became common in the 17th century. A social code governed the duel of honour and, as long as the rules were 3 to, the survivor could usually escape without being punished by the law. Duels were fought with either pistols or swords, but pistols became the more usual 4 after swords went out of fashion at the end of the 18th century.