[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-155525-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-155525-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","the-taming-of-the-duel-masculinity-honour-and-ritual-violence-in-london-1660-1800-article","THE TAMING OF THE DUEL - MASCULINITY, HONOUR AND RITUAL VIOLENCE IN LONDON, 1660-1800 - Article","","The article examines how duelling in London changed across the “long” eighteenth century, focusing on shifts in weapons, the mediating role of seconds, and conventions that reduced violence. Injuries and fatalities declined, and the purpose of duels moved from defeating an opponent to demonstrating courage. Declining public support reflected growing opposition, while the press and courts offered alternative reputation defenses. The changes are explained through interconnected cultural shifts, including intolerance of violence, new internalized notions of elite honour, and “polite” sentimental norms governing masculine conduct.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-taming-of-the-duel-masculinity-honour-and-ritual-violence-in-london-1660-1800-article/155525/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-taming-of-the-duel-masculinity-honour-and-ritual-violence-in-london-1660-1800-article/155525.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Mali","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-08","2026-08-28",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",11,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What key changes in duelling occurred in London during the “long” eighteenth century?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Pistols replaced swords, seconds became new mediators, and new conventions reduced violence. These shifts lowered injuries and fatalities and changed how duels were staged.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How did the purpose of duels evolve over time?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The aim increasingly moved from defeating an opponent to publicly demonstrating courage. Meanwhile, duels faced growing opposition and support became more limited.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why did duelling decline in England according to the article?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The decline is linked to interconnected cultural changes, including rising intolerance of violence, evolving internal understandings of elite honour, and adoption of polite and sentimental norms for masculine behaviour.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},155525,1787914175,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336475104362,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/22000c4c46a41b752dd?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786595829695023868","[eprints@whiterose.ac.uk](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk)[ ](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk)[https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk](https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk)  \nUniversities of Leeds, Sheffield and York  \nDeposited via The University of Sheffield.  \nWhite Rose Research Online URL for this paper:  \n[https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/1629/](https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/1629/)  \nArticle:  \nShoemaker, R.B. (2002) The taming of the duel: masculinity, honour and ritual violence in London, 1660–1800. The Historical Journal, 45 (3) . pp. 525-545. ISSN: 0018-246X  \n[https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X02002534](https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X02002534)  \nReuse  \nItems deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item.  \nTakedown  \nIf you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by  \nemailing [eprints@whiterose.ac.uk](eprints@whiterose.ac.uk) including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request.  \nThe Historical Journal, 􀀴􀀵 , 􀀳 (􀀲􀀰􀀰􀀲), pp. 􀀵􀀲􀀵–􀀵􀀴􀀵 \\# 􀀲􀀰􀀰􀀲 Cambridge University Press DOI: 􀀱􀀰 . 􀀱􀀰􀀱􀀷}S􀀰􀀰􀀱􀀸􀀲􀀴􀀶X􀀰􀀲􀀰􀀰􀀲􀀵􀀳􀀴 Printed in the United Kingdom  \nTHE TAMING OF THE DUEL : MASCULINITY, HONOUR AND RITUAL VIOLENCE IN LONDON, 1660–1800*  \nROBERT B . SHOEMAKER  \nUniversity of Sheffield  \n􀁡􀁢􀁳􀁴􀁲􀁡􀁣􀁴 . Over the course of the ‘ long ’ eighteenth century the nature and significance of duels fought in the London area changed dramatically. Pistols replaced swords, seconds took on a new role as mediators, and new conventions reduced the violence. Consequently, injuries andfatalities decreased significantly. The purpose of fighting duels also shifted from the defeat of one’s antagonist to a demonstration of courage. Although duels continued to occur, growing opposition meant that the audience of people who supported duelling became increasingly limited and duels took place in places far from public view. At the same time, both the press and the courts provided alternative strategies for defending reputations. These changes cannot be attributed to technological developments, official attempts to prevent duelling, or the embourgeoisement of the duel. Rather, they resulted from a series of interlinked cultural changes, including an increasing intolerance of violence, new internalized  \nunderstandings of elite honour, and the adoption of ‘polite ’ and sentimental norms governing masculine conduct. These eighteenth-century changes shed new light on the reasons for the final end of duelling in England in 􀂁􀂈􀂅􀂂 .  \nThe duel had a long history, but it was a malleable custom, and has been variously described as fundamentally feudal, early modern, and modern.\"Although traceable back to medieval tournaments, feuds, and judicial combat, the single combat to resolve questions of honour developed in the sixteenth century in several European countries, arriving in England in the 􀀱􀀵􀀷􀀰s. Over the next two and a half centuries in England, and a further half a century on the continent, the forms and meanings of this custom changed significantly. Recent scholarship has concentrated primarily on the nineteenth century, focusing on the decline of duelling in England and its increased popularity on the continent, and little attention has been paid to the earlier transition from the early modern to the modern (nineteenth-century) duel.\\# During the  \n* I would like to thank Wendy Bracewell, Philip Carter, Miche' le Cohen, Malcolm Fare, David Hayton, Tim Hitchcock, Lawrence Klein, and the participants in the International Conference on the History of Violence (Liverpool, July 􀀲􀀰􀀰􀀱) for valuable comments and suggestions.  \n\" Ute Frev","cbCaitp2uLUbA0FJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitp2uLUbA0FJ","pdf",292664,22,"English","# Introduction\n## Transformation of duelling in the long eighteenth century\n## Changing honour culture and reputation management\n# London as a case study\n## Social and cultural context of the London season\n## Politeness and expectations for male conduct","[{\"question\":\"What key changes in duelling occurred in London during the “long” eighteenth century?\",\"answer\":\"Pistols replaced swords, seconds became new mediators, and new conventions reduced violence. These shifts lowered injuries and fatalities and changed how duels were staged.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the purpose of duels evolve over time?\",\"answer\":\"The aim increasingly moved from defeating an opponent to publicly demonstrating courage. Meanwhile, duels faced growing opposition and support became more limited.\"},{\"question\":\"Why did duelling decline in England according to the article?\",\"answer\":\"The decline is linked to interconnected cultural changes, including rising intolerance of violence, evolving internal understandings of elite honour, and adoption of polite and sentimental norms for masculine behaviour.\"}]","THE TAMING OF THE DUEL - MASCULINITY, HONOUR AND RITUAL VIOLENCE IN LONDON, 1660-1800 - Article | PDF",55]