14 Of The Most Remarkable Duels From History

When Miyamoto Musashi met Sasaki Kojiro in 1612, the two highly skilled duelists were soon slated to face off. It's not entirely clear why they entered into a rivalry of sorts - it may have been political; it may have been about honor - but on April 13, they met on the island of Ganryujima in Japan.

Their duel was an event that drew crowds, complete with food and drink, but Musashi arrived late. He reportedly stalled intentionally, carving a wooden sword from a paddle on the boat he needed to get to the island.

When Musashi finally arrived, Kojiro taunted him from the water's edge, yelling, "Did you get scared?" According to accounts, Kojiro charged at Musashi "with the intention of cutting his head down the middle... [he] cut the knot of Musashi's headband, and it fell to the ground."

In that same moment, Musashi struck Kojiro down - using only a wooden sword. He then hit Kojiro again in the ribs and killed him before bowing to the duel referees and leaving the island aboard the same boat he'd arrived in.

When Otto von Bismarck and his political rival, Rudolf Virchow, were preparing to duel in 1865, the latter had the choice of weapons. As the story goes, Virchow chose sausages.

A researcher, physician, and social scientist, Virchow became known for his cell theory, stating in 1855, "Omnis cellula e cellula" ("every cell stems from another cell"). As he explored the relationship between cells, disease, and public health, he became increasingly active politically. He went on to serve in the German Reichstag from 1880 to 1893. Even before that, Virchow was active in forming the German Progressive Party and was an outspoken critic of Bismarck's excessive military budget, calling for money to be shifted to meet the needs of the public instead. 

Bismarck, also called the "Iron Chancellor," espoused the policy of "Blood and Iron" - advocating for the use of both through speeches and majority resolutions in politics and diplomacy. After a cholera outbreak ravaged Germany in 1863, Virchow criticized Bismarck's inaction over public cleanliness - specifically in slaughterhouses.

As a result, in 1865, Virchow is said to have chosen sausages for his weapon of choice - with his own being cooked and Bismarck's full of parasite larvae. Each man was expected to eat his "weapon." Once Bismarck heard the conditions, he withdrew from the duel. 

General François Fournier-Sarlovèze and General Pierre Dupont de l’Étang were both officers in Napoleon Bonaparte's army. Reportedly, their longstanding dislike of each other began when Dupont offended one of Fornier-Sarlovèze's associates in 1794. As a result, the latter challenged the former to a duel.

They didn't end their grievance for nearly 20 years. Over those years, they developed their own set of rules. Their code duello included four articles:

Article 1: Should Mr. Dupont and Mr. Fornier find themselves within ninety miles from one another, they would meet halfway with swords in hands.

Article 2: Should one of the two contracting parts be impeded by his service, the one free to move should cross the entire distance to reconcile the service duties and rules to this treaty.

Article 3: Military obligations aside, no excuse will be considered valid.

Article 4: As this treaty was established in good faith, the conditions set hereby cannot be departed from.

The men dueled using swords and pistols, with the final meeting involving the latter. In 1813, Dupont won the duel and the two agreed to end the matter for good. 

Jeffrey Hudson was an entertainer in the service of Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I of England. At 7 years old, Hudson emerged from a pie - he was only about 18 inches tall at the time - and, from there, he eventually became one of the queen's closest confidants and has been referred to as the "Queen's Dwarf." 

As a performer, Hudson - who had a form of proportional dwarfism - took part in an array of activities, including dueling. According to sources, he dueled a turkey on one occasion, but it was his face-off with William Crofts (captain of the queen's life guard) that stands out the most. After Crofts taunted and ridiculed Hudson severely, the latter challenged the former to a duel.

Crofts reportedly showed up with a "squirt" - a water gun of sorts - but the two men were soon given actual weapons. According to historical record, they were equipped with pistols "and then mounted on horseback, and given the signal to gallop toward each other and fire, which they both did, Crofts falling from his saddle dead, with a bullet-hole in his heart."

According to other sources, Crofts was shot in the head, but either way, he didn't survive. 

When Humphrey Howarth showed up to duel Henry, Earl of Barrymore, in 1806, he was either shirtless or entirely nude.

Howarth, a member of the British Parliament, was wearing few items of clothing for practical reasons more than anything else. The former surgeon was aware that clothing could actually make wounds more dangerous by causing infection if dirty fabric was pushed into the skin. 

The opponents had entered into a disagreement at the race track, which led to a challenge to duel at dawn the next morning. When the Earl of Barrymore saw his opponent was naked, however, he wouldn't take part in the event.

One simple comment prompted the so-called "Petticoat Duel" of 1792. While Lady Almeria Braddock and a Mrs. Elphinstone were enjoying some light conversation, the latter said to Braddock, "You have been a very beautiful woman."

Braddock apparently took issue with the implication - that her beauty was in the past - as well as Elphinstone's follow-up: "You have a very good autumnal face... but you must acknowledge that the lilies and roses are somewhat faded."

The exchange led to a duel between the women at London's Hyde Park soon after. Each had a pistol, and Elphinstone reportedly hit Braddock's hat. They were then handed swords and, during the exchange, Elphinstone was struck on the arm. At that point, they'd both gotten some level of satisfaction, and they ended their confrontation.