This is a description of the development of the duel from its medieval origins to the early 20th century. The book also examines the movement of opinion about duelling in different areas at different times, as reflected in legislation, in the pronouncements of the churches and in the works of such philosophers such as Montesquieu, and writers such as Walter Scott who was preoccupied with the duel as a hereditary curse of his class and civilization. The author discusses the distinctiveness of the duelling tradition as something unique to Europe and its colonies; how it was given as special character by the social structures of Ireland and Scotland, compared with England; what women thought of it; and how it contributed to the development of an officer corps which played a vital part in establishing Europe's military supremacy. This throws some light on the long ascendancy of aristocratic classes and their values in European history.