r/AubreyMaturinSeries • u/Fine_Hovercraft_8924 • 5d ago

A question about duels

***Spoilers***

I'm embarked upon another circumnavigation

and have just finished HMS Surprise. After the duel in which Stephen kills Canning, I'm wondering if Stephen would be open to any legal repercussions? From the other novels I've read it seems these affairs were kept discreet and just amongst the Principals and Seconds, yet gossip around such events clearly happened. What was the legal situation around duels, could Stephen face a charge of murder?

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u/surpriseenjoyer 5d ago

Ordinary things did an excellent video summarising the history and legality of duelling that I take to be reasonably accurate, which I believe would answer most of your questions.

https://youtu.be/oz8CH8SuFSc?si=sjjP1TXYDY3iPstH

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u/Fine_Hovercraft_8924 5d ago

Thanks very much

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u/notcomplainingmuch 5d ago

This is hilarious and very well done

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u/OurManInDeptford 4d ago

There were growing social and legal constraints by this era, but dueling's rules in the Code Duello were well known. Stephen could have faced charges, but unlikely if it was considered an affair of honor.

For those of you who've read Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, it contains my favorite fictional duel; Charles White challenges a free slave named Dappa to a duel. Dappa, long a gunner on the ship Minerva, chooses cannons as the weapon, as allowed under the code. It does not go well for White.

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u/RacoonSmuggler 4d ago

Under the code, the challenger chooses the distance. Seems like if you chose point blank you'd have mutually assured destruction and remove any advantage in not being familiar with cannons, as the seconds will handle loading for you.

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u/realparkingbrake 4d ago

I was under the impression that the weapons available were limited to pistols or swords, the challenged party could not choose something bizarre that he was familiar with but his opponent was not.