In Europe, duels were common from the Renaissance on among aristocrats and military men. While duels were usually fought with swords in the first part of the 18th century, pistols became popular in Britain from around the 1770ies, superseding swords as a weapon. Duelling was illegal, and killing a man in duel was considered murder. … Continue reading If the Irish Code Duello of 1777 didn’t exist, which rules guided the handling of a duel in the late 18th Century?