Women's duels: what ladies fought for

Duels as a way of defending one's honor have been known throughout history. The term itself originates from Italian duello, which in turn comes from the Latin military term. People fought in duels from the earliest times. The Vikings fought with swords, medieval knights won fights, the military fired on pistols. Whoever won is right. In all countries there were duel codes, seconds, judges.
If you think that the duelists were exclusively men, you are deeply mistaken.

Ladies also took part in them. They fought for love, for honor, for their families. And most often topless, so as not to spoil the clothes. We will talk about the most famous duelists.
Our first heroine is Christina Davis. She was born in 1667 in the family of a Dublin brewer. By inheritance, she got a brothel, which her aunt kept. Things were going well, she soon married her employee Richard Welch. For several years they happily lived together, gave birth to two children, and suddenly the husband suddenly disappeared. After the search, Christine realized that her lover was forcibly taken into the army and sent to fight outside the state. After that, the woman settled all her affairs, identified the children as temporary guardians, changed into a man and went to the army to look for her husband.

Cristina became a Christian, took part in several battles in the war for the Spanish inheritance. She managed to maintain her masculine disguise, despite the fact that she was wounded several times and captured by the French. She learned to walk and talk like real soldiers and, in order to finally ward off all suspicions, began to look after the burgher's daughter. Her curtsies were so successful that the girl showed sympathy for her. Relations were purely platonic. At the same time, one of the sergeants from the regiment of Christina-Christian also showed interest in the young lady. Once he could not resist and decided to take the girl by force.

She began to scream, called for help from her neighbors. Enraged, Christine found a sergeant and challenged him with the words: “If you have the courage to attack defenseless women only, then you are not a man. If not, then immediately follow me to that mill.” Christina inflicted a severe wound on his thigh, and she herself escaped with minor injuries to her hand. The sergeant was treated for damage for a long time. Kristina-Christian spent four days in prison. Even in this situation, her disguise was not disclosed. The girl’s father interceded for her, and she was released, having mercy. After this, Christine joined another regiment and continued the search for her husband.

But Christina Davis was not the only one who fought in duels in men's clothing.

Agnes Hotot was perhaps one of the first known duelists. Agnes was born around 1378. In the Middle Ages, people believed that God would help a person in victory, if truth is on his side. Thus, such a trial was seen as a quick and decisive method for resolving disputes. It was precisely such disagreements that arose between the Agnes family and a man named Ringsley.
Her father, Robert Hotot, owned Clopton's estate in Northamptonshire. The dispute arose over a piece of land. In order to resolve this issue, the opponents challenged each other to a duel.

However, shortly before the start of the match, Agnes had gout. Unable to walk, not to mention riding a horse and holding a spear, the knight looked as if he had to give in due to illness due to illness. And this automatically meant that the Lord was not on their side and the earth was moving away to the enemy. Agnes realized that everything was only in her hands and, as the only heiress, decided to protect the honor of the family and take part in a duel.
She put on her father’s armor, armed herself with a spear, and met Ringsley on the battlefield. After the collision, she managed to knock an opponent off the horse.
When the defeated man lay in the mud at her feet, she decided to show whom he was fighting with. Agnes took off her helmet with pleasure and let loose her hair. Then she took off her knightly armor and showed her breasts. Thus confirming that she is really a woman.

Ringsley lost the land and his honor, being completely defeated by a girl. In 1395, Agnes married Richard de Dudley. Her husband's family decided to mark Agnes' knightly victory on his coat of arms. It depicts a nude woman with her hair loose, taking off her knight's helmet.

Russian noblemen also took part in disputes over property.
Olga Petrovna Zavarova and Ekaterina Vasilyevna Polesova were neighboring wealthy landowners in the Oryol province. They could not get along with each other. For many years, ladies have been conflicting over trifles. However, in June 1829, both ended their patience, there was a major scandal, and the ladies armed with sabers of their husbands. They met in a birch grove at the appointed time. As seconds, they were accompanied by French governesses and fourteen-year-old daughters. The seconds, according to the duel code, provided the opportunity for the contestants to resolve the conflict peacefully, but they refused. Women went to battle. The duel was deadly for both participants. Olga Petrovna severely wounded Ekaterina Vasilievna in the stomach, and she killed her with one blow to the head. Polesova died the next day.

But the feud between the families did not end. Five years later, in 1834, their grown-up daughters Alexandra Zavarova and Anna Polesova met in the same place in order to complete the dispute of their mothers. This time the result was decisive: Alexandra killed Anna.
It is known that even the future Empress Catherine II took part in duels. In 1744, she fought on swords with her second cousin Anna Ludwig Anhalt. The girls were fourteen years old, and the fight did not end with anything. Otherwise, we would not have Catherine the Great.