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The Sword Is Mightier Than the Pen

In 1870 Édouard Manet took offense over art critic Louis Edmond Duranty’s review of two of his paintings. Upon encountering him at a café, Manet slapped Duranty, and the two men agreed to duel. They elected to use swords, and Émile Zola served as Manet’s second. Duranty was wounded in the chest, at which point it was decided that Manet’s honor had been restored.

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  “The Most Serene Order of Cuckolds”
  

Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeyevich
Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, oil on canvas by Vasily Tropinin, 1827; in the National Pushkin Museum, St. Petersburg
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
In 1836 Aleksandr Pushkin, the founder of modern Russian literature, received a letter that announced that he had been elected to “the Most Serene Order of Cuckolds,” a reference to the unsubstantiated claim that his wife, Natalya Nikolayevna Goncharova, was having an affair with Georges d’Anthès, a French soldier living in Russia. D’Anthès was able to convince Pushkin that there was no affair, and he even later married Natalya’s sister. However, the rumor persisted, and in 1837 the two men finally dueled. Pushkin was mortally wounded, and he died two days later.

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  A Caustic Tongue, a Corrupt Bargain, and a Large Morning Gown
  

Randolph, John
John Randolph, oil painting by Chester Harding, 1829–30; in the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
In the Collection of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund
At the age of 18 John Randolph was reportedly involved in his first duel, which arose over the pronunciation of a word. His opponent, a fellow student, was wounded. Randolph subsequently embarked on a successful political career, despite having what one newspaper claimed was a “caustic tongue.” In the 1820s he turned his ire on Henry Clay, who had supported John Quincy Adams for president in 1824 and later was made secretary of state in what some called a “corrupt bargain.” In 1826 Randolph referred to Clay as a “blackleg” (cheating gambler), and Clay demanded a duel. The two men faced off in Virginia, with Randolph wearing a large “morning gown” that made the “locality” of his body a “vague conjecture.” On the first exchange of gunfire, neither was hurt. They then agreed to a second round. After Clay missed, Randolph shot into the air. The duel ended, and the two reportedly became friends.

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