Двобој у Србији: историјски, друштвени, правни, политички и морални аспект
The duel in Serbia. Historical, social, legal, political and moral aspects

Summary/Abstract: The practice of wartime duelling (single combat, champion warfare) dies away in the first half of the nineteenth century, only to re-emerge, in a new and distinctive form in the World War I аerial combat. The paper shows that the wartime duel and the peacetime duel of honour (duel du point d’honneur) have the same structure. The paper points to the arguments for and against the legalization of duels discussed by the Serbian National Assembly (1899), and to the political background of the duels fought during the tension caused by the “conspiracy issue” (from 1903). Duelling was typically practised by members of the officer corps, but was not restricted to the military: in Serbia, as in other European monarchies, both active and reserve commissioned officers were high state officials. Providing an insight into the notions of the duel and the ways and circumstances in which some duels were fought in Serbia at the time, the paper offers a little-known perspective on the upper classes and their customs and values.

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