Editing Duel (section)

====Russia====
[[File:Duel of Pushkin and d'Anthes (19th century).jpg|thumb|Depiction of the pistol duel of [[Alexander Pushkin]] vs. [[Georges d'Anthès]], January 1837, an 1869 painting by [[Adrian Volkov]]]]

The tradition of dueling and the word ''duel'' itself were brought to Russia in the 17th century by adventurers in Russian service. Dueling quickly became so popular – and the number of casualties among the commanding ranks so high – that, in 1715, Emperor [[Peter I of Russia|Peter I]] was forced to forbid the practice on pain of having both duelists hanged. Despite this official ban, dueling became a significant military tradition in the Russian Empire with a detailed unwritten [[Code duello|dueling code]]&nbsp;– which was eventually written down by V. Durasov and released in print in 1908.<ref>V. Durasov "The Dueling Code" {{ISBN|5-7905-1634-3}}</ref> This code forbade duels between people of different [[Table of Ranks|ranks]]. For instance, an infantry captain could not challenge a major but could easily pick on a Titular Counsellor. On the other hand, a higher ranked person could not stoop to challenge lower ranks; so, it was up to his subordinates or servants to take revenge on their master's behalf.

Dueling was also common among prominent Russian writers, poets, and politicians. The Russian poet [[Alexander Pushkin]] fought 29 duels, challenging many prominent figures<ref>{{cite web |url=http://d-push.net/ |title=Pushkin duels. Full list |publisher=D-push.net |access-date=2012-10-22 |language=ru}}</ref> before being killed in a duel with [[Georges d'Anthès]] in 1837. His successor [[Mikhail Lermontov]] was killed four years later by fellow Army officer [[Nikolai Martynov]]. The dueling tradition died out in the [[Russian Empire]] slowly from the mid-19th century.