November 24, 2004

Truckey takes aim at duels

Grand Traverse Heritage Center director examines dueling history

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

A slap, an insult, a misunderstanding or a crime.
Any of these actions could spark a duel to the death, with the outcome settling the score once and for all.
Delving into the history and rituals of the duel in European and American history, Dan Truckey outlined the motivations and philosophy behind the cold-blooded sword or gun battles.
He spoke to an audience of 14 attendees Wednesday evening at the Heritage Center, tapping video snippets from movies ranging from "Spartacus," "The Princess Bride," "The Three Musketeers" and "Rebel Without a Cause" to illustrate dueling place in our cultural heritage.
"[Dueling] was an accepted part of the medieval theory of Divine justice," said Truckey, executive director of the Grand Traverse Heritage Center. "The winner was vindicated and the loser was guilty, even if he was not."
Dueling is found across cultures, continents and civilizations, although Truckey concentrated his talk on the tradition in Western civilization.
For centuries, dueling was an accepted part of the legal system in Europe and, after the Norman Conquest, the British Isles. Rather than going to court, the two parties would often settle their