Rules for the Adjudication of Quarrels Occurring in the Officer Community: the Significance and Consequences of the Change in Dueling Legislation in 1894

Abstract

The article considers the Rules for the Adjudication of Quarrels Occurring in the Officer Community (1894), which changed the dueling law in the Russian Empire. According to the new ruling, all conflicts in officer circles were referred to the Courts of the Society of Officers. These courts were vested with the authority either to determine that reconciliation befit the dignity of the officer and the traditions of the unit, or to sanction a duel as the sole proper means of satisfying the injured honor. The purpose of this innovation, as explained in the journal The Russian Invalid, was to raise the general level of ideas about honor in the officer milieu. The Rules for the Adjudication of Quarrels Occurring in the Officer Community were in conflict with the Penal Code of 1885, which forbade duels to all citizens of the Russian Empire, including military personnel. This legal collision precluded the development of a full legislative framework for dueling; no official duel code was ever adopted. Accordingly, difficulties arose in the application of the Rules. In practice, this led to a proliferation of duels occurring for trivial reasons. The new dueling law gave rise to yet another contradiction. Duels involving civilians were still treated with severity and often incurred strict punishment. This created grounds for additional conflicts between civilians and members of the officer corps. Furthermore, the law of 1894 affected relations in the officer community. With the new powers acquired by the Courts of the Society of Officers, the emphasis was now placed not on the personal assessment of an incident, but on the corporate opinion of it. The conclusion notes that the dueling decree of 1894, aimed at raising the general level of ideas about honor in the officer community and bringing under control the established norms for defending personal honor, did not achieve the intended results.