Fencing coach Ron Miller traces the beginnings of his sport to medieval Europe – back when men of high position and character defended their honor by exacting a penalty at the point of a blade.
If carried out by a true gentleman, that penalty was almost always swift – and final. A duel amounted to trial by combat, a form of justice in which the party who lost – and died – was assumed to be the guilty one.
“If someone insulted you or your wife, you had to defend your honor in a duel,” Miller said.