As eye catching headlines go this one takes some beating – A Princess Once Dueled A Countess Over Floral Arrangements… Topless. It’s got aristocracy, violence, naked ladies and flower arranging all in one sweet bundle. It sounds like something from a 1960’s B movie, but apparently women dueling in the late 19th century was seen as a progressive act. This was therefore an emancipated duel. I’m not sure acting as stupidly as men did is really progress, but I guess it made some sort of sense in the context of the time.
Probably the most famous female swordswomen from history would be Julie d’Aubigny, who I’ve covered here in a previous post. I don’t think she ever fought topless or over a bunch of flowers. In more recent years we had the famous documentary on the killing of Bill. I believe the duel below was triggered by a disagreement over wedding arrangements, so I guess little has changed over the last hundred or so years.
