The Last Duel in France — The Defferre vs. Ribiere Duel of 1967,You would think that dueling w

The Last Duel in France — The Defferre vs. Ribiere Duel of 1967,You would think that dueling was an outdated ritual consigned to the 19th century, something that no longer had a place in modern world. However, well into the 20th century official duels were taking place, one of the last between French politicians Gaston Defferre and Rene Ribiere in 1967.  Yes, at the same time the Vietnam War was raging, rock and roll was taking the world by storm, and men were exploring space, two Frenchmen decided to settle their differences with a good old fashioned duel.Defferre and Ribiere had always been longtime political rivals, however the incident which led to honorable combat was a heated debate at the French National Assembly.  During the Assembly, Defferre was constantly interrupted by Rebiere while giving a speech. Finally Defferre lost his cool and shouted “shut up, you idiot!” Offended Ribiere demanded Defferre withdraw the insult, however Defferre refused. As a result Ribiere challenged Defferre to a duel.On the 21st of April, 1967 the two men met at the private residence of Neuilly-sur-Seine to conduct the duel, which was to be fought with epees. The next day Ribiere was to be married, and Defferre claimed that the he intended to aim for the crotch in order ot ruid Ribiere’s wedding night. The duel lasted approximately four minutes, with Defferre wounding Ribierre twice on the arm. After the second wound the duel was stopped, and Defferre declared winner.  The Defferre Ribiere duel would be the last time in history blood was officially shed in a gentlemanly duel in France. Unlike most duels throughout history, the Defferre Ribiere duel is special in that it was one of the few to be caught on film -- source link

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