Ma a noi qui oggi interessa trattare di due duelli completamente al femminile che passarono alla storia come i più famosi PETTICOAT DUELS, ossia duelli in sottoveste, separati l'uno dall'altro da un secolo esatto.
Nel 1792 il Carlton House Magazine ci racconta che Lady Almeria Braddock e Mrs Elphinstone ( probabilmente Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscontessa Keith )
Portrait of Hester Maria, Viscountess Keith Elphinstone née Thrale (1764-1857)
by George Sander (1774 - 1846)
si sfidarono a duello in quello che venne definito il primo "PETTICOAT DUEL": Lady Almeria Braddock, durante una visita della venerabile Mrs Elphinstone si sentì insultare con insolenza da quest'ultima la quale le disse con la più totale indifferenza che dimostrava almeno il doppio dei suoi anni, ossia che invece che 30 ne dimostrava 61 e la metteva a conoscenza del fatto che fosse opinione diffusa che quella fosse la sua reale età; ella si sentì così autorizzata a chiedere di sfidarla in un duello che si sarebbe tenuto in Hyde Park a Londra dove le Ladies, a dieci passi l'una dall'altra, cominciarono a duellare con le pistole: Mrs Elphinstone dimostrò una migliore abilità con il grilletto tanto che centrò con un proiettile il cappello di Lady Almeria.
I loro secondi supplicarono affinchè le ostilità avessero così una loro conclusione, ma rifiutandosi Mrs Elphinstone di chiedere scusa il combattimento proseguì, questa volta con le spade: Lady Almeria riuscì a colpire la propria avversaria ad un braccio e fu così che l'onore di entrambe si disse gratificato; entrambe le Ladies lasciarono il campo e Mrs Elphinstone accettò di far pervenire per iscritto a Lady Almeria Braddock le proprie scuse.
Il racconto ci risulta intrigante, ma va detto che non è mai esistita una Lady o un Lord Braddock ... a quel tempo viveva una certa Lady Almeria Carpenter (1752-1809),
Lady Almeria Carpenter by Richard Cosway (1742 - 1821)
Emile Bayard, An Affair of Honor, 1886 ca.
Princess Pauline von Metternich by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1860
Presidente Onorario della Mostra, e la Contessa Anastasia Kiielmansegg, Presidente del Comitato delle Dame, erano in disaccordo circa l'arredo floreale dell'evento.
Dovete sapere che la rivalità tra Principessa Paulina e la Contessa Kielmannsegg era evidentemente risaputa nella Vienna del tempo tanto da essere persino documentata nelle pagine della rivista femminile britannica The Lady’s Realm: si diceva che la contessa Anastasia, russa di nascita ed abbastanza giovane da poter essere figlia della sua rivale in opere caritatevoli, fosse molto ambiziosa ed avesse un grande talento per l'organizzazione di spettacoli di ogni genere, ed inoltre che durante il lutto della giovane principessa Paulina si fosse data da fare con inesauribile energia.
Primo piano della Contessa Anastasia Kielmannsegg tratto direttamente da The Lady’s Realm
Quando la lotta fu sul punto di cominciare tutti gli uomini, ossia i rispettivi servi che erano al seguito, furono fatti allontanare e messi di schiena perché non potessero vedere le loro dame seminude.
Entrambe le signore sferzarono un paio di colpi con la loro spada finché la principessa Paolina finì con il tagliare il naso della contessa Anastasia: alla vista del sangue, e forse colpita da ciò che aveva procurato, la principessa abbassò le difese, ma invece di cessare, i combattimenti proseguirono e la contessa accoltellò la principessa ad un braccio.
Si segnala che entrambi i secondi, alla vista del sangue, si sentirono mancare e nell'udire le grida delle signore, i cavallereschi (o curiosi) fanti e cocchieri tentarono di accorrere in loro aiuto.
Dal momento che la principessa fu la prima a colpire e a far scorrere il primo sangue fu dichiarata vincitrice, anche se alcuni ritenevano che il colpo di striscio non era meritevole di riconoscimento almeno tanto quanto quello inflitto dalla contessa che provocò nel braccio della principessa un taglio ben più profondo. Indipendentemente da ciò, sotto la spinta dei loro due secondi, rianimati dopo poco il ferimento di entrambe, il duello si concluse e le signore si ricomposero per fare ritorno a Vienna con i loro cocchi, per recuperare il loro posto nella scala sociale che le voleva aggraziate e sotto gli occhi di tutti per l'eleganza e l'etichetta di cui erano portatrici ... pensate !
Ed anche per oggi il nostro tempo insieme si conclude qui, vi ringrazio sentitamente per la dedizione con cui sempre mi seguite e vi aspetto per altre curiosità, altri eventi storici, altri viaggi a ritroso nel tempo ...
A presto 💕
- picture 1
When we think of a Lady, both of the XXVIIth and XIXth century, immediately our mind suggests us graceful portraits showing elegance, delicacy, fragility ... this is how the concept of femininity expresses and expressed in the collective imagination, but not all the ladies were so ... feminine, there were those who exhibited masculine traits and showed aggressive temperaments to the point, think, to fight, not only with other ladies, even with individuals of the opposite sex !
But we here today are interested to deal with two duels, completely female, which went down in history as the most famous PETTICOAT DUELS, separated from each other exactly by one century.
In 1792 the Carlton House Magazine reads that Lady Almeria Braddock and Mrs. Elphinstone (probably Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith)
- picture 2 - Portrait of Hester Maria, Viscountess Keith Elphinstone née Thrale (1764-1857) by George Sander (1774 - 1846)
challenged themselves to a duel which was called the first PETTICOAT DUEL: Lady Almeria Braddock, during a call paid by the venerable Mrs. Elphinstone felt insulted with insolence when the latter said with complete indifference that she was showing at least the double of her age, namely that instead of 30 she looked 61, and made her aware of the fact that it was widely believed that this was her real age; she felt so resentful to ask to fight with her a duel which had to be held in Hyde Park in London where the Ladies, ten paces from each other, began to battle with pistols: Mrs. Elphinstone showed better skills with trigger given she centered with a bullet Lady Almeria's hat.
Their seconds pleaded for the hostilities to be at their conclusion, but refusing Mrs Elphinstone to apologize, the fight continued, this time with swords: Lady Almeria managed to hit her opponent in her arm and that was how the honor of both was told to be gratified; both ladies left the camp and Mrs. Elphinstone agreed to provide in writing to Lady Almeria Braddock her apologizes.
This story is quite intriguing, but it must be said that there has never been a Lady or a Lord Braddock ... at that time lived a certain Lady Almeria Carpenter (1752-1809),
- picture 3 - Lady Almeria Carpenter by Richard Cosway (1742 - 1821)
daughter of the Earl of Tyrconnell and lover of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1743-1805 - son of King George II) and the mother of his illegitimate daughter Maria Louisa The Coast ... but why couldn't she be the protagonist of the fact deciding to choose a fake name to remain anonymous ... ?
But probably the most famous PETTICOAT DUEL was the one fought bare-chested exactly a century after that mentioned above, similar to it since it also was to be first blood, but given the seriousness of the dispute and the ferocity of the fighter, they didn't stop until they were both injured.
- picture 4 -Emile Bayard, An Affair of Honor, 1886 ca.
This time we find ourselves in the Summer of 1892 and no more in the British capital, but in Austria, while preparations for the musical theater festival in Vienna are underway and this is just the subject on which two noblewomen entered the controversy: Princess Paulina Metternich,
- picture 5 - Princess Pauline von Metternich by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1860
Honorary President of the Festival, and the Countess Anastasia Kiielmansegg, President of the Ladies Committee, disagreed about the event floral decoration.
You should know that the rivalry between Princess Paulina and Countess Kielmannsegg was evidently well known in Vienna as much as to be even documented in the pages of the British women's magazine The Lady's Realm: it was said that the Countess Anastasia, Russian born and young enough to be the daughter of her rival in charitable works, was very ambitious and had a great talent for organizing events of all kinds, and that during the mourning of the young Princess Paulina had been busy with endless energy.
- picture 6 -Close-up of the Countess Anastasia Kiielmansegg taken directly fromThe Lady's Realm
Well, coming back to this dispute, the aristocratic Ladies decided that to pacify the dispute could not be other than an armed duel, and that was how they arranged to meet themselves in Vaduz, on the Swiss border, outside the territory of Austria, where they arrived in the company of their seconds, Princess Schwarzenberg and Countess Kinsk, and a noblewoman prepared in medical science, Baroness Lubinska, on advice of whom the two duelists were made to strip to the waist before the conflict began, so as to ensure that any clothing item couldn't be a hindrance to their movements and couldn't infect any wounds.
When the fight was about to start all men, that is their servants who were following them, they were taken away and put on ther back toward the scene because they could not see their half-naked ladies.
Both ladies lashed a few shots with their sword until Princess Pauline cut off Countess Anastasia's nose: maybe for the sight of the blood, or maybe for the scare for what she had procured, the Princess lowered her defenses, but instead to cease, the fighting continued and the Countess stabbed the Princess to an arm.
It is noted that both the seconds, at the sight of blood, felt to swoon and hearing the cries of the ladies, either for chivalry or for curiosity, infantrymen and coachmen tried to go to their aid.
Since the Princess was the first to strike and to slide the first blood, she was declared the winner, although some felt that the glancing blow was not worthy of recognition at least as much as the one that inflicted the Countess who caused a well deeper cut on the Princess's arm. Regardless, under the pressure of their two seconds, fastly revived, the duel ended and the ladies composed themselves to return to Vienna with their chariots, to regain their place in the social ladder which wanted them to be graceful and under the eyes of everybody for the elegance and the etiquette, which they were the bearers of... think you !
And even today our time together here has reached its end, thank you for the dedication with which you always follow me, and I'm waiting for you for sharing other curiosities, other historical events, others travel back in time ...
See you soon 💕
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