The Balloon Duel Of 1808 (Was Pants-On-Head Insane)
Written by Joe Anthony
Presented by Todd Lemense
Historic duels with pistols or swords are already brutal enough, but today we’re talking about a duel that was so bizarre, so vicious, so...French, it could only be fought in gas balloons (similar to hot air balloons) by a pair of Paris dandies with a grudge.
In June of 1808, in the skies over Paris, two men shot at each other from the baskets of their balloons. Custom built balloons! A Monsieur de Grandpre had caught his girlfriend, Mademoiselle Tirevit, with another man, le Pique. The insult to honor could not stand, and the two men agreed to settle their differences with a duel.
But this was no ordinary duel. Common weapons would be beneath these fops. Instead, the men took to the skies, and shot at each other with blunderbusses, to hash out their grudge amongst the clouds where everyone could witness their folly…
It was also half a mile above the earth, so the loser was sure to fall to his death.
The Rules
By the 1800’s, when it came to duelling, civilized gentlemen all over the world had adopted something called the Irish Code Duello. This was a very strict set of rules that dictated the sequence of events in an honor duel. Do you remember Bugs Bunny and Yosimete Sam marching ten paces, turning, and shooting? That was interpreted from the Irish Code Duello. And all gentlemen kept a copy of the Code Duello in their pistol cases, like a user's manual.
When I tell you the code was strict, I mean, it laid out exactly when and how you were allowed to forgive each other. When you were supposed to beg your aggressor’s pardon. And when your ‘second’ was allowed to jump into the fight. (more about ‘seconds’ later)
As we mentioned, all this was over de Grandpre’s girlfriend; Mademoiselle Tirevit. Tirevit was a renowned dancer in the Paris Opera. As such, she would have been remarkably skilled, and we can probably assume, very beautiful.
This duel wasn’t fought in a fit of passion, either. They didn’t rush to the streets to duel after the challenge was issued. They waited a month, while their grudge fermented. From the Book of Days, where the duel was recorded;
“In order that the heat of angry passion should not interfere with the polished elegance of the proceeding, they postponed the duel for a month...the Lady agreeing to bestow her smile on the survivor of the two.”
So yah...they were technically dueling for the lady’s smile.
During the month-long wait for their duel, the two men had to construct their balloons. Which were made “exactly alike” so neither would have the advantage of being able to climb faster, or somehow enhance their balloon in any way.
Weapon of Choice
Untethered, manned balloons were invented in 1783...25 years before the duel. For context, that would be like picking a Segway (Invented 2001) as your vehicle of choice for a duel today.
Their weapon of choice was the blunderbuss; an early version of the shotgun, which fired clusters of lead or steel pellets. These would be fired at 80 yards apart, or 240 feet.
That’s slightly wider than the wings of a Boeing 747. So imagine standing at the tips of a 747’s wings, staring at the man across from you on the other wingtip, and aiming at a gas balloon above his head with a shotgun.
Originally the men had considered using pistols, but decided that a dueling pistol, which fired ball-shot, wouldn’t do much more than cause a slow leak. These men were going for a dramatic pop.
That’s another important rule of this duel; these men were to aim at each other’s balloons, not each other, at half a mile up. According to Wiki, a spread-eagle skydiver will reach terminal velocity at 1,500 feet. le Pique and de Grandpre’ would start shooting at each other 1,000 feet higher than that.
Note: As skydiving had not been invented, a ‘spread-eagle’ descent would have been unlikely. An ungraceful flailing would probably be more accurate. With lots, and lots of flapping lace.
Oh, and remember how I talked about the role of a “second” in a duel? If your wedding was a duel, your second would be the Best Man. The Second was both your hype-man, and your mediator. He would keep your spirits up, load your pistols, and negotiate on your behalf when it was time to bow-out or spill blood. If he saw cheating, or perceived an insult on your behalf, your second would actually fight at your side.
Why is it important for you to understand what a Second does in a duel? Well, these gentlemen were required, by honor, to have their seconds in the balloon baskets with them. Which guaranteed that whoever lost the duel would not die alone...
Imagine being so mad you’re willing to fall out of the sky in a wicker basket. Now, imagine dragging your best friend along too.
The Location
The spot chosen for the balloon launch was the Tuileries Garden, a 63-acre park next to the Louvre Museum in Paris. Once the men and their seconds were securely in their baskets, assistants cut the ropes, and the balloons ascended over the city.
Spectators and visitors who were out for a stroll in the park would have watched the balloons go up, cheering. Hot air balloons had been launched from the Tuileries in the past. So anyone watching would think they were witnessing a balloon race. Which would be like watching a Thanksgiving Day parade, if men were riding on Garfield and Snoopy, shooting at each other. Imagine the surprise on the ground, when the men reached half a mile up, and their seconds handed them the blunderbusses.
Monsignor le Pique shot first, but he missed. He missed an air balloon...from 80 yards away...with a shotgun. That was probably the moment when the crowd realized they weren’t watching a race.
Now, if this duel had been on the ground, and both shots had missed, the men could have settled their differences and departed with their honor intact, as was common in pistol duels.
But, as it turns out, de Grandpre was keen to return fire, and he wasn’t as poor a shot. De Grandpre aimed at la Pique’s balloon, fired, and blew a hole through the main body. This wasn’t a little leak, either. The balloon fell with what witnesses called “frightful rapidity.”
This duel was above the city of Paris. And while they launched from the Tuileries Garden, the balloons drifted over the buildings before the men took their shots. La Pique and his second fell, probably reaching terminal velocity, before they struck the sloped rooftops of Paris. They hit so hard they were “dashed to pieces.”
Feeling pretty good about his shot, de Grandpre couldn’t help but take a victory lap. He ascended higher into the air instead of landing, and he finally touched down seven leagues outside of Paris. Fist-pumping the whole way, we assume.
Whether Mademoiselle Tirevit took de Grandpre back has been left to our imagination. The history books don’t always cover post-duel coitis, which is the classiest type of coitis.
History Links:
https://www.geriwalton.com/a-french-balloon-due/
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/01/hot-air-balloon-duel/
Book of Days:
Irish Code Duello:
https://www.geriwalton.com/irish-dueling-code-or-irish-code-duello/