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Generally considered as a remnant of the Ancien Regime, the duel was in fact a typical feature of French society in the early nineteenth century. Far from putting an end to it, the Revolution, by refusing to give it a legal status, put it within everyone’s reach. Formerly a ritual in high society, it then reached a large fraction of urban classes due to the mobilization of millions of men during the Revolution and the Empire wars. It became a common practice among young males who found in it a means of identification. The duel revealed the social tensions and the hurdles which affected the French society then, undermined by unstable social positions and the fear of decline. It also constituted a political weapon which was used as much in parliament as in street demonstrations. Founded on masculine ethics, the duel fit into a pattern of talk and behavior taking place in the public space of the street, the cabaret, or the parliament, and contributed to the definition of the male condition.