Aristocrats for Peace: The Anti-Duellist Conference of Budapest (1908)

Abstract

The anti-duellist movement was founded at the turn of the twentieth century at the initiative of the Spanish infante Alfonso de Bourbon et d’Autriche-Este. It was one of the various strategies in favour of peace and against the use of violence in social and political relations that were established during this period. The anti-duelling leagues promoted by Prince Alfonso attempted to change the concept of honour held by males of the elite classes at the time. The most important project taken was the holding of the First International Anti-Duellist Conference in Budapest in June of 1908. The aim of this article is to examine an event that offers information on the mobilising capacity of the European aristocracy and the efforts of aristocrats to find their place in a society with egalitarian tendencies.

Keywords

• honour
• Europe
• duel
• aristocracy
• pacifism