When we explore 10 intriguing cases of single combat, we travel back to the very origins of warfare itself. Single combat, a duel between two warriors fought amid larger battles, often decided the fate of entire armies. Sometimes it was a pragmatic way to spare countless lives; other times it was pure personal glory or a desperate bid for survival. Below, we count down ten of the most dramatic one‑on‑one clashes ever recorded.
10 Intriguing Cases of Single Combat
10 John Smith
John Smith is best remembered for founding Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, yet his early career reads like an adventure novel. Before crossing the Atlantic, he roamed Europe as a hired sword, fighting in a string of campaigns that took him from the Low Countries to the Balkans.
During the Transylvanian siege of Alba Iulia, Smith found himself drawn into three separate duels. A Turkish officer had challenged any Christian commander to single combat; Smith answered the gauntlet, meeting the foe in the no‑man’s land. He dispatched the first challenger swiftly, then faced a pistol duel and finally a battle‑axe bout, emerging victorious each time and beheading each opponent.
His triple triumph earned him knighthood from the Transylvanian prince, who emblazoned the three Turkish heads on Smith’s coat of arms as a lasting reminder of his daring feats.
9 Ben Jonson And Gabriel Spenser
John Smith isn’t the only famed Brit who ever stepped into a duel. In September 1598, the celebrated playwright and actor Ben Jonson squared off against fellow thespian Gabriel Spenser in the fields of Shoreditch. The precise cause of the confrontation remains a mystery, but the clash was undeniably lethal.
The duel was fought with swords, and Jonson delivered a fatal stab to Spenser’s right side. Though dueling was common among Elizabethan gentlemen, Jonson’s victory landed him in serious legal trouble; he was arrested for manslaughter and faced the gallows. He escaped execution by invoking “benefit of clergy,” a medieval privilege that placed literate clerics beyond secular jurisdiction.
8 Robert The Bruce And Henry De Bohun
At the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn, Scottish king Robert the Bruce faced a formidable English force. On the first day, English knight Henry de Bohun, nephew of the Earl of Hereford, spotted the exposed Scottish monarch and charged with lance in hand.
Bruce, riding a smaller horse, expertly dodged the charge and swung his battle‑axe with such force that it cleaved Bohun’s helmet in two, splitting the knight’s skull. The blow was so powerful it snapped Bruce’s own axe, and the Scottish king is said to have exclaimed, “I have broken my good axe.” The spectacle stunned the English and helped turn the tide of the battle.
7 Marcus Marcellus And Viridomarus
Marcus Marcellus, a Roman consul famed for his aggressive tactics, earned everlasting fame during the Punic Wars. While Rome battled Carthage, Marcellus also led campaigns against the Gauls, capturing the fortified city of Syracuse along the way.
His most celebrated single combat occurred in 222 BC at the Battle of Clastidium, where he faced the Gallic king Viridomarus. Both riders, clad in ornate armor, recognized each other across the field and charged. Marcellus thrust his spear, unseating Viridomarus, then finished the king with a series of blows.
After the duel, the Roman legions routed the Gauls. Marcellus claimed Viridomarus’s armor as the coveted spolia opima, a trophy so rare that only two other Romans ever secured it.
6 Marcus Licinius Crassus And King Deldo
Marcus Licinius Crassus, grandson of the famed triumvir, carved his own niche as a shrewd military leader under Augustus. In 29 BC, the Roman empire faced an incursion by the Bastarnae tribesmen in Thrace.
Crassus masterminded an ambush that forced the Bastarnae king, Deldo, into single combat. He slew the tribal ruler, delivering a decisive blow that scattered the enemy forces. Though the feat should have earned him the prestigious spolia opima, Augustus denied the honor, fearing Crassus might leverage it against his own authority.
5 Kumagai Naozane And Taira No Atsumori
One of Japan’s most poignant duels involves the Minamoto warrior Kumagai Naozane and the youthful Taira noble Atsumori during the Gempei War (1180‑1185). The clash took place at the 1184 Battle of Ichi‑no‑Tani, where the Taira forces were in retreat.
As Atsumori attempted to swim toward a rescue boat, Kumagai shouted for him to return and fight. The two grappled on the beach; Kumagai eventually disarmed the boy, knocking his helmet off. Realizing Atsumori was only seventeen, Kumagai asked for his name, hoping to spare him. The proud Taira youth refused, insisting Kumagai take his head, and was slain.
Haunted by the killing, Kumagai later renounced the samurai path, becoming a Buddhist monk—a decision many attribute to the tragic duel.
4 Prince Mstislav And Prince Rededya
Mstislav, a Russian prince and son of Vladimir the Great, lived in the 11th century, expanding his realm and spreading Christianity across the region. His most famous duel pitted him against Rededya, a Circassian prince, during a protracted war between their peoples.
To avoid further bloodshed, Rededya suggested a single‑combat showdown. The two wrestled for hours, with Mstislav on the brink of defeat. In a moment of desperation, he prayed to the Virgin Mary, promising to erect a church if victorious. He then produced a hidden dagger, stabbing Rededya and ending the fight—an act that broke the traditional honor code but forced Rededya’s tribe to submit.
3 Miyamoto Musashi And Sasaki Kojiro
Miyamoto Musashi, arguably Japan’s greatest swordsman, amassed over sixty duels in his lifetime, often wielding a pair of blades simultaneously. His ultimate test arrived in 1612 when he faced Sasaki Kojiro, known as the “Demon of the Western Provinces,” who favored the massive two‑handed no‑dachi.
The duel unfolded on the remote Ganryū Island. Musashi arrived deliberately late, fashioning a wooden bokken from an oar to unsettle Kojiro. Infuriated, Kojiro lunged immediately, but Musashi’s swift strike to the ribs punctured Kojiro’s lung, sealing his fate. Musashi then fled the island by boat, evading the vengeful followers of his fallen opponent.
This victory cemented Musashi’s legend as the supreme duelist of Japan, later inspiring his celebrated treatise, the Book of Five Rings, and a successful career as a painter and writer.
2 Iron Herman And Guy Of Steenvoorde
On March 2 1127, Count Charles of Flanders was assassinated, sparking a frantic hunt for conspirators. One suspect, Guy of Steenvoorde, swore his innocence, prompting the skeptical knight known as Iron Herman to issue a challenge.
The two met on horseback; Herman was unseated, then felled Guy’s horse, forcing both combatants to fight on foot. According to chronicler Galbert of Bruges, they exchanged sword blows until the weight of their armor exhausted them, prompting them to discard shields and settle the dispute through sheer wrestling strength.
Guy managed to pin Herman, but Herman, with a final surge, threw Guy aside. The onlookers interpreted Guy’s defeat as proof of his guilt, and he was promptly hanged.
1 King Naresuan And Prince Mingyi Swa
In either 1592 or 1593, history records one of the most spectacular duels ever: Siamese King Naresuan faced Burmese Prince Mingyi Swa atop war elephants at the Battle of Nong Sarai. This “elephant duel” unfolded amid the larger Burmese‑Siamese wars, making it a rare royal showdown.
Na Rasuan challenged the prince, shaming him into accepting. Both monarchs rode their towering elephants, each accompanied by a crew to steer the beasts. After a fierce exchange of blows, Mingyi Swa missed a strike, while Naresuan’s sword found the prince’s shoulder, delivering a mortal wound.
The duel’s outcome—Mingyi Swa’s death—bolstered Siamese morale and is commemorated annually as Royal Thai Armed Forces Day. The episode remains a cornerstone of Thai national identity.
Brad is currently a student at Fordham University. He can be reached at [email protected].
