Around that time frame; Be it America or elsewhere, Was Dueling via Flintlock pistols common?
I know that on July 11th, 1804; Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton dueled, and Hamilton was killed.
The were also duels between other notable people, such as Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickinson, Stephan Decatur & James Barron, Abraham Lincoln & James Shields had almost dueled as well; But How common was this for the average man?
If I was a farmer, or a blacksmith, What was the chance that I or someone I knew, might end up dueling?
It's pretty unlikely if you where a farmer or blacksmith that you'd end up dueling. It was sort of a thing the aristocracy did. Plus the weapons used in duels where pretty expensive. In the late 1500s the king of France issued a decree stating dueling was banned, by the late 1600's the ban was heavily enforced a policeman named Nicolas-Gabriel de La Reynie was one of the first major anti dueling law enforcers.
One duelist, a man named Serrane, who we only likely remember do to his relationships with Julie D'aubigny spent several years on the run from the law after fighting an illegal duel. There where ways around this though, as it was only actually illegal to duel if the duel ended in the death of one of its participants.
Around the 19th century though the laws where not enforced as heavily and there was sort of a dueling fad going on, including one duel where two men fought in hot air balloons with blunderbusses.
I would like to know for France in particular.