By 1644, Jeffrey Hudson had served Queen Henrietta of France’s court for many years as a jester, but was treated as a pet or an animal due to his extremely small size (standing only 19 inches tall as a grown man). Sir John Crofts, brother of the King of England’s Lord of the Bedchamber, took particular pleasure in tormenting Hudson with jokes about his dwarfism, often comparing him to a small child.
Enraged, the 25 year old Hudson then challenged Crofts, one of the most powerful men in England, to a duel. Delighted, Crofts agreed, and met before the court at the appointed time carrying a brass water pistol instead of a real gun, thinking the entire affair was another of Hudson’s elaborate jokes.
In response, Hudson drew a full sized wheellock pistol and shot Crofts between the eyes, killing him on the spot.
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