Academic fencing or Mensur fencing is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some student corporations (Studentenverbindungen) in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and recently to a minor extent in Latvia and Flanders as well. Fencing advertisement for the 1900 Summer Olympic Games This article is about the sport, which is distinguished from stage fencing and academic fencing (mensur). ... Corporation refers to all different kinds of fraternities and sororities worldwide. ... A Studentenverbindung (the umbrella term that includes the Burschenschaften, Landsmannschaften, Corps, Turnerschaften, Sängerschaften, Catholic Corporations, Wingolf and Ferialverbindungen) is a German student corporation equivalent to fraternities in the US or Canada. ... Flanders (Dutch: ) is a large historical region overlapping Belgium, France and the Netherlands. ...

Technique

Mensur fencing in Heidelberg, 1900

Student sabre duel, 1900

Modern academic fencing, the "Mensur", is neither a duel nor a sport. It is a traditional way of training and educating character and personality, thus, in a Mensur bout, there is neither winner nor loser. Image File history File links Mühlberg_-_Auf_die_Mensur. ... Image File history File links Mühlberg_-_Auf_die_Mensur. ... Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (869x568, 226 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Säbelmensur (um 1900), Gemälde von Georg Mühlberg (1863-1925), Rechte abgelaufen. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (869x568, 226 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Säbelmensur (um 1900), Gemälde von Georg Mühlberg (1863-1925), Rechte abgelaufen. ... A duel is a formalized type of combat. ...

The participants, or Paukanten, use specially-developed swords. The so-called Mensurschläger (or simply Schläger; the plural form is identical to the singular form), exist in two versions. The most common weapon is the "Korbschläger" with a basket-type hilt (German Korb or "basket"). In some universities in the eastern part of Germany, the so-called "Glockenschläger" is in use which is equipped with a bell-shaped hilt (German Glocke or "bell"). These universities are Leipzig, Berlin, Greifswald, Dresden, Tharandt (in the Forestry College which is now part of Technische Universität Dresden), Halle on the Saale, Frankfurt/Oder, and Freiberg. In Jena both "Korbschläger" and "Glockenschläger" are used. Studentenverbindungen from some western cities use "Glockenschläger" because their tradition had its origin in one of the eastern universities but moved to Western Germany after WW II. See also: Hilt (band) and Peter Hilt Hilt of Szczerbiec The hilt of a sword is its handle, consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. ... The University of Leipzig (German Universität Leipzig), located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony (former Kingdom of Saxony), Germany, is one of the oldest universities in Europe. ... Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (German Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) is Berlins oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin (Universität zu Berlin) by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt whose university model has strongly influenced... Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald is located in Greifswald, Germany, between the Islands Rügen and Usedom, and is the second oldest university in Northern Europe. ... With 34,993 students (2006), Dresden University of Technology (DUT; German:Technische Universität Dresden, TU Dresden or simply TUD) is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony and one of the 10 largest universities in Germany. ... The Martin-Luther-University of Halle-Wittenberg is located in the German cities of Halle, Saxony-Anhalt and Wittenberg. ... The front portal of the main building of the Viadrina The Viadrina celebrates the 500th anniversary of its founding in 2006 The Countess Dönhoff Building houses lecture rooms and the dining hall The south side of the main building, showing the Oderturm in the background The Audimax building, known... The Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (German: Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, short TUBAF) is a small German university with about 4000 students in the city of Freiberg, Saxony. ... Friedrich Schiller University of Jena (FSU) is located in Jena, Thuringia in Germany and was named for the German writer Friedrich Schiller. ...

Fencers are protected by a chain mail shirt, chain mail gauntlets, padding on the throat and right arm, and steel goggles with a nose guard. They fence at arm's length and stand more or less in one place, while attempting to hit the unprotected areas of their opponent's face and head. Flinching or dodging is not allowed; the goal being less to avoid injury than to endure it stoically. A doctor is generally present to attend to injuries and stop the fight if necessary. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pair of gauntlets, Germany, end of the 16th century Gauntlet is a name for several different styles of glove. ...

The scar resulting from a hit is called a Schmiss (German for a "smite") which was seen as a badge of honour especially in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Today it is not easy for an outsider to identify Mensur scars in the face of a conversation partner due to better medical treatment.

History

Marburg student of about 1700

Starting in Spain at the end of the 15th century, the dueling sword became a regular part of the attire of noblemen throughout Europe. In the Holy Roman Empire this became usual among students as well. Brawling and fighting was a regular occupation of students in the German speaking areas during the early modern period. In line with developments in the aristocracy and the military, regulated duels were introduced to the academic environment as well. The basis of this was the conviction that being a student meant being something different from the rest of the population. Students wore special clothes, developed special kinds of festivities, sang student songs, and fought duels, sometimes spontaneously (so called rencontre, French "meeting" or "combat"), sometimes according to strict regulations called comment (French "how"). The weapons used were the same as those employed in civilian dueling, being at first the rapier and later the smallsword (court sword, dress sword, French L'épée de cour, German Kostümdegen, Galanteriedegen) which was seen as part of the dress and always at hand as a side arm. Image File history File links Academicus_Marpurgensis_um_1700. ... Image File history File links Academicus_Marpurgensis_um_1700. ... Marburg is a city in Hesse, Germany, on the Lahn river. ... The extent of the Holy Roman Empire in c. ... The early modern period is a term initially used by historians to refer mainly to the post Late Middle Ages period in Western Europe (Early modern Europe), its first colonies marked by the rise of strong centralized governments and the beginnings of recognizable nation states that are the direct antecedents... For an account of the Steven Spielberg film, see Duel (movie). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Smallsword is a sword intermediate in historical period between the rapier and the classical épée, ancestor to the modern sporting épée. ... A side arm is a small personal weapon that is typically worn on the body in a holster in such a way to permit immediate access and use. ...

Student life was quite unsafe in these years, especially in the 16th and 17th century during the reformation wars and the Thirty Year War (1618-1648) when a major part of the German population was killed. Public life was brutal and students killing each other in the street was not uncommon. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which began in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church, but ended in division and the establishment of new institutions, most importantly Lutheranism, Reformed churches, and Anabaptists. ... The victory of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631) The Thirty Years War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. ...

Fencing lesson at the university fencing school in Altdorf, 1725

A major step towards civilization was the introduction of the "regulated" duel of which the first recordings exist from the 17th century. The fight was not decided on the spot but the time and location were appointed and negotiations were done by officials. A so-called Kartellträger did the arrangements and a second represented the interests of the fighter during the duel and could even give physical protection from illegal actions. A kind of referee was present to make decisions and eventually the practice of having an attending doctor became normal so as to give medical help in case of an injury. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1114x774, 456 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Dendrono (Johann Georg Puschner, Nürnberg) - Der fechtende Student 1725, Kupferstich aus dem 18. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1114x774, 456 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Dendrono (Johann Georg Puschner, Nürnberg) - Der fechtende Student 1725, Kupferstich aus dem 18. ... Altdorf bei Nürnberg [] is a town in south-eastern Germany. ... A duel is a formalized type of combat. ...

At the end of the 18th century (after the French Revolution), wearing of weapons in everyday life fell out of fashion and was more and more forbidden, even for students. This certainly reduced the number of spontaneous duels dramatically. The regulated duel remained in use although it continued to be forbidden. The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...

The foil was invented in France as a training weapon in the middle of the 18th century in order to practise fast and elegant thrust fencing. Fencers blunted the point by wrapping a foil around the blade or fastening a knob on the point ("blossom", French fleuret). In addition to practising, some fencers took away the protection and used the sharp foil for duels. German students took up that practise and developed the Pariser ("Parisian") thrusting small sword for the Stoßmensur ("thrusting mensur"). After the dress sword was abolished, the Pariser became the only weapon for academic thrust fencing in Germany. An Italian-grip foil A foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. ...

"Pariser" small sword, derived from the French foil

Since fencing on thrust with a sharp point is quite dangerous, many students died from their lungs being pierced (Lungenfuchser) which made breathing difficult or impossible. However, the counter movement had already started in Göttingen in the 1760s. Here the Göttinger Hieber was invented, the predecessor of the modern Korbschläger, a new weapon for cut fencing. In the following years, the Glockenschläger was invented in East German universities for cut fencing as well. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 323 pixelsFull resolution (3074 × 1240 pixel, file size: 336 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (Uploaded using CommonsHelper or PushForCommons) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 323 pixelsFull resolution (3074 × 1240 pixel, file size: 336 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (Uploaded using CommonsHelper or PushForCommons) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... An Italian-grip foil A foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. ...

Mensur fencing with Korbschläger in Tübingen in 1831

Thrust fencing (using Pariser) and cut fencing using Korbschläger or Glockenschläger) existed in parallel in Germany during the first decades of the 19th century - with local preferences. So thrust fencing was especially popular in Jena, Erlangen, Würzburg and Ingolstadt/Landshut, two towns where the predecessors of Munich university were located. The last thrust Mensur is recorded to have taken place in Würzburg in 1860. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1394x745, 482 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Tübinger Mensur um 1831, Rechte abgelaufen Das Bild zeigt eine Partie auf Korbschläger zwischen dem Corps Franconia Tübingen (links mit den Farben moosgrün-rosa) und dem Corps Suevia Tübingen (rechts mit... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1394x745, 482 KB) // Summary Deutsch: Tübinger Mensur um 1831, Rechte abgelaufen Das Bild zeigt eine Partie auf Korbschläger zwischen dem Corps Franconia Tübingen (links mit den Farben moosgrün-rosa) und dem Corps Suevia Tübingen (rechts mit... Tübingen, Neckar front Tübingen, a traditional university town of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is situated 20 miles southwest of Stuttgart, on a ridge between the River Neckar and the Ammer. ... For other uses, see Jena (disambiguation). ... Erlangen around 1915 Erlangen is a German city in Middle Franconia. ... Würzburg Residenz. ... Ingolstadt (Austro-Bavarian: InglstÃ¥dt) is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, Germany. ... Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany both belonging to Eastern and Southern Bavaria. ...

Until the first half of the 19th century all types of academic fencing can be seen as duels, since all fencing with sharp weapons was about honour. No combat with sharp blades took place without a formal insult. Compared to pistol duels, these events were quite harmless. The fight was regularly ended when an injury occurred which caused a wound with a length of at least one inch and with at least one drop of blood coming out from it. It was not uncommon that students fought approximately 10 to 30 duels of that kind during their university years.

For duels with non-students, e.g. military officers, the academic sabre became usual, apparently derived from the military sabre. It was a heavy weapon with a curved blade and a hilt similar to the Korbschläger. It has been suggested that Cavalry saber be merged into this article or section. ...

Timetable academic fencing in Germany

During the first half of the 19th century, students believed that the character of a person could easily be judged by watching him fight with sharp blades under strict regulations. Academic fencing was more and more seen as a kind of personality training by showing countenance and fairness even in dangerous situations. Student fraternities demanded that their members fight at least one duel with sharp blades during their university time. The problem was that some peaceful students had nobody to offend them. The solution was a kind of formal insult which did not actually infringe honour but was just seen as a challenge for fencing. The standard wording was dummer Junge (German for "silly boy"). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 462 pixelsFull resolution (1040 × 600 pixel, file size: 5 KB, MIME type: image/png) Timetable of different types of academic fencing in Germany, image created by myself, GNU-FDL Zeittafel der unterschiedlichen Ausprägungen des akademischen Fechtens in Deutschland, Grafik... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 462 pixelsFull resolution (1040 × 600 pixel, file size: 5 KB, MIME type: image/png) Timetable of different types of academic fencing in Germany, image created by myself, GNU-FDL Zeittafel der unterschiedlichen Ausprägungen des akademischen Fechtens in Deutschland, Grafik...

In the long term, this solution was unsatisfying. It was around 1850 that the Bestimmungsmensur (German bestimmen means "ascertain", "define" or "determine") was developed and introduced throughout Germany. This meant that the opponents of a Mensur were determined by the fencing official of their fraternity. These officials were regularly vice-chairmen (Consenior) and responsible for arranging Mensur bouts in cooperation with their colleagues from other fraternities. Their objective was to find opponents of equal physical and fencing capabilities in order to make the event challenging for both participants. That is the way it is still done today. That is the concept of the Mensur in the modern sense of the word.

Before the Communist revolution in Russia and before World War II, academic fencing was known in most countries of Eastern Europe as well. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ...

Academic fencing in Germany was temporarily abolished, along with the Studentenverbindungen, during the Third Reich, but it is still practised by hundreds of traditional Studentenverbindung fraternities. A Studentenverbindung (the umbrella term that includes the Burschenschaften, Landsmannschaften, Corps, Turnerschaften, Sängerschaften, Catholic Corporations, Wingolf and Ferialverbindungen) is a German student corporation equivalent to fraternities in the US or Canada. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ...

External links

• Secrets of the German Broadsword – An Introduction into the Culture of the Schläger
• http://www.jonathan-green.com/articles/report_a03/report_a03.htm Article on German Student Corps and academic fencing from the portfolio of Jonathan Green