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Sword fight betwixt 2 male members of different fraternities with sharp weapons

Bookish fencing
Mensur fencing in Heidelberg, 1900
Focus	Weaponry
Land of origin	Germany
Creator	Diverse
Parenthood	German language school of fencing
Olympic sport	No

Academic fencing (German: akademisches Fechten) or Mensur is the traditional kind of fencing practiced past some pupil corporations ( Studentenverbindungen ) in Federal republic of germany, Austria, Switzerland, Republic of latvia, Republic of estonia, and, to a pocket-size extent, in Belgium, Lithuania, and Poland. However, in Switzerland information technology is nowadays frowned upon to carry out this tradition, for it is considered unnecessary violence. Information technology is a traditional, strictly regulated épée fight between two male members of different fraternities with sharp weapons. The German language technical term Mensur (from Latin meaning 'dimension') in the 16th century referred to the specified distance betwixt each of the fencers.^[i]

Technique [edit]

An 1896 picture of Adolf Hoffmann-Heyden [de], a German language Corpsstudent, showing an all-encompassing fresh fencing scar and some minor old ones.

Mensur fencing with Korbschlägern in Tübingen in 1831

Modern bookish 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 tour, at that place is neither winner nor loser.^{[ citation needed ]} In contrast to sports fencing, the participants stand up their ground at a fixed distance. At the kickoff of the tradition, duelers wore only their normal clothing (every bit duels sometimes would arise spontaneously) or light-textile armor on the arm, body, and pharynx. In contempo years, fencers are protected by mail or padding for the body, fencing arm, fencing paw (gauntlet) and the throat, completed by steel goggles with a olfactory organ guard. In Austria and Switzerland, a nose guard is uncommon. Opponents 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 beingness less to avoid injury than to endure information technology stoically. Two physicians are present (one for each opponent) to attend to injuries and cease the fight if necessary.

The participants, or Paukanten, utilize specially adult swords. The so-called Mensurschläger (or but Schläger), exists in ii versions. The near common weapon is the Korbschläger with a handbasket-type guard. Some universities use the so-called Glockenschläger, which is equipped with a bell-shaped guard. These universities are Leipzig, Berlin, Greifswald, Dresden, Tharandt (in the Forestry Higher, which is now role of Technische Universität Dresden), Halle on the Saale, Frankfurt-an-der-Oder, and Freiberg. In Jena, both Korbschläger and Glockenschläger are used. Studentenverbindungen from some western cities utilize Glockenschläger because their tradition had its origin in one of the eastern universities but moved to Due west Frg after World War II.

The scar resulting from a hit is called a "smite" (German Schmiss), and was seen as a bluecoat of laurels, peculiarly in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. Nowadays the presence of scars usually indicates a mistake and therefore are no longer considered especially dignified. Today, it is non easy for an outsider to place Mensur scars due to better medical handling. Also, the number of mandatory Mensuren was reduced in the 2d half of the 20th century. Almost Mensur scars are located on the left temple of the forehead. Scars on the cheek and chin are rather uncommon today and sometimes due to accidents.

History [edit]

Timeline of academic fencing in Deutschland

Fencing lesson at the university fencing school in Altdorf, 1725

Corporate educatee of the "Agronomia" in Bonn 1928/1929

Typical smallsword of the 1740s

Starting in Spain at the end of the 15th century, the dueling sword (rapier) became a regular part of the attire of noblemen throughout Europe. In the Holy Roman Empire, this became usual among students, every bit well. Brawling and fighting were regular occupations of students in the High german-speaking areas during the early modern period. In line with developments in the elite and the military, regulated duels were introduced to the academic surround, also. The ground of this was the conviction that being a pupil meant being something unlike from the remainder of the population. Students wore special wearing apparel, developed special kinds of festivities, sang educatee songs, and fought duels, sometimes spontaneously (so-chosen rencontre, French "meeting" or "combat"), sometimes according to strict regulations called annotate (French "how"). The weapons used were the same equally those employed in civilian dueling, being at first the rapier and later the smallsword (courtroom sword, dress sword, French l'épée de cour, German language Kostümdegen, Galanteriedegen), which was seen equally part of the dress and always at manus every bit a side arm.

Student life was quite dangerous in these years, specially in the 16th and 17th centuries during the Reformation wars and the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), when a major part of the German population was killed. Public life was barbarous and students killing each other in the street was not uncommon.

A major step towards civilisation was the introduction of the "regulated" duel, of which the first recordings be 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 requite physical protection from illegal actions. A kind of referee was present to make decisions, and somewhen, the do of having an attending doctor became normal and then as to give medical assist in example of an injury.

At the cease of the 18th century (after the French Revolution), wearing weapons in everyday life fell out of style and was more and more forbidden, even for students. This certainly reduced the number of spontaneous duels dramatically. The regulated duel remained in use, though all the same forbidden.

Pariser small sword, derived from the French foil

The foil was invented in France as a training weapon in the heart of the 18th century to practice fast and elegant thrust fencing. Fencers blunted the bespeak past wrapping a foil around the blade or fastening a knob on the bespeak ("blossom", French fleuret). In addition to practising, some fencers took away the protection and used the abrupt foil for duels. German students took upwardly 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 bookish thrust fencing in Germany.

Since fencing on thrust with a sharp point is quite unsafe, many students died from their lungs being pierced (Lungenfuchser), which made breathing hard or impossible.^[2] Notwithstanding, the counter-movement had already started in Göttingen in the 1760s. Here the Göttinger Hieber was invented, the predecessor of the mod Korbschläger, a new weapon for cutting fencing. In the following years, the Glockenschläger was invented in east German universities for cutting fencing too.

Thrust fencing (using Pariser) and cut fencing (using Korbschläger or Glockenschläger) existed in parallel in Germany during the starting time decades of the 19th century—with local preferences. Thrust fencing was specially popular in Jena, Erlangen, Würzburg, and Ingolstadt/Landshut, ii towns where the predecessors of Munich Academy were located. The terminal thrust Mensur is recorded to have taken identify in Würzburg in 1860.

Until the first half of the 19th century, all types of academic fencing can be seen as duels, since all fencing with precipitous weapons was nigh accolade. No gainsay with sharp blades took place without a formal insult. Compared to pistol duels, these events were relatively harmless.^{[ citation needed ]} The fight regularly ended when a contestant received a wound at to the lowest degree one inch long that produced at least one drib of blood. It was non uncommon for students to have fought approximately 10 to thirty duels of that kind during their academy years. The German language student Fritz Bacmeister is the 19th-century record holder, due to his estimated 100 mensur bouts fought in Göttingen, Jena, and Würzburg between 1860 and 1866.^[iii] In the 20th and 21st century it was Alexander Kliesch (Landsmannschaft Brandenburg Berlin) with 70.

For duels with nonstudents, due east.one thousand., military officers, the "academic sabre" became usual, plainly derived from the military sabre. It was a heavy weapon with a curved blade and a hilt similar to the Korbschläger.

During the outset half of the 19th century and some of the 18th century, students believed the character of a person could easily be judged past watching him fight with sharp blades under strict regulations. Academic fencing was more than and more seen as a kind of personality training past showing countenance and fairness even in dangerous situations. Educatee corporations demanded their members fight at least 1 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 that did not actually infringe honour, but was just seen as a challenge for fencing. The standard wording was dummer Junge (German for "stupid boy.")

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

Before the Communist revolution in Russian federation and earlier Globe War Ii, academic fencing was known in most countries of Eastern Europe, besides.

Modern Mensur [edit]

By the terminate of the 19th century, the dueling form evolved into the modern Mensur. In 1884, the British Saturday Review described the dueling every bit follows:^[4]

In the German language Schläger combat the position is the aforementioned as in dorsum-swording, save that the left arm is kept, every bit in sabre play, behind the body; usually the waistband of the trousers is grasped past the left mitt. The weapon is a long, narrow blade, like a pointless rapier, merely much more flexible. It is sharpened for a length of twenty centimetres (say eight inches) on the true edge, and five on the false edge. For do and education blunt and rather stouter blades are used. The mask is like an English unmarried-stick mask, but stronger and heavier. A padded leather vest, coming about down to the knees, covers the torso, and the right arm is encased in a sleeve attached to a gauntlet, which may be compared to an elongated Rugby football. In the actual duel, there is an even more than elaborate organisation of defence force; the right wrist is guarded with a ring of post, and the arm with folds of silk, which, like the turban of the East, are enough to finish an ordinary cutting. Practically, though non according to strict rules, the body is altogether covered. The optics are protected by iron spectacles, with a stiff wire net instead of glasses.

During the times of the Third Reich, the national socialist leadership chose to foreclose academic fencing. They had recognized that Mensur fencing was an integral part of the internal strength of the last still-existing independent Studentenverbindung fraternities during the subsequently 1930s. As Nazi force per unit area increased and fraternities were forced to officially suspend their activities, and so-chosen comradeships were founded. These provided means for practicing and organizing the Mensur among sometime fraternities while remaining undetected to the Nazi secret police. 1 such example was the SC-Comradeship Hermann Löns initiated by members of the Corps Hubertia Freiburg and other fraternities in Freiburg, Germany. There, fencing Mensur "duels" continued and even intensified from 1941 on, with over 100 of such duels happening during World War Two in Freiburg alone.^[5] Following the war, most of the formerly suspended fraternities were reactivated and resumed the traditions of Mensur fencing if they had not continued throughout the fourth dimension of Nazi occupation.

Today, the Mensur is practiced by virtually 400 traditional Studentenverbindung fraternities in Germany, several of the Corps, Burschenschaften, Landsmannschaften, Turnerschaften and Sängerschaften. Menzura, as the Mensur is known in Poland, and is still practised, although its popularity has declined since the end of World War II. Information technology is besides all the same known in a few other European countries, though at that place, protective equipment employ is all-encompassing and dueling scars are almost unheard of.

In literature [edit]

Preparations for a mensur; hither between members of a Shine Corporation Sarmatia and a High german fraternity (Freiburg im Breisgau, 2004)

American traveller Mark Twain devoted several capacity of A Tramp Abroad (1880) to Heidelberg students' fencing.^[6]

In Three Men on the Bummel (1900), Jerome 1000. Jerome devoted a chapter to German student life, and describes the "German language Mensur" in particular. While much of the book has a tone of admiration for the German people, he expressed farthermost disapproval for this tradition.

In George MacDonald Fraser's Imperial Wink (1970), the protagonist Harry Flashman is scarred with a Schläger as part of his disguise as a Danish prince.

Mensur is featured in Heinrich Mann's novel Human of Straw (Der Untertan).

Mensur scars are repeatedly noted and described as a sign of beauty and manliness past German characters in Katherine Anne Porter's novel Ship of Fools.

Mensur scars are mentioned in passing in Robert Heinlein'south Starship Troopers when two German recruits are asked at the beginning of kicking army camp where they got their scars. The drill sergeant even uses the term Korpsbruder (equally spelled in mod German). E. C. Gordon, the hero of Heinlein's Glory Road, mentions his desire for a caste from Heidelberg and the dueling scars to go with it.

The opening scene of "The Mystery of the Spanish Breast," in flavor three of Agatha Christie's Poirot, features two men fighting in the mensur style. The episode'due south dialogue implies that the fencers are English, rather than High german, and that i fencer has challenged the other to a duel over a woman.

In the James Bond books by Ian Fleming, the supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld has a dueling scar below his eye.

In film [edit]

The Mensur is featured in a number of German films, notably:

Hans Westmar - Einer von Vielen ("Hans Westmar - One of Many"), 1933
Der Untertan, 1951

and less normally in films outside Federal republic of germany, such as

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, 1943
Royal Flash, 1975

In television [edit]

"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" in series 3 of Agatha Christie's Poirot begins with a mensur.
In episode 77 of Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected, "The Vorpal Blade", the story revolves around duelling of this kind
In Freud, dueling is shown and many characters take scars from dueling.

See as well [edit]

A more detailed commodity (in German) with multiple illustrations tin can be found on the German Wikipedia: Mensur (Studentenverbindung)

Dueling scars
Fencing

References [edit]

^ Robert Paschke: Corpsstudentisches Wörterbuch. In: Handbuch des Kösener Corpsstudenten. Verband Alter Corpsstudenten due east. 5. Ring I. Würzburg 1985 (6. Aufl.)
^ McAleer, Kevin (14 July 2014). Dueling: The Cult of Honour in Fin-de-Siecle Deutschland. Princeton University Printing. ISBN9781400863877.
^ In Göttingen only, 51 mensur bouts of Bacmeister are historically recorded, in Jena and Würzburg, 15 bouts per student are regarded as average - and Bacmeister is seen as above average, and then the number of 100 appears realistic. Run across besides Frank Huss: Fritz Bacmeister – Corpsstudent und Abenteurer. In: Einst und Jetzt. Jahrbuch 2008 des Vereins für corpsstudentische Geschichtsforschung. Book 53, Neustadt an der Aisch 2008, pages 366f.
^ The Saturday Review, "German Students' Duels," in E. Littell and R. S. Littell, eds., Littell'due south Living Age, Vol. 160, pp. 512-513, Jan.-Mar. 1884.
^ Ricker, Leo Alexander (1968). "Freiburger Mensuren in der nationalsozialistischen Verbotszeit". Einst und Jetzt. ten: 70–82. ISSN 0420-8870.
^ Twain, Mark (1880). "Affiliate 5. At The Students' Dueling Basis". A Tramp Abroad.

References (in High german) [edit]

Hermann Rink: Die Mensur, ein wesentliches Merkmal des Verbandes. In: Rolf-Joachim Baum (Hrsg.): „Wir wollen Männer, wir wollen Taten!" Deutsche Corpsstudenten 1848 bis heute. Siedler, Berlin 1998. pages 383-402 ISBN three-88680-653-7
Hermann Rink: Vom studentischen Fechten bis zur Mensur. In: Handbuch des Kösener Corpsstudenten. Verband Alter Corpsstudenten e.V. Volume I. Würzburg 1985 (six. edition), pages 151-171
Martin Biastoch: Duell und Mensur im Kaiserreich (am Beispiel der Tübinger Corps Franconia, Rhenania, Suevia und Borussia zwischen 1871 und 1895). SH-Verlag, Vierow 1995. ISBN three-89498-020-6
Wilhelm Fabricius: Die Deutschen Corps. Eine historische Darstellung mit besonderer Berücksichtigung des Mensurwesens. Berlin 1898 (two. edition 1926)