Leader

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The word Vorfechter denotes firstly an assistant to the fencing master at the universities , the military and at the court, and secondly a term used in the Middle Ages in the history of the empire and legal history .

Assistant to the fencing master at universities, in the military and at court

When Johann Christoph ennobling International Dictionary of the High German dialect , Volume 4 is the following:

“Der Vorfêchter, des -s, plur. ut nom. sing. from fencing 1, on the fencing floor, the person who gives fencing lessons under the supervision of the fencing master actually prepares others, fights in their presence for the pattern of imitation; hence it is written and spoken by some erroneous advocates. Vorvechte already with the Strycker. "

Basically, this brief explanation already gives an insight into the fencing industry at the universities, as it had survived until the beginning of the 20th century. The lead fencer had to demonstrate the fencing master's instructions to the students in practice and acted as his assistant. The fencing master was mostly paid and employed by the universities, at least until the early 20th century. The students also had to pay fees to them, just as they had to pay college fees to the professors . The lead fencer, on the other hand, was also employed at the university, but was not always paid via the university, but via the fencing master, who had to pay the lead fencer with the fees charged. Initially, privileges were not associated with his work. At the same time, she also had the prospect of advancing to the position of fencing master. The fencing master at the University of Leipzig Ludwig Caesar Roux, for example, worked from 1863 to 1865 as a fencer with his father Friedrich August Wilhelm Ludwig Roux in Jena before moving to Leipzig.

Weischner in posture with one of his students (1765)

Since there were fencing masters not only at universities, but also in the military and at court, there were also leaders there who supported the fencing master.

There were fencing masters who wrote fencing books, the lead fencer demonstrating the fencing positions shown with him. Gustav Bergmann can be cited as an example, who was the lead fencer with Siegmund Carl Friedrich Weischner at the grammar school in Weimar . The student Goethe had a self-provoked encounter with Bergmann in Leipzig, which did not end well for him. He suffered a slight wound from a sharp sword .

Term in the imperial and legal history of the Middle Ages

The term lead fencer or advocate can have a legal historical meaning, which then describes, among other things, the fencer in judicial disputes of the Middle Ages who ultimately fights for a party and its interests in a duel . To a certain extent he is the guardian or champion of a weaker party . Of decisive importance here was the criterion of being able to carry weapons, with which only full legal capacity was given. In Sachsenspiegel stands for Vorfechter who, as a male blood relative on his father's side, got the word swertmag see: Mage (right) . This had to be equal to his counterpart.

Lead fencer could also be an honorary title. The Counts of Arnsberg called themselves "champions between the Rhine and Weser for the Holy Roman Empire". In Grimm's dictionary of Middle High German, reference is also made to the Schwabenspiegel , according to which Charlemagne privileged the Swabians so that no one in the empire could fight them. According to the Brothers Grimm, this is justified as follows:

“From ancient times the Swabians had the right among all peoples of the German Empire to fight for the army; and this Carl the Great bestowed on her Duke Gerold (Hildegardens brother), who fell on his knee before the Emperor in the bloody battle of Runzefal, and demanded this privilege as the oldest in the army. Since then, nobody has been allowed to challenge them. Others tell of the conquest of Rome, which the Swabians valiantly helped Carl the Great to do. Still others from the capture of Milan , where the Swabian duke carried the imperial banner and thereby acquired the privilege. "

This term also has an imperial historical meaning.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Adelung, Grammatical-Critical Dictionary of High German Dialect. Volume 4. Leipzig 1801, p. 1264 ( zeno.org ).
  2. ↑ The Brothers Grimm mention a striker and a poem from a Spanish campaign. That should be meant by Adelung. But then it would have an imperial and legal historical significance.
  3. ↑ a b Why the Swabians fight against the Reich . [Wikisource]
  4. ↑ It was pretty clear with regard to the fees of the fencing master Paul Roux, which the rent office of the University of Leipzig sent to the Ministry of Education in Dresden on May 28, 1906: “University fencing master is budgetary with an annual salary of 1,350 M and an annual housing allowance of 120 M without pension entitlement employed. In addition to these remuneration to be paid from the state treasury, the student receives 16 M from each student for a one-time course (16 hours) in saber fencing, 12 M in fencing with clubs, which fees are collected from the university treasury such as the lecture fees and from them after deduction of 3% will be handed over to the fencing master for collection. The assistants required by the fencing master are to be paid from these fees. ”UAL: Inventory Rector, Rep.I / VIII / 206a, Bl. 48, in: Mario Todte: Die Fecht-, Reit- und Tanzmeister at the University of Leipzig (= Lars -Arne Dannenberg, Matthias Donath (Eds.): Studies on Culture and History. Volume 1), Bernstadt ad Eigen 2016, ISBN 978-3-944104-12-6 , p. 52.
  5. ↑ Thorough Bajonnetfechtschule. To train teachers and champions in the army. ( books.google.de ).
  6. ↑ Goethe's life: First period: Goethe's childhood and youth until ..., Volume 1, p. 148. It says: “In the very valuable book by KL Blum: 'A picture from the Baltic Sea provinces, or Andreas von Löwis of Menar '(Berlin 1846), it says on p. 29 of a preacher in Rujen, Gustav von Bergmann:' He was famous as a fencer in his youth, and already at the Weimar high school he had the painter, who was one of the Fencing school published, served as a model. Born in one and the same year with Goethe, he met him at the university in Leipzig and immediately drew his arm as a fox. "
  7. ↑ Siegmund Carl Friedrich Weischner: The knightly skill in fencing shown by casual positions and brief theorems. Improved and increased edition with appropriate coppers , Weimar 1765.
  8. ^ Siegfried Hoyer : Brief history of the Leipzig student body 1409-1989 , Leipzig 2010, p. 80 f. ISBN 978-3-86583-480-5
  9. ↑ Todte, p. 34 f.
  10. ↑ Johann Gustav Büsching : Knights and knights. Volume 2, p. 197 f. ( books.google.de ).
  11. ^ Johann Paul Brewer: History of the French court constitution: from the origin of the…. Volume 1, p. 59 ff. ( Books.google.de ).
  12. ↑ History of ordeals: in particular the judicial duels in .... P. 248 ( books.google.de ).
  13. ↑ Sachsenspiegel, Book I, Article 43 “Gêt but the clage zû deme kampfe wart, sô můz wol ir guardians sìn a similar swertmâg." a. Book I Articles 45 and 48.
  14. ↑ Vorfechter for the holy realm wp.de
  15. ↑ Vorfechten. In: Jacob Grimm , Wilhelm Grimm (Hrsg.): German dictionary . tape 26 : Vesche – Vulkanisch - (XII, 2nd section). S. Hirzel, Leipzig 1951, Sp. 1029-1030 ( woerterbuchnetz.de ).