German Sabre of the Berliner Turnschule translated by Jeremy Steflik

Description

German Sabre of the Berliner Turnschule

Translation and Additional Material by Jeremy Steflik

The fencing style of the Berliner Turnschule developed with close ties to the Prussian military early in the 19th century. Variations of the style are  found in manuals spanning more than 80 years and its terminology can still be found to some extent in modern German sport and academic fencing. In his 1843 manual, Ernst Friedrich Seidler adapts the style for the cavalry weapons of the day: the heavily curved m1811 light cavalry sabre and the straight-bladed Kurassierdegen of the heavy cavalry.

Presented here for the first time in English, Seidler’s Fecten mit dem Sabel und dem Kurassierdegen, together with translations of selected sections of E.W.B. Eiselen’s Deutsche Hiebfechten der Berliner Turnschule, gives an introduction to a unique sabre system and a glimpse into the larger Berliner Turnschule tradition.