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Corps ("das ~" (n
Grammatical gender

In linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words; every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be very few which belong to several classes at once....
), (sg.), (pl.)) are the oldest still-existing kind of Studentenverbindung
Studentenverbindung

A Studentenverbindung is a student somewhat comparable to fraternities and sororities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of origins....
, Germany's traditional university corporations
Corporation (university)

Corporation refers to different kinds of student organizations worldwide.Generally, universities in the various European countries have student organizations called corporations....
; their roots date back to the 15th century. The oldest today still existing corps was founded in 1789. Although distinct, the corps are in few aspects similar to and serve many of the same purposes of college
College

File:Government college for Women Dhoke Kala Khan.JPGCollege is a term most often used today to denote an education institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of collegialitys, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals....
 fraternities found in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and to a lesser extent Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.

s are built upon the principle of tolerance: No corps may endorse a certain political, scientific or religious viewpoint.






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Corps ("das ~" (n
Grammatical gender

In linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words; every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be very few which belong to several classes at once....
), (sg.), (pl.)) are the oldest still-existing kind of Studentenverbindung
Studentenverbindung

A Studentenverbindung is a student somewhat comparable to fraternities and sororities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of origins....
, Germany's traditional university corporations
Corporation (university)

Corporation refers to different kinds of student organizations worldwide.Generally, universities in the various European countries have student organizations called corporations....
; their roots date back to the 15th century. The oldest today still existing corps was founded in 1789. Although distinct, the corps are in few aspects similar to and serve many of the same purposes of college
College

File:Government college for Women Dhoke Kala Khan.JPGCollege is a term most often used today to denote an education institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of collegialitys, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals....
 fraternities found in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 and to a lesser extent Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
.

Characterization

Corps are built upon the principle of tolerance: No corps may endorse a certain political, scientific or religious viewpoint. In addition, all members are solely chosen by their personal character. Neither national, ethnic or social provenance play a role.

Corpsstudenten (corps students) wear couleur
Couleur

Couleur is the expression used in European Studentenverbindungen for the caps and ribbons worn by members of student societies and German Student Corps, indicating that each society has their own colours which are derived from their individual coat of arms....
 (colored stripes and caps) and practice mensuren
Academic fencing

Academic fencing or Mensur is the traditional kind of fencing practiced by some Corporation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and recently to a minor extent in Latvia and Flanders as well....
, academic fencing with razor-sharp blades that can result in bleeding face wounds, Schmisse. The corps are organized in two federations, the Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband
Kösener Senioren-Convents-Verband

The K?sener Senioren-Convents-Verband is the oldest association of German and Austrian Studentenverbindungen. It comprises roughly 105 German and Austrian German Student Corps, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance....
 (KSCV) and the Weinheimer Senioren-Convent
Weinheimer Senioren-Convent

File:Wachenburg Weinheim3.JPGThe Weinheimer Senioren-Convent is the second oldest association of German Studentenverbindungen. It comprises roughly 60 German German Student Corps, all of which are based upon the principle of tolerance....
 (WSC). Together, they comprise roughly 170 corps throughout Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 and Austria
Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
. The corps usually bear names that reflect their former origin from certain German regions, such as Saxonia (Saxony) or Guestphalia (Westphalia). Formerly, when a distance of a few hundred kilometres between a student's home town and his university meant weeks of travel, students from the same part of Germany traveled together and formed some kind of "new family". The distance, plus the fact that they carried the money for a complete semester with them in a bag, might also explain why students began fencing, simply for self defence, for students, military officers and aristocrats were the only people allowed to carry arms.

Like all Studentenverbindungen, corps consist of two bodies: The active part contains all members, that still study and have duties for the corps, and are not part of the Altherrenschaft, those who graduated. A fundamental idea is that older students should help their younger fellows, and this principle dominates the relationship between the two bodies. The former keeps the everyday business of the corps alive, organizes gatherings, keeps the Corpshaus (Corps House) in order. The Altherrenschaft, graduated students with regular income, provides a financial background. This usually means quite cheap housing for the younger members among other things. The Altherrenschaft has the power to intervene in the business of the active members, typically to ensure the principles and spirit of their corps.

The active body is headed by a panel of three chargierte (charged persons), who are elected by all active, full members at the beginning of each semester (or at the end of the former one). Their functions are called senior, consenior and drittchargierter (meaning third charged person, also named subsenior in some corps).:
  • The senior is responsible for all corps affairs in general, but leading and heading gatherings and events in special; he supplements his signature with a single cross (x) (in some corps withs three crosses (xxx)) as an external sign of his duties.
  • The consenior teaches fencing to all members of the inner corps and assures the execution of the mensuren in coordination with the conseniors of other corps; his signature is enhanced by two crosses (xx).
  • The drittchargierter (also known as Sekretär, Secretary) has administrative tasks like paperwork and often the task of a treasurer; his sign is three crosses (xxx) (in some corps one cross (x)).


Being the oldest(this is highly disputed as some Landsmannschaften are considered definitly older )and noblest(also controversial, as as can be seen in most mayor german or austrian university towns ) of their kind, the corps tend to treat all other forms of German studentenverbindung with contempt; corps despise all mannerism and affectedness (e.g. the overly use of Latinism
Latinism

A Latinism is an idiom, structure, or word derived from or suggestive of the Latin language. For Latinistic words in English language, see Latin influence in English....
s) that other kinds of studentenverbindung, esp. Catholic corporations and burschenschaft
Burschenschaft

Germany Burschenschaften are a special type of Studentenverbindungen . Burschenschaften were founded in the 19th century as associations of university students inspired by liberalism and nationalistic ideas....
s show. This does not mean, that they understand other corporations as their natural-born enemies. This might happen occasionally, but also vice versa.

Even with the principle of tolerance being a central aspect in each corps' self-image, every corps student is urged to develop his own viewpoints and stand for them and to strongly participate in society, be it in politics, economy or social affairs. This encouragement for an ethical and self-confident behaviour on one side and the absence of a limitation to certain views on the other side let corps students often show up as the leading figures of the most diverse political directions. The emphasis on individuality brought many corps students in opposition to totalitarian
Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a concept used to describe political systems whereby a state regulates nearly every aspect of public and private life. Totalitarian regimes or movements maintain themselves in political power by means of an official all-embracing ideology and propaganda disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, single-party st...
 regimes, such as the Third Reich
Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the colloquial English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party , which established a Totalitarianism dictatorship that existed from 1933 to 1945....
.

The Weinheimer Student Corps also maintain a confederation with Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon

Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternities and sororities founded on January 10th, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent ....
 Fraternity, a college Fraternity with over 270 chapters in the United States and Canada.

History


A selection of famous Corps students


Politics


  • Otto von Bismarck
    Otto von Bismarck

    Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Sch?nhausen, Duke of Lauenburg, Prince of Bismarck, , was a Kingdom of Prussia and Germany statesman and aristocrat of the 19th century....
    , Chancellor of Prussia
    Prussia

    Prussia was, most recently, a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. This state had for centuries substantial influence on Germany and European history....
    , later of the German Empire
    German Empire

    The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from the unification of Germany and proclamation of William I, German Emperor as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became Weimar republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of William II, German Emperor ....
    , "architect" of Germany's unification, Corps Hannovera Göttingen
    Corps Hannovera Göttingen

    The Corps Hannovera G?ttingen is one of the oldest German Student Corps, a Studentenverbindung or corporation founded 18 January 1809 at the Georg August University of G?ttingen....
  • Max von Forckenbeck
    Max von Forckenbeck

    Maximilian Franz August von Forckenbeck was a German lawyer and politician and served as mayor of Berlin from 1878 to 1892. His is considered one of the most important Mayors of Berlin because of his prudent management style....
    , German politician, founder of the German Progress Party
    German Progress Party

    The German Progress Party was the first modern political party with a program in Germany, founded by the liberal members of the Prussian Lower House in 6 June, 1861....
     and National Liberal Party
    National Liberal Party (Germany)

    The National Liberal Party was a Germany political party which flourished between 1867 and 1918. It was formed by those Prussian liberals who put aside their differences with Otto von Bismarck over domestic policy due to their support for his highly successful foreign policy, which resulted in the unification of Germany....
    , mayor of Berlin
    Berlin

    Berlin is the Capital of Germany city and one of sixteen States of Germany of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is the country's largest city....
     and President of the Reichstag, Corps Teutonia Giessen
  • Ulrich von Hassell
    Ulrich von Hassell

    Ulrich von Hassell was a Germany diplomat during World War II. A member of the German Resistance against German dictator Adolf Hitler, Hassell was executed in the aftermath of the failed July 20 plot....
    , German ambassador in Belgrade
    Belgrade

    Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. The city lies on international waterway, at the confluence of the Sava River and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkan Peninsula....
     and Rome
    Rome

    Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
    , resistance fighter in Nazi Germany, executed by the Nazis after the failed July 20 Plot, Corps Suevia Tübingen
  • Wilhelm Liebknecht
    Wilhelm Liebknecht

    Wilhelm Liebknecht was a Germany social democrat, one of the founders of the SPD and father of Karl Liebknecht and Theodor Liebknecht....
    , co-founder of the German social-democratic party, chief editor of the "Vorwärts"-Paper, Corps Hasso-Nassovia Marburg
    Marburg

    Marburg is a city in Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district. Its population is 78,701, and its geographical position is ....
    , Corps Rhenania Gießen
    Gießen

    Gie?en is a town in the States of Germany of Hessen, capital of both the Gie?en and the Gie?en . The population is approximately 71,000, with roughly 22,000 university students....
  • Karl Marx
    Karl Marx

    Karl Heinrich Marx was a Germanphilosophy, political economy, historian, sociologist, humanism, political theorist and revolutionary credited as the founder of communism....
    , socialist author and theoretician, inventor of marxism
    Marxism

    Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxism holds at its core a Marxist analysis of Critique of capitalism and a theory of social change....
    , Corps Palatia Bonn
    Bonn

    Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the Capital of Germany West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
  • Wilhelm II of Germany, Last German Kaiser, Corps Borussia Bonn
    Bonn

    Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the Capital of Germany West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....


Sciences


  • Alois Alzheimer
    Alois Alzheimer

    Aloysius "Alois" Alzheimer, was a Germany psychiatrist and neuropathologist and a colleague of Emil Kraepelin. Alzheimer is credited with the first published case of "presenile dementia", which Kraepelin would later identify as Alzheimer's disease....
    , neurologist, Corps Franconia Würzburg
    Würzburg

    W?rzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken....
  • Emil von Behring, physician, Nobel prize
    Nobel Prize

    The Nobel Prize , established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize in Literature, and Nobel Peace Prize in 1901....
     laureate, Corps Suevo-Borussia Hamburg
    Hamburg

    Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany , and is the Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits. The city is home to approximately 1.8 million people, while the Hamburg metropolitan area has more than 4.3 million inhabitants....
  • Karl Ferdinand Braun
    Karl Ferdinand Braun

    Karl Ferdinand Braun was a German inventor, physicist and Nobel Prize in Physics . Braun contributed significantly to the development of the radio and TV technology....
    , physicist, Nobel prize
    Nobel Prize

    The Nobel Prize , established in the 1895 will of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel; it was first awarded in Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize in Literature, and Nobel Peace Prize in 1901....
     laureate, inventor of the cathode ray tube
    Cathode ray tube

    The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen, with internal or external means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam, used to create images in the form of light emitted from the fluorescent screen....
     Corps Teutonia Marburg
    Marburg

    Marburg is a city in Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district. Its population is 78,701, and its geographical position is ....
  • Alfred Brehm
    Alfred Brehm

    Alfred Edmund Brehm was aGermany zoologist, natural history illustrator and writer, the son ofChristian Ludwig Brehm.Through the book title Brehms Tierleben, his name became a synonym...
    , naturalist and author (zoological encyclopedia Brehms Tierleben), Corps Saxonia Jena
    Jena

    Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. With a population of 103,000 it is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt....
  • Justus von Liebig
    Justus von Liebig

    Justus von Liebig was a German chemist who made major contributions to agriculture and biology chemistry, and worked on the organization of organic chemistry....
    , chemist, founder of organic and agricultural chemistry, Corps Rhenania Erlangen
    Erlangen

    Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach....
  • Joseph von Lindwurm
    Joseph von Lindwurm

    Joseph von Lindwurm was a German physician and dermatologist who was a native of Aschaffenburg. He studied medicine in W?rzburg and Heidelberg, and afterwards furthered his studies in Dublin, Glasgow, Vienna and Paris....
    , physician and dermatologist, Corps Bavaria Würzburg
    Würzburg

    W?rzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken....


Economy and Engineering


  • Gottlieb Daimler
    Gottlieb Daimler

    Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler was an engineer, industrial designer and industrialist, born in Schorndorf , in what is now the Germany. He was a pioneer of internal-combustion engines and automobile development....
    , engineer, Corps Stauffia Stuttgart
    Stuttgart

    Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-W?rttemberg in southern Germany. The list of cities in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 590,429 while the metropolitan area referred to as Stuttgart Region has a population of 2.7 million ....
  • Rudolph Hering
    Rudolph Hering

    Rudolph Hering was a founder of modern environmental technology.He came to Dresden at age 13 to attend school there and studied civil engineering at the Dresden University of Technology as a member of the German Student Corps C! Altsachsen....
    , American engineer, Corps Altsachsen
  • Alfred Herrhausen
    Alfred Herrhausen

    Alfred Herrhausen was a Germany banker and Chairman of Deutsche Bank. From 1971 onwards he was a member of the bank's board of directors.Herrhausen fell victim to a sophisticated roadside Improvised explosive device shortly after leaving his home in Bad Homburg on 30 November 1989....
    , CEO of the Deutsche Bank
    Deutsche Bank

    Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft is an international Universal bank with a broad private clients franchise, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany....
    , murdered by Red Army Faction
    Red Army Faction

    The Red Army Faction or RAF , was postwar West Germany's most violent and prominent militant left-wing terrorist group. It described itself as a communist "urban guerrilla" group engaged in armed resistance....
    -terrorists in 1989, Corps Hansea Köln
  • Wilhelm von Opel
    Wilhelm von Opel

    Wilhelm von Opel was one of the founding figures of the Germany automobile manufacturer Opel. He introduced the assembly line to the German automobily industry....
    , engineer, Corps Franconia Darmstadt
    Darmstadt

    Darmstadt is a city in the States of Germany of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area.The city of Darmstadt was founded by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen in 1330, though settlement in the area is known to have been present as early as the late 11th century....
  • Hanns-Martin Schleyer, board member of Daimler-Benz
    Daimler-Benz

    Daimler-Benz AG was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motor vehicles, and engines which was founded in 1926. An Agreement of Mutual Interest?which was valid until year 2000?was signed on May 1 1924 between Karl Benz's Benz & Cie....
    , head of the employer's confederation and of Germany's federal industry confederation, murdered by Red Army Faction terrorists in 1977, Corps Suevia Heidelberg
    Heidelberg

    Heidelberg is a city in Baden-W?rttemberg, Germany. As of 2006, over 140,000 people live within the city's area. The town of Heidelberg is an administrative district of its own....


Fine Arts and Culture


  • Heinrich Heine
    Heinrich Heine

    Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was a journalist, essayist, and one of the most significant German literature German Romanticism poets. He is remembered chiefly for selections of his lyric poetry, many of which were set to music in the form of lieder by German composers....
    , German poet and journalist, Corps Guestphalia Göttingen
    Göttingen

    G?ttingen is a college town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the Capital of the district of G?ttingen . The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686....
  • Georg Heym
    Georg Heym

    Georg Heym was a Germany writer. He is particularly known for his poetry, representative of early Expressionism....
    , poet, most important exponent of early expressionism
    Expressionism

    Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an emotional effect; it is a subjective art form. Expressionism is exhibited in many art forms, including painting, literature, theatre, film, Expressionist architecture and Expressionism ....
    , Corps Rhenania Würzburg
    Würzburg

    W?rzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located on the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Unterfranken....
  • Egon Erwin Kisch
    Egon Erwin Kisch

    Egon Erwin Kisch was a Czechoslovakia writer and journalist, who wrote in German Language. He was noted for his development of literary reportage and his opposition to Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime....
    , Czech-German author und journalist, corps student in Prag
  • Robert Schumann
    Robert Schumann

    Robert Schumann, sometimes given as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is one of the most famous Romantic music composers of the 19th century....
    , composer and pianist, Corps Saxo-Borussia Heidelberg
    Heidelberg

    Heidelberg is a city in Baden-W?rttemberg, Germany. As of 2006, over 140,000 people live within the city's area. The town of Heidelberg is an administrative district of its own....
  • Ludwig Thoma
    Ludwig Thoma

    Ludwig Thoma was a Germany author, publisher and editor, who gained popularity through his partially exaggerated description of a Bavarian workday....
    , author, publisher and editor, Corps Suevia Munich
    Munich

    Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Munich is located on the River Isar north of the Northern Limestone Alps. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg....
  • Richard Wagner
    Richard Wagner

    Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, Conducting, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas . Unlike most other great opera composers, Wagner wrote both the scenario and libretto for his works....
    , composer, Corps Saxonia Leipzig


External links


In English

  • Mark Twain
    Mark Twain

    Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an United Statesmerican author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer....
     describes with German corps students in chapters IV to VII of his travelogue "A Tramp Abroad
    A Tramp Abroad

    A Tramp Abroad is a work of non-fiction travel literature by United States author Mark Twain, published in 1880. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris , through central and southern Europe....
    ".
  • Journalist Jonathan Green published in the Financial Times
    Financial Times

    The Financial Times is a United Kingdom international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and is printed at 24 sites....
     Magazine    , covering both the traditions and the current role of the Corps at length.


In German




In the Lower Countries




  • Groninger Studenten Corps 'Vindicat atque Polit' - the oldest Dutch corps