The origins of French boxing: bare-knuckle duelling, savate and chausson, 1820-45.

Abstract

Savate, also called chausson, or French boxing is a combat activity characterized by kicking and punching. Its inception reaches back to the Restoration and the monarchy of Louis-Philippe (1818-48) although it was not recognised as a combat sport until the twentieth century. This article, based on a variety of rich sources (police reports, newspapers, books, etc.) demonstrates how, on the one hand, the origins of savate can be traced back to the bare-fisted duels of the Restoration and, on the other hand, its emergence corresponds to the mutation of structural order as put forth by M. Foucault.