European sword fighting

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Image from the Codex Wallerstein : Fencer with various weapons (15th century)

As European swordplay is historical martial arts referred to the medieval and early modern fencing with swords is in Europe is based. In terms of content, these martial arts can be distinguished from sport fencing in the 19th and 20th centuries.

terminology

The term sword fight was first coined in the Romantic era and referred to the "fight with the sword" in a dramatic or lyrical context; Grimm's dictionary names texts by Carl Leberecht Immermann and Gustav Freytag as references. Another early evidence is that in the " Sempacherlied " by Heinrich Bosshard (around 1836), which speaks of "spear force and wild sword fighting, slaughter dust and hot blood vapor". Before the Romantic era, the historical fighting styles with the sword were called "sword fencing".

History and description

The historical European sword fight can only partially be reconstructed on the basis of contemporary fencing books . Sword fencing in the 14th and 15th centuries was a martial art characterized by fine techniques . The heyday of organized sword fighting spanned the High Middle Ages, Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance (13th to 16th centuries). Organized fencing schools and fencing companies ( fencing masters ) gained more and more importance from the late 13th century and were spread throughout the entire area of ​​the Holy Roman Empire .

Illustration of a stab with the " half sword " against a " murderous blow " in plate armor (Fig. 214 of the Codex Wallerstein)

In the area of ​​late medieval German sword fencing, a rough classification can be made into:

  • Bare fencing: sword fighting without armor ("in the long sword")
  • Armor fencing : The sword fight in armor ( the short swert zw gewappenter hant ("in the short sword to the armed hand") - Codex 44A8)
  • Knife fencing: Fighting with the long knife , comparable to a short, single-edged sword or saber
  • Wrestling at the sword: The fight at the weapon in which a free hand or leg is used for wrestling. Each component of bare and armor fencing
  • Horse fencing: sword fighting on horseback
  • Sword & Shield: Sword fight with buckler (fist shield), stabbing shield, in southern Europe also with Targe and Rotella
  • In addition, other types of weapon such as disc dagger and various polearms as well as unarmed wrestling were taught.

The oldest Fechtbuch obtained is the so-called I.33 or Tower Fechtbuch that in the Royal Armories in England Leeds is kept. It is a German fencing book, probably written by a monk named Luitger towards the end of the 13th or beginning of the 14th century. It deals exclusively with fighting with sword and buckler. The person who shaped the so-called German School for centuries was Johannes Liechtenauer , who researched and systematized the various ways of fighting with the long sword in Europe in the 14th century.

Most of the later German-speaking fencing masters up to the early 17th century and the majority of German-language sources on the handling of the long sword respectfully refer to Liechtenauer and his teachings, so that one can speak of the Liechtenauer tradition. However, there are also some sources that describe a way of fencing with the long sword that is independent of Liechtenauer. In addition to the German-language sources on the fight with the long sword, mainly Italian sources ( Fiore dei Liberi and Filippo Vadi ) have survived. Significant contemporary records from the German-speaking area are the manuscript 3227a and the fencing books Danzigs, Ringecks, Lews, Speyers, Talhoffers, Kals, Leckküchners, Meyers and others.

The independent Dardi School with masters such as Antonio Manciolino and Achille Marozzo was established in Bologna around 1500. In contrast to the previous systems, the one-handed side sword forms the basis of the art of fencing, and not the long sword. Starting in the late 16th century, Italian rapier fencing then gained popularity throughout Western Europe. The fencing book by Salvator Fabris (1606) was particularly successful.

An independent British school appeared as early as the 15th century, but is only preserved in a few works such as the so-called Harley Manuscript . A more extensive school appeared for the first time in 1599 with George Silver . Silver spoke out against the spread of the rapier and the popularity of Italian fencing masters in England and preferred the local "short" sword or backsword (side sword ).

A Spanish fencing school, known as Destreza or La Verdadera Destreza (about "The True Art"), developed from the late 16th century, also based on the rapier. She distinguished herself from the "vulgar" fencing ( esgrima vulgar ) of the Middle Ages and wanted to develop the art of fencing according to humanistic, scientific principles.

The end of the German fencing school

The German fencing school, distinguished above all by fencing with the long sword, died out in the 17th century when fencing with the rapier established itself in Germany after the Italian school .

The Italian and Spanish schools of rapier fencing, on the other hand, survived into the 18th century and developed into modern sport fencing in the 19th century . The French terminology in modern fencing goes back to Henry de Sainct-Didier (1573).

In Germany, student fencing has a special position. With a tradition that goes back to the 16th century, the students fought first with the rapier, in the 18th century with the costume rapier ( smallsword ) and later with the foil (" Pariser ") and the "Göttinger Hieber". Academic chopping and stabbing, respectively with the "Hieber" and the "Pariser", led a parallel existence in the early 19th century. Due to the frequent lung injuries with the prick-heavy foil (" lung fox "), however, after 1860, bat fencing with the " basket bat " or " bell bat " prevailed, both of which are still used today by beating student associations. The academic saber , however, has no longer played a role since the Second World War.

reconstruction

In the 19th century attempts were made to reconstruct techniques using the fencing books. The fencing master and officer Alfred Hutton (1839–1910) wanted to reconstruct the old techniques using the available material.

From the later 20th century, historical fencing began to establish itself as an independent martial art. In the course of the rediscovery of the old European fencing tradition, various new fencing books came onto the market, some of which are based on historical models or reproduce them, but some are also tailored to the needs of reenactment and exhibition combat. The term "historical fencing" is used very inconsistently by the individual clubs and groups; for example, exhibition combat and theater fencing groups often refer to themselves as clubs for historical fencing. The claim to a real reconstruction of the historical sword fighting art is accordingly understood very differently. Since 2014, however, the DDHF has been a national umbrella organization that bundles interests under a common definition.

literature

  • Achille Marozzo: Opera Nova Chiamata Duello, O Vero Fiore dell'Armi de Singulari Abattimenti Offensivi, & Diffensivi. Modena 1536.
  • Hans-Peter Hils: Master Liechtenauer's art of the long sword. Lang, Frankfurt / M. 1985, ISBN 3-8204-8129-X .
  • André Schulze: Medieval ways of fighting. Zabern, Mainz am Rhein 2006/2007, Volume 1: The Long Sword. ISBN 3-8053-3652-7 ; Volume 2: War Hammer, Shield and Piston. ISBN 3-8053-3736-1 ; Volume 3: Disc dagger and stabbing shield. ISBN 3-8053-3750-7
  • Christian Henry Tobler : Modern training with the long sword according to Liechtenauer. Translated from English by Jan H. Sachers. G & S-Verlag, Zirndorf 2007, ISBN 978-3-925698-05-7 .
  • Konrad Kessler: The fight with the long sword. 2007, ISBN 3-87892-091-1 .
  • Herbert Schmidt: Sword fight - the fight with the long sword according to the German school. Wieland Verlag, Bruckmühl 2007, ISBN 978-3-938711-19-4 .
  • Wolfgang Abart: Lively sword art: Bare fencing with the sword and the pen. Zabern, Mainz am Rhein 2008, ISBN 3-8053-3857-0 .
  • Herbert Schmidt : Schwertkampf 2 - the fight with the short sword and buckler according to the German school. Wieland Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-938711-29-3 .
  • Guy Windsor: Handbook Sword Fighting: A textbook for fighting with the long sword according to Fiore Dei Liberi and Fillipo Vadi. Wieland Verlag, Bad Aibling 2009, ISBN 978-3-938711-27-9 .
  • Thomas Meyer: Sword Fighting in the Middle Ages: History and Technology. Books on Demand, 2009, ISBN 3-8370-8050-1 .
  • Dierk Hagedorn: Peter von Danzig: transcription and translation of the manuscript 44 A 8 . VS-Books, 2009, ISBN 978-3-932077-34-0 .
  • Christian Bott, Arne Schneider, Michael Schüle: Word treasures of European fencing art: Collection from four centuries . Kuppinger Verlag, 2012, ISBN 978-3-928856-52-2 .
  • Christian Bott: Sword fighting tutorials: Learn, deepen and perfect long sword fencing . Apple iBooks (iPad), 2014, ID 890548342 .
  • Patrick Leiske: Courtly play and deadly seriousness. The bare fencing with the long sword in the German fencing books of the late Middle Ages and early modern times . Thorbecke, Ostfildern 2018, ISBN 978-3-7995-1257-2 .

Documentary and educational films on the subject of European sword fighting

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The German Dictionary Online
  2. ↑ Historical Fencing Studies (English)
  3. ↑ Medieval fencing art at: Die Liechtenauer Fechter - Schwertkampfverein , viewed on August 16, 2009 ( memento of the original from August 8, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dreynschlag.at

Web links