Medieval Sword Fighting Schools
While the sword fighting schools of medieval Europe died
out as a living tradition many hundreds of years ago – recent years
have seen them undergo something of a renaissance.
Reconstructed from a collection of old manuscripts and
books by modern day martial scholars – in this article we will be
taking a look at these traditions, how they have been resurrected from
obscurity – and where to learn them for yourself...
EUROPEAN SWORD FIGHTING HISTORY
The surviving knowledge of the medieval knightly sword
fighting tradition can be broadly divided into two main categories: the
earlier schools of sword and buckler, and the later period of wielding
the Longsword (also known as the hand and a half sword) – which span a
period from approximately 1300AD to 1500AD. Before this time, the
fighting techniques were a purely oral tradition and have,
unfortunately, been lost.
Of the former, there are only a handful of reliable
sources - including the most famous, and the earliest the Tower
Fechtbuch – more commonly known as MS I.33 (pronounced one thirty three
– pictured below).
While significant work has been made to restore these
art of fighting with sword and buckler, there is little doubt that the
majority of today’s efforts have been focused on the Longsword, partly
because of its romanticism, but more so because the amount of source
materials is comparatively richer.
You can find many of the original manuscripts here
at the ARMA website, though as many are written in the
somewhat archaic (by modern standards) Olde English or untranslated Old
German.
THE GERMAN AND ITALIAN LONGSWORD
TRADITIONS
The latter period medieval sword fighting schools were
primarily divided into the German and the Italian traditions. While
both wield practically identical longswords, they do so in somewhat
different ways. Despite the fact that the lines between the two sword
fighting schools are often blurred – some generalizations can be made.
At its most simplistic, it can be said that the German
school had more of an emphasis on the attack, or more correctly, the
German masters felt it is better to take and hold the initiative than
wait for an opponent to strike a potentially fight ending blow.
Conversely, the Italian sword fighting schools tended to be slightly
more defensive in nature, warding off an attacker until an opportune
moment when the opponent was off balanced or committed to an action,
and seizing it with a devastating counter attack....
Neither school is superior, and each tends to reflect a
little of the personality of the people, and the masters, who designed
and further refined them – such as the great Johannes Liechtenauer of
the German school and Fiore de' Liberi of the Italian tradition.
DEATH AND MODERN REVIVAL
Unfortunately, the older sword arts faced a slow and
lingering death in the face of the rise of the gun. The subsequent
abandoning of traditional armours, the cavalry sabers of the new
military and swords designed for civilian use (such as the rapier and
smallsword) were the final nails in the coffin.
While the earlier medieval blades and the associated
fighting techniques began to quickly fade into obsolescence – we should
be thankful for a few notable exceptions who held out longer than most,
such as the Englishman George Silver, who – thankfully for modern
scholars, preserved many of the older single handed traditions still
lingering in his book ‘Paradoxes of defense’ and argued vehemently
against the imported ‘Italian’ rapiers...
Eventually though, the evolution of warfare in Europe
took its toll. And as the last of the masters died out, the earlier
traditions were preserved only in a handful of old and neglected
manuscripts.
But in the early 1990s, there was a resurgence of
interest in recreating the actual practice and revival of these arts…
Before this, there were a few scattered attempts here
and there – most focusing more on role-playing than on a serious
endeavor to restore the sword fighting schools as a valid martial art
again. But, driven at first primarily by the ARMA (Association for
Renaissance Martial Arts) and soon after quite a few others using the
internet to create a means of gathering more like minded individuals
and sharing, and preserving rare manuscripts online, momentum started
to build.
While it can be argued that the lack of a living
tradition means that we can never be sure if our attempts to revive the
old methods of fighting are correct or simply our interpretation, much
careful and painstaking work has been done – and these days it is
possible to find sword fighting schools and modern day manuals that if
they are not exactly the same as the original medieval techniques,
would not be too far off the mark.
CONTEMPORARY SWORD FIGHTING SCHOOLS
As the best way to learn any sword art is from direct
instruction and practice with other serious and likeminded individuals,
below are some resources for those people looking to find a school near
them:
FIGHT CLUB FINDER
A very innovative project, currently in beta, has been designed by the
creators of the 2008 documentary – Reclaiming the blade. Called the
fight club finder, it is essentially a growing database of sword
fighting schools that can be found based on how close they are to the
location you enter. Click
here to check it out.
THE ARMA
On this page,
you’ll find a list of ARMA chapters with the relevant contact
information. They can also be contacted directly so that you can
register your interest in finding a practice partner in your area if a
chapter is not already close by.
DEMAS
With their main school in Santa Clara, CA and a new one opening in
Fresno very soon, Steaphen Fick's Davenriche European Martial Arts
School explores the 14th to 16th century long sword, 16th to 17th
century Rapier, 16th century side sword, daggers, sabers and more! You
can visit their website to find out more here.
IN EUROPE
In Europe, there is a very cool
googlemap
that lists major sword fighting schools by Geography. Simply click on
the ‘ballons’ for their website addresses, and consequent contact
details.
SWORD FIGHTING BOOKS (AND A DVD)
For those who simply do not have access to one of the
fight schools, there are a number of manuals (and one DVD) that cater
to this requirement. Below I have listed some of the best ones for
beginners – because even though there are quite a few more, many of
them can be too academic and dry in tone to be of much practical, hands
on use.
Liechtenauer's Art of the Longsword, Vol. 1
Author: Hans Heim, Alex Kiermeyer
Format: DVD
Comments: Nothing ‘fills in the gaps’ between techniques
than seeing something done firsthand, and this rare DVD is no
exception. With high production values and a comprehensive format that
leaves nothing out – Liechtenauer's Art of the Longsword DVD is a must
have. Unfortunately, it is also a ‘hard to get’ item and is rarely in
stock – so the only way to be able to get one is to set an alert, and
be one of the first to snatch it up when it comes back in stock again!
Fighting with the German Longsword
Author: Christian Tobler
Format: Book
Comments: While it is the second book in the series (the
first is 'Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship'), this one probably
should have been first as it is actually the book best suited for
beginners, not to mention that it is the definitive modern manual for
learning the German sword fighting schools techniques.
Highly recommended and extremely comprehensive, no
library of medieval Fechtbuch should be without it!
The Swordsmans Companion
Author: Guy Windsor
Format: Book
Comments: Dedicated primarily to the Italian school of
swordsmanship (but also with information useful to the longsword
training in general) this book is very comprehensive and easy to read,
making it perhaps the best introductory manual to Longsword fighting on
the market. The only criticism is that it could probably do with a
little more fleshing out of some additional solo drills and while it
gives you the basics extremely well, it putting them together into your
own floryshes seems to have been left to the individual to work out for
themsleves.
Medieval Sword and Shield
Author: Paul Wagner and Stephen Hand
Format: Book
Comments: Based on the I.33 Manuscript, this book is at
times a little dry and academic in tone and nature – there is no doubt
that it is a very thorough approach to reconstructing arming sword and
shield techniques as outlined in the Tower Fechtbuch (a surviving
medieval manuscript).
It certainly makes a nice change for those who are
looking for something different than ‘the longsword again’ and it is
the first book to take a serious look at arming (one handed) sword
fighting techniques.
 FREE EBOOK
Written by a young
martial artist Adam Sharp and published by SBG, the Trueswordsman ebook
is a comprehensive introductory guide to learning the basic footwork,
guards and master strikes of a modern interpretive fusion of both the
Italian and German sword fighting schools.
Innovative and
enjoyable to read, this 42 page illustrated PDF ebook is a great
starting place – and what is even better, its always available and 100%
free to download!
Click
here to download your free copy
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I hope this information on medieval sword fighting
schools has been helpful. To
return to Sword Fighting and Training Basics, from Medieval
Sword Fighting Schools, click here
