 Anonymous, c1400, "Le jeu de la hache" - Escrime Ancienne |
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Bibliothéque Nationale France MS FR. 1996 - Plus ancien traité de combat français, ce manuscript Bourguignon traite du combat à la hache d'arme. "Axe-play" A French (Bourguignon) combat manuscript (in French) describes the techniques, form and function of combat with the battle-axe. See Dr. Anglo's interpretation of this treatise in the 20c section of this library.
- released August 10, 2001 |
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  Fiore dei Liberi, 1409-1410, "Flos Duellatorum" |
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Pisani-Dossi
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Francesco Novati, Flos duellatorum: Il Fior di battaglia di maestro Fiore dei Liberi da Premariacco (Bergamo, 1902), Pisani-Dossi Collection. - Fiore dei Liberi's 'Flos Duellatorum, or 'Flower of Battle' is an Italian treatise, which was started on Februrary 10, 1409 and completed late 1409 or early 1410. It is primarily composed of illustrations with short rhyming captions in Italian. Sections on wrestling, dagger, sword, spear, two handed sword, armored combat, pollaxe, and mounted combat. Considerable discussion of disarming techniques. Two-handed sword (spadone) has the greatest emphasis.
Click on the Adobe image to access/download a PDF file (42.4MB) containing the Pisani-Dossi version, courtesy of David Peck (Chicago Swordplay Guild) and William Wilson (Tattershall School of Defence).
- released October 20, 1999, updated January 04, 2003 |
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 Anonymous, 1425-1475, "Gladiatoria" - Biblioteka Jagiellonski |
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Biblioteka Jagiellonski, Krakow - Ms. Germ. Quart. 16, NR: 5878 1989 ROK - "Gladiatoria" is an obscure fechtbuch recently "uncovered" and resurrected by Grzegorz Zabinski (in association with the Brotherhood of the Eagle's Nest, Poland - no longer active) from the archives of the Biblioteka Jagiellonski, Poland, originally part of the collection of "Die Preussische Koenigliche Staatsbibliothek" in Berlin, is thought to have been written sometime c1450. It is unfortunate that very little is known about this manuscript, including the name of the author. This German manuscript contains beautifully detailed illustrations of a pair of fighters, in full plate harness, depicting various types of engagements, including half-sword, dagger and spear.
- released November 19, 2000
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| Sigmund Ringeck, c1440, "Die Ritterlich Kunst des Langen Schwerts" - Sächsische Landesbibliothek |
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Mscr.Dresd.C487 / Dresden, Sächsische Landesbibliothek - A presentation of the complete German manuscript as written by Sigmund Ringeck containing an invaluable resource of commentaries on die ritterlich kunst des langen schwerts or the "knightly art of the longsword", an example section included in the manuscript describing concepts originally created by Johannes Liechtenauer, scripted by Hanko Döbringer, c1389. Click on the book icon to order a modern publication of Ringeck in "Secrets of German Medieval Swordmanship: Sigmund Ringeck's Commentaries on Liechtenauer's Verse" by Christian Tobler through amazon.com. Click on the Die Freifechter icon to view an online modern German transcription of Ringeck.
- released October 10, 2001, updated January 04, 2003
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| Anonymous, c1440, "Untitled" - Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna |
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Codex Vindobonensis B 11093 - According to Dr. Hans Peter-Hils, this fechtbuch appears to have originated in southwestern Germany, the clothing, arms and weapons point to the middle of the 15th century. The manuscripts configuration, scope and contents evoke associations to the "Gladiatoria" - group (this is a catch all group whose major cause for association is that it does not directly fall into the Liechtenauers school, although they do exhibit many of the characteristics, but not all. The manuscript contains only illustrations in 46 pages, and cover fighting arts disciplines that include armoured fighting with spears, armoured longsword on foot, armoured longsword and dagger, pollaxe, wrestling and swordfighting on horseback.
- released February 21, 2002
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| Peter von Danzig, 1452, "untitled" Bibliotheca dell'Academica Nazionale dei Lincei e Corsiniana |
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Cod.44 A 8 (Cod. 1449) 1452 / Bibliotheca dell'Academica Nazionale dei Lincei e Corsiniana - von Danzig's fechtbuch contains comments on the cryptic verses of Liechtenauer and other German masters covering the use of the sword-and-buckler, dagger, longsword and grappling. The manual contains 114 leaves of text in which all but 2 leaves contain illustrations. Click on the Die Freifechter icon to view an online German transcription of von Danzig.
Click on the "griffen" shield to view some English translations in progress of Danzig's fechtbuch.
- restricted access to AEMMA internally only (November 29, 2001) - public domain release pending. |
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| Hans Talhoffer, 1459, "Alte Armatur und Ringkunst" - The Royal Library, Copenhagen |
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Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Copenhagen, Thott 290 2, 150 ff. Bayern 1459 - Talhoffer's "Alte Armatur und Ringkunst" or roughly translated: "Old Armament and Art of Fight" was published in Bavaria 1459 by Hans Talhoffer, scripted by Michael Rotwyler and in which Hans Talhoffer himself posed for the illustrations. The work covers a variety aspects of war, including war machines and devices, illustrations with short descriptions for the two-handed sword, sword and buckler, sword and shield, dagger, wrestling, pollaxe, judicial combat, and mounted combat. As well as some specialized forms for the judicial duel: double-ended dueling pavises used with sword or club, and man in a pit with a club, and a woman with a rock in a sock.
- released March 8, 2000 |
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| Hans Talhoffer, 1467, "Fechtbuch aus dem Jahre 1467" - PDF file (2.5MB) courtesy of AEMMA |
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Hergsell, Gustav: Hans Talhoffer's "Fechtbuch aus dem Jahre 1467", Prague, 1887 - Talhoffer's original 'Fechtbuch aus dem Jahre 1467' or 'Fencing Book of the Year 1467' was translated into French and re-published in Prague 1887 by Gustav Hergsell. A secondary source includes a publication of Talhoffer's "Fechtbuch aus dem Jahre 1467" or 'Fencing Book of the Year 1467' by VS Books, 1998, Herne (Germany). The 1998 publication is a reprint of Hergsell's work except for the incorporation the plates or "tafels" with a modern German translation of the text. The work is a catalog of fencing actions and consists of illustrations with short descriptions for the two-handed sword, sword and buckler, sword and shield, dagger, wrestling, pollaxe, judicial combat, and mounted combat. As well as some specialized forms for the judicial duel: double-ended dueling pavises used with sword or club, and man in a pit with a club, woman with a rock in a sock.
- released November 9, 1998
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| von Baumans, c1470, "Fechtbüch" - Universitätsbibliothek Augsburg |
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Universitätsbibliothek Augsburg: Cod.I.6.40.2 - A most interesting manuscript also known as the Codex Wallerstein, comprised of at least two fechtbucher, one that may be dated c1380, and the second fechtbuch dated sometime in the later half of the 15th century. It's history being somewhat complex, it may have been in the collection of Michael Bauman, and bears the inscription von Baumans 1548. Subsequently it was collected by Paulus Hector Mair and it bears his signature and commentary. The fechtbuch may have initially been created sometime around 1470 (about the time Dürer was born). Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) served as the artistic editor and translator. The relevant portions of the original fechtbuch had its sequences re-structured, updated and transposed the original Bavarian dialect to German by Friedrich Dörnhöffer's re-issue in 1910. The present fechtbuch or Codex Wallerstein is written in German and contains extraordinary images, many depicting fully armoured individuals engaged using longsword, spear and pollaxe weapons.
- released December 22, 2000
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| Unknown, c1470, "Das Solothurner Fechtbüch" - Zentralbibliothek Solothurn |
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| Zentralbibliothek Solothurn: Cod. S554 - The original Solothurn publication of 'Das Solothurner Fechtbuch' is thought to be written sometime in the late 15th century. This may be supported with an inference to Paulus Kal which could date the manuscript no earlier than c1470. It has recently been re-compiled and published by Zentralbibliothek (Central Library), Solothurn, Switzerland in 1989 by a Swiss gentleman by the name of Dr. Charles Studer. The re-compiled manuscript was prepared from the surviving 30 plates of the original 60 which contains 57 illustrations of the original 120 that illustrate a number of techniques such as armoured longsword, mounted fighting, dagger, grappling (ringen) and shield work which appear strikingly similar to those illustrations found in Talhoffer's works. Studer's publication focus was on the cultural and legal context of the judicial combat engagements depicted in the original manuscript. Dr. Studer, neither a swordsman nor fencer did not possess the authourity on historical European martial arts and therefore his interpretative comments are suspect. |
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| Fillipo Vadi, 1485, "De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi" - Biblioteca Nazionale di Roma |
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Codex 1324, fondo Vittorio Emanuele della Biblioteca Nazionale di Roma - Vadi's manuscript appears to be of lineage to that of Fiore dei Liberi due to a number of similarities between Vadi's manuscript and Liberi's. Some differences are notable such as the variations in the nomenclature of strikes, e.g. upper-cuts fendente in Vadi to sotani in Liberi, and horizontal cuts volante in Vadi and mezana in Liberi. Other differences, not included in this online presentation is that Vadi's prologue is 28 pages compared to Liberi's 5 pages in the Getty's version.
- released August 10, 2001 |
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| Hans von Speyer, 1491, "Handschrift M I 29 (Fechtbüch)" - Universitätsbibliothek Salzburg |
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Hans von Speyer Salzburg, Universitätsbibliothek - M.I.29 1491 - A text transcript of the Hans von Speyer fechtbuch, a compilation of lessons written down in 1491. This contains longsword, messer, short sword, wrestling, fencing on horse, and jousting with lance. Hans von Speyer was the scribe, the lessons are from various masters including Liechtenauer, Ott, Lew, Lecküchner, and Hundfelt.
Click on the Griffen shield to see an English translation of Mag. Andreas' Messer-Longsword essay on plates 5r to 7r of this fechtbuch.
- released June 6, 2003
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nline Library - 15th century
Author, Year, "Title" - Source
Footnotes 
The AEMMA shield visible in some of the entries above indicates a resource that has restricted access to AEMMA internal only for research and study, and is not available for viewing in the public domain. This is due to the fact that permission to release the material into the public domain from the source was not granted.