Historical European martial arts

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The first page of the Codex Wallerstein shows the typical arms of 15th century fencing
The first page of the Codex Wallerstein shows the typical arms of 15th century fencing

Historical European Martial Arts are martial arts of European origin which were formerly practiced, but have since died out or evolved into very different forms. Modern reconstructions of some of these arts exist and are practiced today. Historical European martial arts are often known as Western martial arts.

Contents

[edit] Before 1350

There are no known fighting texts predating the Late Middle Ages, although Ancient and Medieval literature (e.g. Icelandic sagas and Middle High German epics) record specific martial deeds and military knowledge; in addition, historical artwork depicts combat and weaponry. Some researchers have attempted to reconstruct older fighting methods such as Pankration and gladiatorial combat by reference to these sources and practical experimentation, though such recreations necessarily remain more speculative than those based on actual instructions. See also Viking Age arms and armour.

The so-called MS I.33 (also known as the Walpurgis or Tower Fechtbuch), dated to between ca. 1290 (by Alphonse Lhotsky) and the early to mid-14th century (by R. Leng, of the University of Würzburg), is the oldest surviving fechtbuch, teaching sword and buckler combat.

[edit] 1350 to 1500

The central figure of late Medieval martial arts, at least in Germany, is Johannes Liechtenauer, first recorded in the late 14th century MS 3227a. From the 15th century into the 17th, numerous fechtbücher (German "fight-books") were produced, of which some 55 are extant; a great many of these describe methods descended from Liechtenauer's.

Normally, several modes of combat were taught alongside one another, typically unarmed grappling (Kampfringen or abrazare), dagger (Degen or daga), long knife (Messer) or Dussack, half- or quarterstaff, pole arms, longsword (langes Schwert, spada longa, spadone), and combat in plate armour (Harnischfechten or armazare), both on foot and on horseback. Some Fechtbücher have sections on dueling shields (Stechschild), special weapons used only in judicial duels. The long sword had a position of honour among these disciplines, and sometimes Historical European Swordsmanship (HES) is used to refer to swordsmanship techniques specifically.

Important 15th century German fencing masters include Sigmund Ringeck, Peter von Danzig, Hans Talhoffer and Paulus Kal, all of whom taught the teachings of Liechtenhauer. From the late 15th century, there were "brotherhoods" of fencers (Fechtbruderschaften), most notably the Marx brothers (attested 1474) and the Federfechter.

An early Burgundian French treatise is Le jeu de la hache ("The Play of the Axe") of ca. 1400.

The earliest master to write in the Italian was Fiore dei Liberi, commissioned by the Marquis di Ferrara. In approximately 1410, he documented comprehensive fighting techniques in a treatise entitled Flos Duellatorum covering grappling, dagger, arming sword, longsword, pole-weapons, armoured combat and mounted combat. The Italian school is continued by Filippo Vadi (1482-1487) and Pietro Monte (1492, Latin with Italian and Spanish terms)

Three early (before Silver) English swordplay texts exist, all very obscure and of uncertain date; they are generally thought to belong to the latter half of the 15th century.

[edit] 1500 to 1700

In the 16th century, compendia of older Fechtbücher techniques were produced, some of them printed, notably by Paulus Hector Mair (in the 1540s) and by Joachim Meyer (in the 1570s).

In the 16th century German fencing had developed sportive tendencies. The treatises of Paulus Hector Mair and Joachim Meyer derived from the teachings of the earlier centuries within the Liechtenauer tradition, but with new and distinctive characteristics. The printed fechtbuch of Jacob Sutor (1612) is the last in the German tradition.

The Italian school is continued by the Dardi school, with masters such as Antonio Manciolino and Achille Marozzo. From the late 16th century, Italian rapier fencing attains considerable popularity all over Europe, notably with the treatise by Salvator Fabris (1606).

[edit] 1700 to 1918

The martial arts of the post-Renaissance period can be divided roughly into civilian duelling/self defence, sporting and military applications. There is considerable overlap between these classifications, however, in that some systems fit into more than one category.

Examples of martial arts practiced primarily by the military during this period include bayonet fencing, sabre fencing and the use of the lance by cavalry soldiers.

The duelling and self-defence categories include smallsword and later styles rapier fencing, walking-stick fighting and Bartitsu (an early hybrid of Eastern and Western schools). In the second half of 1800s the duel are mostly fought with sabre and epée.

Combat sports of the 1700s to early 1900s include boxing, the French kickboxing art of Savate, many styles of wrestling, quarterstaff fencing and singlestick fencing.

[edit] Reconstruction

Attempts at the reconstruction of historical fighting arts have occurred since the Victorian age most notably with the work of Egerton Castle and Alfred Hutton and of the French Academie D'Armes circa 1880-1914.

With the advent of the Society for Creative Anachronism (founded in 1966) there was a rise in interest in the combat reenactment, partly but not always based on historical fighting arts.

A renewed of interest in the practice of historical martial arts for their own merit, as oppose to sportive, dramatic or choreographed performance, originates in the 1980s, and takes a surge in the 1990s, with the foundation of John Clement's Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA, formerly HACA, since 1991) and other societies founded in the mid 1990s to early 2000s, including

  • Magisterium (Czech Republic, since 1991, combines historical reconstruction with scenic fencing)
  • The Academy of European Swordsmanship (Canada, since 1994) [1],
  • The New Dawn Duellist's Society (UK, since 1994),
  • The Italian Historical Fencing Federation (FISAS) (Italy, since 1995)[2]
  • Sala d'Arme Achille Marozzo (Italy, since 1996)[3]
  • The Martinez Academy of Arms (USA, since 1996)[4],
  • The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts (AEMMA, Canada, since 1998)[5],
  • The Chicago Swordplay Guild (USA, since 1998)[6],
  • The Stoccata School of Defense (Australia, since 1998)[7],
  • Dreynschlag (Austria, since 1998) [8],
  • Ochs Historische Kampfkünste (Germany, since 1999)[9]
  • Die Freifechter (Germany, since 2000)[10],
  • Zornhau (Germany, since 2000)[11],
  • The Tattershall School of Defense (USA, since 2000)[12],
  • Schola Gladiatora (UK, since 2001) [13]
  • The School of European Swordsmanship (Finland, since 2001)[14],
  • Saint Martins Academy of Defense (USA, since 2001)[15],
  • Historical European Martial Arts Coalition (HEMAC European umbrella organisation, since 2001)[16]
  • The Boar's Tooth (UK, since 2002) [17]
  • The Schola Saint George (USA, since 2002?)[18],
  • Mid-Atlantic Society for Historic Swordsmanship [19][20] (USA, since 2003?)

The late 1990s and the 2000s also saw a surge in editing activity of historical combat treatises as well as publication of primers and interpretations, in particular on longsword combat.

Since 2002, the HEMAC has organized the annual International Historical European Martial Arts Gathering in Dijon, France, hosted by De Taille et d'Estoc.

[edit] Further reading

  • Anglo, Sydney. The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe. Yale University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-300-08352-1
  • Terry Brown, English Martial Arts (2002) Anglo-Saxon Books, ISBN 1-898281-29-7
  • John Clements, Medieval Swordsmanship: Illustrated Methods and Techniques (1998), ISBN 1-58160-004-6
  • Gaugler, William. The History of Fencing : Foundations of Modern European Fencing. Laureate Press, 1997. ISBN 1-884528-16-3
  • Hans Heim & Alex Kiermayer, The Longsword of Johannes Liechtenauer, Part I (DVD), ISBN 1-891448-20-X
  • Tommaso Leoni, The Art of Dueling (2005), ISBN 1-891448-23-4
  • David Lindholm & Peter Svärd, Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword, Paladin Press (2003), ISBN 1-58160-410-6
  • David Lindholm, Fighting with the Quarterstaff, (2006), ISBN 1-891448-36-6
  • Brian R. Price, ed. Teaching & Interpreting Historical Swordsmanship (2005), ISBN 1-891448-46-3
  • Christopher Thompson, Lannaireachd: Gaelic Swordsmanship (2001), ISBN 1-59109-236-1
  • Christian Henry Tobler, Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship (2001), ISBN 1-891448-07-2
  • Christian Henry Tobler, Fighting with the German Longsword (2004), ISBN 1-891448-24-2
  • Jason Vail, Medieval and Renaissance Dagger Combat (2006) Paladin Press
  • Guy Windsor, The Swordsman's Companion: A Modern Training Manual for Medieval Longsword (2004), ISBN 1-891448-41-2

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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