Johannes Liechtenauer

Johannes Liechtenauer

This image of a seated master precedes the gloss of Liechtenauer's teachings in the Codex 44A.8.
Full title Zedel
Ascribed to Johannes Liechtenauer
Language Middle High German
State of existence Original hypothetical;
several copies exist
Principal manuscript(s) MS 3227a
Codex 44A.8
Codex I6.4°3
MS Thott 290.2º
Codex Guelf 78.2 August 2°
MS MI29
MS Dresden C487
MS E.1939.65.341
MS German Quarto 2020
Codex Icon 393
Codex Vindobonensis 10825
MS Dresden C93
First printed edition Tobler, 2010

Johannes Liechtenauer (Hans Lichtenauer, Lichtnawer) was a 13th or 14th century German fencing master. He was likely born in the early to mid 1300s, possibly in Lichtenau, Mittelfranken (Franconia). Unfortunately, no direct record of his life or teachings currently exists, and all that we know of both comes from the writings of other masters and scholars. The only account of his life was written by the anonymous author of Döbringer Hausbuch, the oldest text in the tradition, who stated that "Master Liechtenauer learnt and mastered [the] Art in a thorough and rightful way, but he did not invent and put together this Art, as it is stated before. Instead, he traveled and searched many countries with the will of learning and mastering this rightful and true Art."[1] He seems to have been alive at the time of the creation of the Döbringer Hausbuch (or the manuscript it was copied from), generally assumed to be in 1389. The estimate of his lifetime is based on this assumption, and could be significantly earlier or later, depending on the actual origins of that manuscript.[2]

Liechtenauer was described by many later masters as the hochmeister ("high master" or "grand master") of the art, and a long poem called the Zedel, or "teaching", is generally attributed to him by these masters (many more masters and manuscripts quote some version this poem without attribution).[3] These "secret and hidden words" were intentionally cryptic, probably to prevent the uninitiated from learning the techniques he presented; they also seem to have offered a system of mnemonic devices to those who had proper instruction in the art. These verses were treated as the core of the art by his followers, and masters such as Sigmund Schining ein Ringeck, Peter von Danzig zum Ingolstadt, and Jud Lew wrote extensive instructional commentaries, or glosa, that sought to clarify and expand upon these teachings.

In addition to the verses on mounted fencing, several treatises in the Liechtenauer tradition include a group of twenty-six "figures"—single line abbreviations of the longer couplets and quatrains that seem to summarize them. The precise reason for the existence of these verses remains unknown, as does the reason why there are no "figures" for the armored fencing or unarmored fencing verses. One clue to their significance may be a parallel set of teachings first recorded by Andre Paurñfeyndt in 1516,[4] called the "Twelve Teachings for the Beginning Fencer". These teachings are also generally abbreviations of longer passages in the Bloßfechten, and are similarly repeated in many treatises throughout the 16th century. Thus, it may be that the figures are a mnemonic that represent the initial stage of mounted fencing instruction, and that the full verse was learned only afterward.[2]

Liechtenauer's influence on the German fencing tradition as we currently understand it cannot be overstated. The masters on Paulus Kal's roll of the "Society of Liechtenauer" were responsible for many of the most significant fencing manuals of the 15th century. Liechtenauer's teachings were also the focus of many of the fencing guilds that arose in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Marxbrüder and the Veiterfechter.

Contents

Society of Liechtenauer

The Society of Liechtenauer (Geselschaft Liechtenauers) is a list of eighteen masters found in the introduction to the CGM 1507, the principle copy of Paulus Kal's fencing manual.[5] Apart from Paulus Kal himself, the members listed are:

It is unclear if this was ever a formal organization, or what its nature might have been; however, it is commonly speculated that the list is a memorial of students and associates of the grand master.[6] Of particular interest is the international nature of the list, including masters from across central and eastern Europe, which parallels the statement in the Döbringer Hausbuch that Liechtenauer himself traveled to many lands to learn the art. Several masters from this list are known to have written martial arts treatises, but about half remain completely unknown.

See also

Literature

References

  1. ^ Żabiński, Grzegorz. "Unarmored Longsword Combat by Master Liechtenauer via Priest Döbringer." Masters of Medieval and Renaissance Martial Arts. Ed. Jeffrey Hull. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-58160-668-3
  2. ^ a b Tobler, Christian Henry. In Saint George's Name: An Anthology of Medieval German Fighting Arts. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9825911-1-6
  3. ^ For a full comparison of the different versions of this poem, see the version of this article on Wiktenauer.
  4. ^ Paurñfeyndt, Andre, et al. Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey. Hieronymus Vietor: Vienna, 1516.
  5. ^ Kal, Paulus. Untitled [manuscript]. CGM 1507. Munich, Germany: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, 1470.
  6. ^ Tobler, Christian Henry. In Service of the Duke: The 15th Century Fighting Treatise of Paulus Kal. Highland Village, TX: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2006. ISBN 978-1-891448-25-0

External links