German school of swordsmanship

By Yossi Sheriff
File:Cod Winob 10825.jpg
page of Mscr. Dresd. C 93 by Paulus Hector Mair (1540s)

The German school of swordsmanship comprises the techniques of the two-handed longsword (Langschwert) taught throughout the Holy Roman Empire in the 14th to the 17th centuries as described in the Fechtbücher ("fight books" or "combat manuals").

Most of the authors are, or claim to be, in the tradition of the 14th century master Johannes Liechtenauer. The earliest surviving treatise on Liechtenauer's system is contained in Ms. 3227a. The system as presented puts much emphasis on simplicity, speed and efficiency, forming a deadly martial art fit for serious combat.

History

The history of the German school spans roughly 250 years, or eight to ten generations of masters (depending on the dating of Liechtenauer), from 1350 to 1600. Our earliest source, Ms. 3227a of 1389 already mentions a number of masters, considered peers of Liechtenauer's, Hanko Döbringer, Andres Jud, Jost von der Nyssen, and Niklaus Preuss. Probably active in the early 1400s were Martin Hundsfeld and Ott Jud, but sources are sparse until the mid 15th century.

The mid 1400s mark the peak and decline of the "Society of Liechtenauer" with Peter von Danzig, Sigmund Ringeck and Paulus Kal. Kal's contemporary Hans Talhoffer was possibly involved with the foundadion of the Brotherhood of St. Mark who enjoyed a quasi-monopoly on teaching martial arts for the best part of a century, from 1478 until 1570.

Late 15th centuries masters include Johannes Lecküchner, Hans von Speyer, Peter Falkner, and Hans Folz. With the 16th century, the school becomes more of a sport and less of a martial art designed for judicial duels or the battlefield. Early 16th century masters include Hans Wurm and Jörg Wilhalm.

In the mid 16th century, there were first attempts at preservation and reconstruction of the teachings of the past century, notably by Paulus Hector Mair. The foundation of the Federfechter in 1570 at Vienna falls into this late period. The final phase of the tradition streches from the late 16th to the early 17th century, with masters such as Joachim Meyer and Jakob Sutor. In the 17th century, rapier fencing of the Italian school becomes fashionable, with treatises such as Salvator Fabris', and the German tradition, falling into disfavour as old-fashioned and unrefined among the baroque nobility, was discontinued.

Basics

At the basis of the system are four basic wards (Leger, Huten), five 'master-strikes' (Meisterhau), and three time concepts.

A characteristic introductory verse of Liechtenauer's, often repeated in later manuscripts, echoes classic 14th century chivalry, not withstanding that during most of its lifetime, the German school was very much in bourgeois hands:

(fol 18r) Jung Ritter lere / got lip haben frawen io ere / So wechst dein ere / Uebe ritterschaft und lere / kunst dy dich zyret und in krigen sere hofiret
"Young knight, learn to love God and revere women, so that your honour grows. Practice knighthood and learn the Art that dignifies you, and brings you honour in battle."

At the centre of the art lies emphasis on swiftness, as well as balance and good judgement:

(fol. 20r) vor noch swach stark Indes / an den selben woertern leit alle kunst / meister lichtnawers / Und sint dy gruntfeste und der / kern alles fechtens czu fusse ader czu rosse / blos ader in harnuesche
"'Before', 'after', 'weak', 'strong', Indes ('meanwhile'), on these five words hinges the entire art of master Lichtenauer, and they are the foundation and the core of all combat, on foot or on horseback, unarmoured or armoured."

The terms 'before' (vor) and 'after' (nach) correspond to offensive and defensive positions. While in the vor, one dictates his opponent's actions and thus is in control of the engagement, while in the nach, one responds to the decisions made by his opponent. Under Liechtenauer's system, a combatant must always strive to be in control of the engagement—that is, in the vor. 'Strong' (stark) and 'weak' (swach) relate to the amount of force that is applied. Here, neither is better than the other, but one needs to counter the opponent's action with a complementary reaction; strength is countered with weakness, and weakness with strength. Indes is a somewhat mysterious term. It seems to refer to the instant of contact with the opponent's blade, where an experienced fencer may, by 'feeling' (fühlen), guess his next intentions and decide "indes", immediately, on the most favourable move.

Terminology

  • MS 44 A 8 1v.jpg

    pflug and ochs, as shown on fol. 1r of Cod. 44 A 8 (1452)

  • MS 44 A 8 2r.jpg

    fol. 2r, showing vom tag and alber

What follows is a list of technical terms of the system (with rough translation; they should each be explained in a separate section):

Wards

Basic Wards

vom Tag seems to be a purposely opaque term. It denotes a basic position with the sword held above the right shoulder or above the head. Langort seems to be identified with vom Tag in 3227a, but takes on independent meanings in later treatises.
a position with the sword held to either side of the head, with the point (as a horn) aiming at the opponent's face.
a position with the sword held to either side of the back hip, with the point aiming at the opponent's face.
low position, the sword is pointing to the ground

Additional wards: Liechtenauer is emphatic that these four wards are sufficient, and all wards taught by other masters may be derived from them. Later masters introduce richer terminology for variant wards:

The following are transitional stances that are not properly called wards.

Attacks

Liechtenauer and other German masters describe three basic methods of attack with the sword. They are sometimes called "Drei Wunder", "Three Wounders".

  • Hauen, "hewing": A cutting stroke with one of the edges of the sword.
    • Oberhau, "upper strike": A stroke delivered from above the attacker.
    • Unterhau, "under strike": A stroke delivered from below the attacker.
  • Stechen, "thrusting": A stabbing attack made with the point of the sword.
  • Abschneiden, "slicing off": Slicing attacks made with the edge of the sword by placing the edge against the body of the opponent and then pushing or pulling the blade along it.

Master-Strikes

Called "five strokes" in 3227a, later "hidden strokes", and in late manuals "master strokes". These likely originated as secret surprise attacks in Liechtenauer's system, but with the success of Liechtenauer's school, they became common knowledge. All five are attacks from long distance (zufechten), accompanied by triangular stepping.

A powerful diagonal strike dealt from the vom Tag guard that ends in the Wechsel guard on the opposite side.[1] This strike is normally thrown to the opponent's upper opening.
A strike that reaches across the direct line to the opponent, striking left from a right position and vice versa. The Krumphau breaks the guard Ochs.
Any high horizontal strike, typically with the 'short' (backhand) edge when thrown from the right side and with the 'long' edge when thrown from the left side. The Zwerchau breaks the guard vom Tag.
A feint that strikes a part of the opponent's body while pretending to be aiming at another part. This is the most difficult to interpret of the five strokes, and later authors like Mair simply regarded it as a particular feint beginning as a right oberhau but ending as a backhand stroke from above on the left side. The Schielhau breaks the guard Plfug.
A vertical strike dealt to the opponent's upper openings, most often to the opponent's head. The Scheitelhau breaks the guard Alber.

Techniques

other terms in Liechtenauers system (most of them referring to positions or actions applicable in mid-combat, when the blades are in contact) include:

  • Absetzen: 'setting-aside', deflecting a thrust or stroke at the same time as thrusting.
  • Doublieren: 'double', the immediate redoubling of a displaced stroke
  • Durchlaufen: 'going-through', a technique by which one combatant "runs through" his opponent's attack to initiate grappling (wrestling) with him.
  • Durchwechseln: 'switching-through', name for various techniques for escaping a bind by sliding the sword's point out from underneath the blade and then thrusting to another opening.
  • Händedrücken: 'pressing of hands', the execution of an Unterschnitt followed by an Oberschnitt such that the wrists of the opponent are sliced all the way around.
  • Hängen: 'hanging' (upper/lower, left/right)
  • Mutieren: 'mutate', change of attack method, changing a displaced stroke into a stab, or a displaced stab into a stroke.
  • Nachreisen: 'pursuit', the act of pre-emptively attacking an opponent by "pursuing" (following) his movements and anticipating his actions.
  • Überlaufen: 'going-over' or 'overrunning', the act of countering a stroke or thrust made from below with a stroke or thrust from above
  • Versetzen: 'displacement' (upper/lower, left/right), to parry an attack by striking the incoming blade.
  • Zucken: 'twitching'

Notes

  1. ↑ A zornhau may be thrown from another guard, such as Ochs, but in doing so the person will move through the vom Tag guard.

Literature

  • Christian Henry Tobler, Fighting with the German Longsword, ISBN 1-891448-24-2 (2004).
  • Christian Henry Tobler, Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship (2001), ISBN 1-891448-07-2
  • David Lindholm & Peter Svard, Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword, ISBN 1-58160-410-6 (2003).
  • Hans Heim & Alex Kiermayer, The Longsword of Johannes Liechtenauer, Part I -DVD-, ISBN 1-891448-20-X

External links


Associations

USA:

Britain:

Germany:

Austria:

Swed

Book Publishers


See also Historical Fencing, Historical European Martial Arts.

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