The Art of Sword Combat: A 1568 German Treatise on Swordmanship

by Joachim Meyer, Jeffrey L. Forgeng (Translator)

This sixteenth-century German guide to sword fighting and combat training is a crucial source for understanding medieval swordplay techniques.   Following his translation of Joachim Meyer’s The Art of Combat, Jeffrey L. Forgeng was alerted to an earlier version of Meyer’s text, discovered in Lund University Library in Sweden. The manuscript, produced in Strasbourg around 1568, is illustrated with thirty watercolor images and seven ink diagrams. The text covers combat with the longsword (hand-and-a-half sword), dusack (a one-handed practice weapon comparable to a sabre), and rapier.   The manuscript’s theoretical discussion of guards sheds significant light on this key feature of the historical practice, not just in relation to Meyer but in relation to medieval combat systems in general. The Art of Sword Combat also offers an extensive repertoire of training drills for both the dusack and the rapier, a feature largely lacking in treatises of the period and critical to modern reconstructions of the practice. Forgeng’s translation also includes a biography of Meyer, much of which has only recently come to light, as well as technical terminology and other essential information for understanding and contextualizing the work.

Genres: Nonfiction, Martial Arts, History

243 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 31, 2016

Reviews

[Mr David Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically fascinating, some of the routines take a lot of reading (and a bit of youtube!) to properly visualise but I am glad that the translation allows for an authentic reading experience.

[Isen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Sword Combat is a translation of a 1568 fencing manuscript by Meyer, which the translator believes is a draft version of Meyer's more famous 1570 printed treatise. This book is a hardcover volume, consisting of an introduction talking about the sources, Meyer's life, and a little bit of context on the state of fencing in Meyer's time; the main text, covering the longsword, dussack, and rapier, with 28 colour illustrations; and a glossary of the terms used, the German they translate, and the translator's interpretation of what they mean.

As far as this edition is concerned, it's a fantastic little book. Pretty, durable, and well researched, it can grace the shelf of a martial artist, history enthusiast, and general nerd alike. As for Meyer's actual text, the best word is interesting. Meyer was practicing at a time when longsword had recently transitioned from a combat art to a sport, so what you get is a mix of the old Liechtenauer tradition and whatever happened to work in the arena at the time. This is a tad frustrating because Meyer gives us a bit more detail than the older masters on what a fight feels like, but it can be difficult to distinguish how much of that applies to longsword combat in general, and how much to the specific sport practiced in Meyer's day.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting historical document. Broadsword was already not widely used by the military by the time this book was written, however remained popular as a sporting weapon. Quite a bit of vivid and efficient prose describing techniques and strategies in bouts. Had Protestant patrons, and organised several 'Fechtbuch' or encounter events, and took a big financial risk printing the book originally, not living to see it a success (death probably due to winter travelling).