Work in Progress

When most people hear the term 'martial arts'¹ they think of Bruce Lee, and little Oriental people in white pyjamas gaining inner peace by learning how to kick someone's kidneys out through their ears... add a sword into the mix and the Samurai is indelibly stamped onto the imagination. But from Fencing² to Irish Stick-Fighting, Europe has it's own proud martial traditions.

In Days of Old, When Knights Were Bold...

Everybody knows that Knights were chivalrous and honourable and followed a strict code of conduct... the unfortunate problem with this idea is that it's largely wrong. Thanks to romantic Victorian histories and the efforts of Hollywood the image exists of the bold, heroic, Medieval Knight trotting off to war on his faithful steed where he acts with impeccable manners and eventually comes home in time for mead and roasted wild boar. While there were certainly rules for how Knights should behave at court, any notion of proper behaviour fell apart on the battlefield. Medieval warfare was quick, dirty and brutal and anything which would allow a combatant to gain the upper hand was considered fair game. Indeed, Fiore dei Liberi's work Flos Duellatorum³ contains several references to kicking or kneeing an opponent in the groin.

Indeed, Hollywood can be held responsible for a lot of misconceptions about Medieval sword fighting. Errol Flynn, in the film The Adventures of Robin Hood, uses his longsword much like one would use a rapier, something that would be impossible with an actual longsword as it isn't balanced correctly for such a style.

A Few Popular Myths

"Medieval swords were too heavy and very clumsy to use..."

"Medieval armour was very heavy and restricted movement..."

"The fighting styles seen in Europe during the Middle Ages are not martial arts, simply a series of 'tricks'..."

This one is mostly used by fencing snobs who (often citing the other two myths as well) simply cannot accept that something as dirty and brutal as Medieval combat had any proper techniques. While it is certainly true that the known treatises may not show any transitional moves⁴ or properly explain how one should execute a particular cut, they are still complete fighting techniques and should be treated as such.

The Manuscripts

Almost everything we know about how people fought in the Middle Ages comes from hand written and hand drawn manuscripts.

I.33 - The Tower Manuscript

So named because it spent much of its existence in the Tower of London, I.33 is the oldest known European document to show use of the sword and buckler⁵. Dated to the late 13th Century it details a series of lessons showing a master and pupil⁶ going through various offensive and defensive techniques. It is now held by The Royal Armouries, who have recently published a full translation of the work.

Manuscript 3227a

Though not primarily dealing with martial arts⁷ this document contains the earliest known teachings of Johannes Liechtenauer. It also contains various uncredited lessons on fighting with daggers, staves and on horseback.

Flos Deullatorum, or Fior di Battaglia (Flower of Battle)

Dated to c.1409 this is perhaps the most comprehensive document on Medieval fighting techniques. The bulk of the lessons are given over to sword fighting on foot, but there are also lessons on wrestling, dagger, polearms and fighting from horseback. It is commonly used by modern Medieval martial artists as the basis for their techniques.

Other Manuscripts

The Masters

Fiore dei Liberi (c.1350-c.1420)

Almost all that is known about Fiore dei Liberi is taken from the prologue to Flos Duellatorum. Born in the then-Austrian town of Aquileia, he had a very early interest in the martial arts (approximate dating suggest he started at the age of 10) and studied under both Italian and German masters. By the time he wrote Flos Duellatorum for Sir Nicolò III d'Este he had been studying the art of combat for over 40 years.

Johannes Liechtenauer(c. Early 1300s – Unknown)

Very little is known about Herr Liechtenauer. He was regarded as a great master, to the point that many contemporary and later German masters referred to themselves as his "disciples", and had supposedly travelled extensively while learning the art of combat. He is regarded as the founder of the German School of Swordsmanship.

The Brotherhoods

It was also known for several masters to form what were known as 'Brotherhoods'. These included the Marx Brothers⁸ and their biggest rivals the Federfechter (Feather Fighter?).

Medieval Martial Arts Today

Over the last decade there has been a big surge of interest in Medieval martial arts. As it is no longer a 'living' martial art there are still many techniques which are being perfected, along with new⁹ ones being discovered.

Equipment

While evenutually you will be wanting to run around in full plate waving a forged steel blade, for training the following is all you need:

Waster

This is a wooden training weapon, cut and shaped to resemble a real sword. Ideally the weapon should be made from 'impact grade'¹⁰ hickory or ash. Oak will work, but splinters easily and will not last as long. The unfortunate thing is that as Medieval martial arts have a comparitively small following these are currently quite difficult to aquire.

Gauntlets

These should be made of decent quality leather, 'biker' gloves will do if you cannot get hold of medieval-style gloves. Gauntlets are worn to protect your hands from splinters, blisters and the occasional stray hit.

Appropiate Clothing

T-shirt, trainers and tracksuit bottoms... these are probably the best things to wear for practice as they are generally loose fitting, comfortable and (assuming they aren't made from artificial materials) will allow your skin to breathe. It is possible to practice in jeans, but this is not recommended as they don't have enough give.

Safety

This cannot be stressed enough. Because they hadn't been studied or used for hundreds of years the techniques of Medieval martial arts were never diluted into a 'sport' version. This is a combat martial art, and the techniques described in the manuals are designed for one purpose: killing people. So please bear the following in mind before taking this up as a hobby:

• Do not attempt to teach yourself any of the techniques given in the various manuals unless you already have a sound knowledge of martial arts. Even then it would be better to seek out a tutor.
• Unless you are confident you can do them safely all moves should be done at half speed.
• Pull your blows. While the weapons you will be using, be they steel or wood, are blunt it is still possible to seriously injure or even kill somebody with them.

Dos and Don'ts

• DOpractice what you have learned as much as possible, this will help build up muscle memory and will prove invaluable if you are unable to attend your class for a long period of time.
• DON'T, however, practice in public areas. You may frighten other people and the police take rather a dim view of people waving a sword around in the middle of a park.
• DO ask questions, your tutor will be happy to answer any queries.
• DON'T, as with any martial art, use what you learn against untrained opponents. While you will learn some techniques which will prove useful should you end up unable to avoid a fight, there is no excuse for starting them.
• DO try to aquire your own equipment and books as soon as possible. While others will be happy to lend to beginners, there's no excuse for anyone whose been doing Medieval martial arts for a year or two to not have their own sword.

Recommended Reading

• Medieval Sword and Shield: The Combat System of Royal Armouries Ms I.33, Paul Wagner and Stephen Hand, Chivalry Bookshelf, ISBN: 1891448439 – A full translation with photographs of the I.33 Manuscript.
• The Swordsman's Companion: A Modern Training Manual for the Medieval Longsword, Guy Windsor, Chivalry Bookshelf, ISBN: 1891448412 – Combines the teachings of Fiore dei Liberi and Fillipo Vadi into one concise and easy-to-follow volume. It details techniques suitable for both novice and experienced fighters.
• Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-century Manual of Swordfighting and Close-quarter Combat, Mark Rector (editor), Greenhill Books, ISBN: 1853675822 – Based upon Hans Talhoffer’s 15th Century Fechtbüch, this is an excellent introduction to the German School of Swordfighting.

Medieval Martial Arts Groups

• Schola Gladiatoria - London based school of Medieval martial arts with classes in Ealing, Enfield and Muswell Hill.