The Cologne ''Fechtbuch'' (''Kölner Fechtbuch'') is a historical

martial arts manual Martial arts manuals are instructions, with or without illustrations, specifically designed to be learnt from a book. Many books detailing specific techniques of martial arts are often erroneously called manuals but were written as treatises. Pros ...

, formerly kept at the

Historical Archive of the City of Cologne The Historical Archive of the City of Cologne (german: Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln, or german: Kölner Stadtarchiv for short) is the municipal archive of Cologne, Germany. It ranks among the largest communal archives in Europe. A municip ...

(Best. 7020, 150; formerly W* 8 150, still earlier W. IX 16, from the collection of

Ferdinand Franz Wallraf Ferdinand Franz Wallraf (20 July 1748 - 18 March 1824) was a German botanist, mathematician, theologian, art collector and Roman Catholic priest. His collection formed the founding nucleus of the Wallraf–Richartz Museum. Biography He was the s ...

). It was lost, presumably destroyed, in the collapse of the building on 3 March 2009. The manuscript was on paper, bound in page of vellum taken from a 13th-century

evangeliary The Evangeliary or Book of the Gospels is a liturgical book containing only those portions of the four gospels which are read during Mass or in other public offices of the Church. The corresponding terms in Latin are and . The Evangeliary develo ...

. On 23 folia, it contains combat instructions in five parts, loosely associated with the

German school of fencing The German school of fencing (') is a system of combat taught in the Holy Roman Empire during the Late Medieval, German Renaissance, and Early Modern periods. It is described in the contemporary Fechtbücher ("fencing books") written at the t ...

. The language shows influence of the Ripuarian dialect, and it is likely that the manuscript was written in the area of

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

during the early 16th century. The five parts of the manual deal with the

long sword A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximate ...

(), unarmed

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

(), the and

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

(''degen''), the

boar spear A boar spear is a spear used for boar hunting. It is relatively short and heavy and has two " lugs" or "wings" on the spearsocket behind the blade, which act as a barrier to prevent the spear from penetrating too deeply into the quarry where it ...

(''swynspeyß'') and the staff ({{lang, de, stangh), respectively. The manuscript was edited in facsimile and transcription by Bauer (2009).

Literature

* Matthias Johannes Bauer, ''Langes Schwert und Schweinespieß. Die Fechthandschrift aus den verschütteten Beständen des Historischen Archivs der Stadt Köln'', ADEVA, Graz, 2009.

External links

Fechtbuch Transcription
(an
partial English translation
Combat treatises