Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens or, in English: A Foundational Description of the Art of Fencing: ''A Thorough Description of the Free, Knightly and Noble Art of Fencing, Showing Various Customary Defenses, Affected and Put Forth with Many Handsome and Useful Drawings'' is a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
fencing 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 ...
that was published in 1570. Its author was the
Freifechter Joachim Meyer
Joachim Meyer (ca. 1537–1571) was a self described Freifechter (literally, Free Fencer) living in the then Free Imperial City of Strasbourg in the 16th century and the author of a fechtbuch '' Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechten ...
. This manual was made for and was dedicated to Meyer's patron Count Palatine
Johann Casimir
John Casimir, Count Palatine of Simmern (German: ''Johann Casimir von Pfalz-Simmern'') (7 March 1543 – Brockhaus Geschichte Second Edition) was a German prince and a younger son of Frederick III, Elector Palatine. A firm Calvinist, he was a lea ...
. This ''fechtbuch'' builds on his earlier work, a
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printing, printed or repr ...
written in 1560 - the MS A.4°.2, and presents a complex, multi-weapon treatise. Meyer's complete system often marks the end of and the compilation of the German fencing system in the
Johannes Liechtenauer Johannes Liechtenauer (also ''Lichtnauer'', ''Hans Lichtenawer'') was a German fencing master who had a great level of influence on the German fencing tradition in the 14th century.
Biography
Liechtenauer seems to have been active during the mi ...
tradition. It is the only fechtbuch in the Liechtenauer tradition that was written for both laymen and beginners of the art.
[https://elib.uni-stuttgart.de/bitstream/11682/5275/1/Fechtbuch.pdf Das Fechtbuch - Universität Stuttgart]
Publication History
The first edition of ''Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens'' was published in 1570 in the city of
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
. It was printed just a couple months before Joachim Meyer's death in 1571. After Meyer's death, his widow, Appolonia Ruhlman, sold the original woodcuts used for the illustrations in the book to pay off the 300 crown debt that Meyer had incurred over the writing and publishing of his fechtbuch. In 1600, Meyer's widow republished the book in
Augsburg, Germany
Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...
.
According to some sources, the book may have been republished in 1610 and again in 1660, but so far only the 1570 and 1600 editions have been recovered.
Contents
The treatise contains three books in five parts within its 379 pages.
Book 1, Part 1 -
Longsword
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 approximatel ...
Book 2, Part 2 -
Dusack
A dusack (also ''dusägge'' and variants, from Czech ''tesák'' "cleaver; hunting sword", lit. "fang") is a single-edged sword of the cutlass or sabre type, in use as a side arm in Germany and the Habsburg monarchy during the 16th to 17th centu ...
Book 2, Part 3 - Side sword or
rapier
A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
Impor ...
Book 3, Part 4 -
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 ...
Book 3, Part 5 -
Staff and
pole arms
References
*Meyer, Joachim. ''The Art of Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise from 1570'', trans. by Jeffrey L. Forgeng. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
* Jeffrey L. Forgeng, ''The Art of Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise of 1570'' (2006)
External links
wiktenauer.com
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Combat treatises