Johannes Lecküchner (c. 1430s – 1482) was a 15th-century
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
and
fencer of the area of
Nuremberg
Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
. He was inscribed at the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
in 1455 and receives the title of ''
bacalaureus'' in 1457. He was ordained
acolyte in 1459, and as priest at some point before 1478. He was employed as communal priest in
Herzogenaurach
Herzogenaurach (; vmf, Herziaura) is a town in the district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is best known for being the home of the major international sporting goods companies Adidas and Puma, as well as the large car parts m ...
from 1480 until his death on 31 December 1482.
[according to the transcription at www.pragmatische-schriftlichkeit.de]
Two
Fechtbücher
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 ...
for the
großes Messer by the hand of Lecküchner are preserved, Cod. Pal. Germ. 430 (
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
, 1478), and Cgm. 582,
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, 1482. The latter he completed on 19 January 1482. The earlier manuscript is considered a draft for the later, and only Cgm 582 contains illustrations.
1
The Cgm 582 manuscript on 216 folia (432 pages) gives instructions for the fencing with the
großes Messer, illustrated by 415 drawings of fencers. Some 19th-century scholars have assumed that the name Lecküchner is in fact a corrupted version of the name of
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 m ...
, and that the two masters are identical. Biographical information from archives as well as the colophon in the manuscript itself makes quite clear, however, that Lecküchner has an independent existence as a historical author. His system is, however, based on the teachings of Liechtenauer dating to about a century earlier, since Lecküchner organizes his system in the same way as Liechtenauer, and also uses the same terminology that is present in his
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 ...
teachings.
Notes
External links
Art of Swordsmanship by Hans Lecküchner''.Transl. Jeffrey L. Forgeng. Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer, 2015.
(www.pragmatische-schriftlichkeit.de)
Cgm 582 illustrations, transcription and English translation(www.hammaborg.de)
CPG 430 1478
Johannes Lecküchner - the fencing priest(www.schwertkampf-ochs.de)
German historical fencers
Swordfighters
15th-century German Roman Catholic priests
{{Germany-fencing-bio-stub