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Historical European Martial Arts
Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) are reconstructed fighting techniques of the european Middle Ages and Renaissance. In the 15th and 16th centuries, German fighting techniques were recorded in Fechtbücher ('combat manuals', singular Fechtbuch), of which some 55 are extant. Also influential were works that were documented by the Italian and French masters.
Historical European Martial Arts - Pre-1200s
There are no known fighting texts from this time period although many of the historical epics do record specific martial deeds.
Swordsmanship, German school of swordsmanship, Italian school of swordsmanship, Spanish school of swordsmanship, Hungary school of swordmanship /Sword, Saber/
Historical European Martial Arts - 1200 - 1300 A.D.
- Tower of London Manuscript I.33 (Walpurgis, Tower Fechtbuch) 1290 (Latin with German terms)
Historical European Martial Arts - 1300 - 1400 A.D
The central figure of late medieval martial arts is Johannes Liechtenauer, first recorded in the late 14th century MS 3227a written by Hanko Döbringer.
- Johannes Liechtenauer 1389 (German)
Historical European Martial Arts - 1400 - 1500 A.D.
Normally, several modes of combat were taught alongside one another, typically unarmed grappling (Kampfringen or abrazare), dagger (Degen or daga), long knife (Messer) or dussack, half- or quarterstaff, pole arms, longsword (langes Schwert, spada longa, spadone), and combat in plate armour (Harnischfechten or armazare), both on foot and on horseback. The long sword had a position of honour among these disciplines, and sometimes Historical European Swordsmanship (HES) is used to refer to swordsmanship techniques specifically.
Some Fechtbücher have sections on dueling shields (Stechschild), special weapons used only in judicial duels.
Important 15th century fencing masters include Sigmund Ringeck, Peter von Danzig, Hans Talhoffer and Paulus Kal, all of whom taught the teachings of Liechtenhauer. From the late 15th century, there were "brotherhoods" of fencers (Fechtbruderschaften), most notably the Marx brothers (attested 1474) and the Federfechter.
The majority of such masters wrote in German.
The earliest master to write in the Italian was Fiore dei Liberi, commissioned by the Marquis di Ferrara. In approximately 1410, he documented comprehensive fighting techniques in a treatise entitled Flos Duellatorum covering grappling, dagger, arming sword, longsword, pole-weapons, armoured combat and mounted combat. After Fiore, his successors in the southern Holy Roman Empire formed what some consider a semi-independent school of swordsmanship from that of the north.
An early French treatise is Le jeu de la hache of ca. 1400. Only two 15th century English treatises are known, they are rather obscure and probably also dependent on the German school.
- Fiore dei Liberi Flos Duellatorum 1409 (Italian)
- Sigmund Ringeck 1440 (German)
- Hans Talhoffer 1443 (German)
- Fillipo Vadi 1482-1487 (Italian)
- Pietro Monte 1492 (Latin with Italian and Spanish terms)
Historical European Martial Arts - 1500 - 1600 A.D
In the 16th century, compendia of older Fechtbüch techniques were produced, some of them printed, notably by Paulus Hector Mair (in the 1540s) and by Joachim Meyer (in the 1570s).
In the 16th century German fencing had developed sportive tendencies. The treatises of Paulus Hector Mair and Joachim Meyer summarizing the teachings of the earlier centuries within the Liechtenauer tradition.
The Italian school is continued by masters such as Fillipo Vadi, Antonio Manciolino, Achille Marozzo.
- Antonio Manciolino 1509 - 1531 (Italian)
- Achille Marozzo 1536 (Italian)
- Angelo Viggiani 1551 (Italian)
- Camillo Agrippa 1553 (Italian)
- Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza 1569 (Spanish)
- Giacomo Di Grassi 1570 (Italian)
- Joachim Meyer 1570 (German)
It is important to note that while Joachim Meyer's treatise depicts students in a school, many of the strikes he discusses and illustrates are from the earlier German tradition, such as the five Meisterhau. For this reason, some scholars believe that Meyer's techniques are not actually sportive, but rather a continuation of the martial techniques passed down from master Liechtenauer.
- Giovanni Dall’Agocchie 1572 (Italian)
- Sainct Didier 1573 (French)
- Frederico Ghisliero 1587 (Italian)
- Vincentio Saviolo 1590 (Italian)
- George Silver 1599 (English)
- Luis Pacheco de Narváez 1600 (Spanish)
Historical European Martial Arts - 1500 - 1600 A.D
- Salvator Fabris (1606) (Italian)
- Nicoletto Giganti (1606) (Italian)
- Ridolfo Capo Ferro (1610) (Italian)
- Jacob Sutor (1612) (German)
The long sword having been completely replaced by the rapier and the sabre.
- Joseph Swetnam (1617) (English)
- Francesco Alfieri (1640) (Italian)
Historical European Martial Arts - Modern Reconstruction
Attempts at reconstruction of period fighting arts have occurred since the Victorian age most notably with the work of Egerton Castle and Alfred Hutton.
With the advent of the Society for Creative Anachronism (a historical re-enactment organization founded in 1966) there was a renewed interest in the practice of historic fighting arts. While the SCA's fighting is rarely considered historic, this organization provided a large international basis for martial artists that were already predisposed towards historical research.
After the SCA was already widely established other groups began to appear that took a more martial and scholastic approach to recreating period fighting arts. Some of these groups include The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts, The Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, The Chicago Swordplay Guild, The Martinez Academy of Arms, The New Dawn Duellist's Society, The Order of Selohaar, The Order of Seven Hearts, Saint Martins Academy of Defense, The Schola Saint George, The Stoccata School of Defense, The Tattershal School of Defense, the Italian Historical Fencing Federation (FISAS) and many more.
These organizations ushered in a new age of research and study that has popularized European fighting arts in a movement that continues to grow with new research, interpretation, and translation being published every year.
See also
- Swordsmanship
- German school of swordsmanship
- Italian school of swordsmanship
- Spanish school of swordsmanship
- Hungary school of swordmanship /Sword, Saber/
Other related archives1290, 1389, 1400, 1409, 1410, 1474, 14th century, 1540s, 1570s, 15th, 15th century, 1606, 1610, 1612, 1617, 1640, 16th centuries, 1966, 3227a, Fechtbücher, Achille Marozzo, Angelo Viggiani, Antonio Manciolino, Association for Renaissance Martial Arts, Camillo Agrippa, English, Ferrara, Fillipo Vadi, Fiore dei Liberi, Flos Duellatorum, Francesco Alfieri, Frederico Ghisliero, French, George Silver, German, German school of swordsmanship, Giacomo Di Grassi, Giovanni Dall’Agocchie, Hans Talhoffer, I.33, Italian, Italian school of swordsmanship, Jacob Sutor, Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza, Joachim Meyer, Johannes Liechtenauer, Joseph Swetnam, Kampfringen, Luis Pacheco de Narváez, Marx brothers, Messer, Nicoletto Giganti, Paulus Hector Mair, Paulus Kal, Peter von Danzig, Pietro Monte, Ridolfo Capo Ferro, Sainct Didier, Salvator Fabris, Sigmund Ringeck, Society for Creative Anachronism, Spanish school of swordsmanship, Swordsmanship, The Tattershal School of Defense, Victorian age, Vincentio Saviolo, dagger, dussack, grappling, judicial duels, knife, longsword, plate armour, pole arms, quarterstaff, rapier, reconstructed, swordsmanship
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