February 2011

Training weapons for fencing lessons, from the late 14th to the early 18th Century

The fencing has long been an art that aimed at the opponent in a violent clash off as quickly as possible. But as an art was taught that the death of the enemy had targeted? The student wanted to learn during class fencing, but in this case be compared to not seriously hurt, because you can assume that in earlier centuries, the crippling or death of the practice partner during the fencing lessons under no circumstances was acceptable (although it seemed quite) . The following article explores this question and deals specifically with the fencing lessons in the period from the late 14th to the early 18th Century.

Already in 1389 appeared in one of the oldest books in the fencing separating the 'contest too seriously' (the real case) and 'challenge to disgraceful' (a harmless joke, the Kurzweil) and further states that "in practice up in the shameful combat, is the use you in an emergency '.

But it is as mentioned above, the question of how the pieces of a fencing lesson practiced correctly and avoided serious injury while in the classroom have been. The fencing teacher will have played a major role, it was his job to teach his students the fencing and during that time the responsibility for his charges to wear. The techniques have been deliberately run slower is conceivable, but this is the missing documents. What can be substantiated, however, is the use of special weapons training, so that serious injuries could be excluded to some degree.

The fencing teacher is a matter of course have played a major role, it was his job to teach his students the fencing and to wear during this time, the responsibility for his charges. The techniques have been deliberately run slower is conceivable, but this is the missing documents. What can be substantiated, however, is the use of special weapons training, so that heavy Injuries to some extent could be excluded.

The number of training weapons, which are in German fencing books from 1450 to the 18th century can be identified as such or have been preserved as originals is relatively small, compared to the number of illustrated books in all fencing weapons. Four types of training weapons can be identified: the 'fencing spring', the dagger with a spherical knob, half the bar, and Rapier and later swords with ball knob.

of a.) The 'spring fencing'

fencing springs' in the works of Peter Danzig (1452), Paulus Hector Mair (in 1550), Joachim Meyer (1570), from left to right

A 'fencing spring' was basically a sword with a flexible blade, a remote ricasso and a flattened and thickened site. With this construction, the effect of blows and bites are mitigated. Its origin is unknown and also the name of 'Spring', 'spring sword' or 'fencing spring' is more recent. In the fencing tales of their time diving to these terms do not always speak the authors of the sword or long sword.
is first shown a fencing sword in the spring composite manuscript of Peter of Danzig in 1452 As the origin of 'Spring' can not be clearly located, is not excluded that there has been this type of sword earlier. Increasingly, there are depictions of then with 'feathers' fencing profesionals from 1500 and the two authors Paulus Hector Mair and Joachim Meyer, whose work on the second half of the 16th Century are dated, have all their fencers pairs just pose with 'feathers' armed.
The 'fencing spring' was in the 15th Century, a training weapon for learning the pieces with the long sword. Parallel to the continued existence as a training weapon developed the 'spring' in the first half of the 16th Century, a sports equipment for fencing tournaments (including the so-called 'fencing school'). In the course of this development came to new, especially for the 'Spring' devised pieces.

b.) the dagger with a spherical knob

dagger with a spherical knob at Joachim Meyer 1570 (Bavarian State Library in Munich)

Joachim Meyer shows only one in his book Fechter, the use of the images most of daggers with ball knob. The daggers correspond to the type of disc dagger and are probably made of wood and a piece (including ball knob) made.

c.) The half rod

Half rod in Joachim Meyer, 1570 (Bavarian State Library in Munich), are in the background ever a fencer pair with halberds and long poles to see

Also in the works of Joachim Meyer, a memoir refers to the fencing with half of the wooden rod. This is handled by Joachim Meyer as its own weapon, while he describes it as the foundation for fencing with all weirs long as the halberd and the long spear. The wooden half-rod could have played a major role as a training weapon for the municipal levies, which the bar arms halberd and spit in the tactical formations to use.

d.) rapier and dagger with ball knob

blades with ball knob, from: "The open fencing," 1706 (Eutiner State Library)

The ball knob at Rapier and dagger was attached to the tip of the blade small exercise ball, which should prevent the bite of the blade into the body of the training partner from entering.
The majority of the rapier and dagger fencing books of the 16th-18. Century pieces shown there is fighting with sharp weapons. Only Michael Hundt's "A new artificial Fecht book in the rapier to the fencing and bellows "(1611) and" The open fencing "(1706) blades are shown with ball knob. In contrast, images of fencing halls which there hung blades with ball knob in rows on the walls. Willem van Swanenburg representation of the Leiden . University Fencing Hall (1610) or Johann Andreas Schmidt in his fencing hall (1713) are good examples of this include

A manual for a spherical knob, the 1617 published fencing book of the Jacobin fencing teacher Joseph Swetnam:

"To make your ball buttons , receive or wool flakes and wrap them around the Size of a tennis ball, then an incision half an inch makes below the tip of your wooden 'foil' or bar, but if it s iron 'foil' is, then you must riveted an iron button at the top as wide as two pence, and take then your ball knob, manufactured as predicted, and bring it to the tip of your rod or 'Foiles' on, and then take leather and drag him down on it and tie it firmly with laces at the incision and also one more leather, for after some may use it otherwise wear quickly "

In Swetanms book itself the characters are all, with a sharp blade, that is, without ball knob shown. He like many other writers of rapier and dagger fencing books is that his techniques in the context of a competitive match situation dar. This is a stylistic device, and of course, has little in common with the real practice operating in a fencing hall. It can not be modified because of many representations of the fencing halls of that time, believed that the use of such weapons by Ball Knobs defused for practice was not unusual.