| Jörg
Wilhalm's Fechtbuch - 1523
 In
its continuing effort to bring to greater appreciation and serious study to the many
sources of legitimate Medieval martial arts, we are proud to present a very special
manual, Jörg
Wilhalm
Hutor's
manuscript of 1523. This large hand produced
color Fechtbuch from was never published. The manual consists of over 50 pages of waster
color paintings with captions, and another 50 without, plus 18 pages of additional
text.The work contains some of the largest range of long-sword and great sword techniques
of any manual, first unarmored and then two different armoredsections, one short and
one long (of extensive half-swording and grappling). Three other later versions of
the manual are said to also survive and include messer and mounted combat. There is
some indication the manuscript is an earlier work and was amended or added to at a later
date.
The
uniqueness of this work also lies in its depiction of costumes and characters. The
manuscript is also a wonderful source for period costumes in the "Landsknecht
style". The figures are all distinct and change several times, with some in
plainer dress and seeming rather incongruous. Notice several are barefoot on one or
both feet and perhaps half wear hats. The techniques are all fairly clear as is the blade
action. The inclusion of allegorical figures such as angels and demons and even
a dwarf pretzel salesman (yes, that's right) as well as an apparent Calvinist add to its
unusual qualities. There are also several attacks to the lower legs shown, including
stabs through armored sabatons, which in the color original are show squirting bright red
blood. Other panels depict a cut on a fighter's calf. It has been suggested the manual
might reflect more of a Gaukler / Klopfechter approach, but in fact the work follows from
a familiar basis in the Liechtenauer tradition of the German school. Interestingly,
at one point a sigle panel depicts two shirtless men in a knife fight, slashing one
another's chests with small blades. The pages below are numbered according to the
double-paging of the orginal. Several pages were blank and many were un-numbered. Study
the manual and feel free to send us your thoughts on the figures or translations of the
captions.
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