Talhoffer Longsword: Armoured and Unarmoured

by Jeffrey Hull

The Swabian fight-master Hans Talhoffer is known to any genuine student of European swordsmanship for perhaps as many as seven outstanding fight-books, notably those of 1443, 1459 and 1467 AD.  In his last edition Talhoffer presents a seemingly straightforward set of unarmoured longsword-fighting portrayals.  Yet while studying that for the umpteenth time, a question struck me which I could hardly believe had not done so before:

Had Meister Talhoffer meant the unarmoured longsword plates of his last fight-book to show the savvy learner both unarmoured fighting and armoured fighting?

With this question in mind, I delved into the fight-book yet again.  The fresh outlook let me fathom the thing in a deeper manner which yielded the answer of:  Yes!

I think it is clear that Talhoffer’s longsword plates (Tafeln) are showing us both kinds of fighting.  His unarmoured longsword fighters are ostensibly practicing unarmoured fighting – yet demonstrably, they are practicing both unarmoured fighting and armoured fighting.  This is realised if we consider how the portrayed moves relate to the variety of combat techniques as dependant upon whether a Medieval combatant fought either unarmoured or armoured.  If so, then we find the longsword plates dealt and grouped ordinally and equally into thirty-six for unarmoured and thirty-six for armoured.

Thus I shall show that the seventy-two longsword (Langes Schwert) plates (#01-#67 & #74-#78) from the fight-book of 1467 AD by Hans Talhoffer consist of half (#01-#36) meant for unarmoured fighting (bloßfechten) and half (#37-#67 & #74-#78) meant for armoured fighting (harnischfechten).  This sequence of longsword plates is interposed by six plates (#68-#73) dealing with a grudge-match between two knights in full plate-armour (rüstung) who also wield longswords.  This sort of armour was made of tempered steel plating custom-fit and covering the whole body.  Incidentally, all men portrayed in the range of plates from #01-#78 are fighting afoot.

Firstly, we should consider the weaponry and clothing shown in the plates delineated for longsword.  The fighters seem to wield Oakeshott-type XVa, XVIa or XVIIIa longswords.  Such were a basic selection of differing yet coeval types for middle to late 15^th CentAD throughout Germany and Austria, or for that matter, much of the rest of contemporary Europe.  The fighters are outfitted in some sort of padded yet close-fitting “fight-clothing” (? fechtkleidung ?), which perhaps served as undergarments for armour, or at least as work-out suits.  Such male clothing was common enough throughout much of Europe at that time and consists of doublet, shirt, trews, cod and shoes; and was made of any variety of textile and/or tanned materials, such as linen, wool, hemp, silk or leather, with a few certain parts of metal, horn or wood.  Perhaps because of this, it has been too generally and readily assumed that what they portrayed was primarily unarmoured fighting – but not upon closer analysis, as we shall see.

Secondly, we should consider the relevant techniques portrayed and described by the master.  As shall be explained, some are fit for doing certain things better than others.  Hence, some tend to be used more for unarmoured and some more for armoured.  These techniques are as follows:

Hewing – this is cleaving with the edge.
Talhoffer calls it:  schlachen; schlag; haw; how; hout; krump; gayszlen

Hewing – from plate #01.
Oberhow. – Vnderhow.

Thrusting – this is piercing with the point.
Talhoffer calls it:  ortt; stos; stossen; stich; hefften

Thrusting – from plate #04.
Das lang Zorn ortt. – Darfür ist das geschrenckt ortt.

Slashing – this is raking with the edge.
Talhoffer calls it:  schnit; fahen [!]

Slashing – from plate #21.
Der gryfft nach der vnderen blosz. – Der schnit von oben daryn.

Half-swording – This is when one hand grips the hilt and the other hand grips the blade.
Talhoffer calls it:  brentshiren; gewauppet ort

Morte-striking – This is when both hands grip the blade to smite with the pommel or crossguard.
Talhoffer calls it:  mortschlag; mordstreich; tunrschlag

Half-swording against Morte-striking – from plate #37 (2nd pair).
Vsz dem Tunrschlag Ain werffen. – Vsz dem Tunrschlag ain Ryszen.

Thirdly, we should consider the differences between unarmoured and armoured fighting of that time.  However, it is acknowledged that much similarity unavoidably exists as we are talking about the same weapon – the European longsword of 15^th CentAD.  Yet the distinctions are clear and should be of general agreement among those who practice historically realistic European swordfighting which is based upon the German fight-books (fechtbücher) or upon the Italian manuals.  What follows is substantiated by perusing such fight-books as Liechtenauer (1389 via Doebringer and 1440 via Ringeck), Liberi (1410), Gladiatoria (1430-1444), Lignitzer (1452 via Danzig), Hundfeld (1452 via Danzig & 1491 via Speyer), Talhoffer (1467), Wallerstein (1470), Vadi (1482), Lew (1491 via Speyer), Goliath (1510), Czynner (1538) and Mair (1550):

* Hewing and slashing are most wieldy for unarmoured*
The blade of a longsword wielded by hew or slash is effective against the unarmoured foe, or by hew for breaching the leather or maille-armoured foe – yet neither does well against the plate-armoured foe.  Against such the hew may batter yet probably shall not breach.  And the slash is next to worthless.  Against plate-armour such strikes shall most likely simply bounce, glance or slide.  Hewing must have proven frighteningly destructive against the unarmoured foe, or for that matter, the maille-armoured foe – as everything from battlefield archaeology to modern test-cutting on deer carcass shows – yet it just was not the thing for hurting the plate-armoured foe.

* Half-swording and morte-striking are best for armoured*
An unarmoured fighter can do both as needed, either against an unarmoured foe or especially against a plate-armoured foe.  A longsword wielded by half-swording lets the fighter strongly set aside a foe’s strike and allows accuracy and power for thrusting, especially for seeking the gaps of plate-armour.  If wielded to morte-strike, it makes for a fearsome attack against a foe whether unarmoured or armoured.  With the pommel it allows battering of plate-armour; and with the crossguard, it allows piercing of its gaps or perhaps the armour itself, and hooking and wrenching of both his armour and the foe himself.  The equally plate-armoured fighter and foe would surely do both half-swording and morte-striking against each other.

* Thrusting is ubiquitous to both armoured and unarmoured*
The point of a longsword wielded this way has overall efficacy, utilised to smite the unarmoured foe almost anywhere and to smite the armoured foe by breaching the gaps of his plate-armour.  Thrusts can be driven with hands upon hilt or by half-swording.

Now, with all this in mind, a simple analysis of Talhoffer’s captions and pictures finds marked difference between what prove to be two distinct halves of Talhoffer’s longsword plates:

So the distinction seems rather clear.  The first half has lots of hewing and a bit of slashing, whereas the second half has neither thereof.  The first half has little of half-swording and morte-strikes, whereas the second half has lots of each comparatively.  Each half has decent if differing amounts of thrusting.  Hence Talhoffer’s fight-clothing-bedecked longswordsmen portray a definite unarmoured first half and a definite armoured second half for their totality of longsword fighting techniques.  None of this should be any surprise if we simply realise that it would be utilitarian, efficient, and couth for the students of a fight-school to practice differing sets of contextually dependant moves for a given weapon just as they would practice differing weaponry.

Furthermore, besides the foregoing technical and statistical evidence, it seems there is also numerological evidence.  Talhoffer’s #73 rüstung plate portrays the exact same struggle of weaponed-point (gewauppet ort) against morte-strike (Mordtschlag), as found in the second pair within his #37 langes schwert plate of weaponed-point (unnamed) against thunder-stroke (Tunrschlag) – but with differing outcomes.  In the rüstung, weaponed-point-man forsets (versetzen or versatzung) morte-man’s attack and finishes with killing thrust (stossen) of point to face; whereas in the langes schwert, thunder-man wrenches (Ryszen) weaponed-point-man’s attack and finishes with thrust of pommel (stos) to face.  Thus the rüstung plates end with the same struggle as the beginning of the harnisch half of the langes schwert plates.  If this was done wittingly by the arcanity of Medieval numerology, then perhaps it is indicated by how switching the digits of “37” makes “73” and vice-versa.  Such thinking may explain the odd placement of the six rüstung plates within the seventy-two langes schwert plates between #67 & #74 rather than between #36 & #37 – that is, between the end of the bloß and the beginning of the harnisch.  Indeed, the knights struggle within a battle-yard (schranken) which is fenced hexagonally, thus reinforcing the idea of the factor of “6”, which if squared arrives at “36” – a familiar number as already witnessed.

The same Half-swording versus Morte-striking – from plate #73.
Usz der versatzung hinweg stossen. – Der haut den straich volbracht.

Lastly, Talhoffer’s 1459 version contains a plate (87 recto) portraying a combatant in full plate-armour versus one in fight-clothing.  This plate is set in the fight-book such that it bridges its own sections of rüstung and langes schwert – that is, betwixt fighters portraying harnisch and bloß.  Indeed, these combatants are portrayed within a battle-yard doing half-swording versus morte-strike.  The similarity is interesting to consider vis-à-vis Talhoffer’s last edition.

Guess what happens here – from 87 recto of the 1459.
Das anlauffen nach dem schlag. 

Conclusion:  The longsword plates found in Hans Talhoffer’s fight-book of 1467 AD are dealt into two equal halves which show the typical and marked differences between armoured fighting and unarmoured fighting of 15^th CentAD European swordsmanship. 

***** 

Sources: 

Altenn Fechter anfengliche Kunst; Christian Egenolph (auth); Alexander Kiermaier (transcr); Franckfurt am Meyn; 1529; Die Freifechter Webseite; 2001; <www.freifechter.org> 

Armour from the Battle of Wisby; Bengt Thordeman (auth); Brian Price (intro); Chivalry Bookshelf; Highland Village; 2001 

Blood Red Roses: The Archaeology of a Mass Grave from the Battle of Towton AD 1461; Veronica Fiorato (edit), Anthea Boylston (edit), Christopher Knüsel (edit); Oxbow Books; Oxford & Oakville; 2000 

Brief Introduction to Armoured Longsword Combat; Matt Anderson (auth); Shane Smith (auth); ARMA Web-Site; 2004; <www.thearma.org/essays/armoredlongsword.html> 

Cod.icon. 394a Handschrift; Hans Talhoffer (auth); Schwaben; 1467; Bayerische Staatsbibliothek; München 

Codex Wallerstein; Gregorz Zabinski (transcr & transl); Bartlomiej Walczak (transl & interp); Paladin Press; Boulder; 2002 (from 1470) 

Fechtbuch aus dem Jahre 1467; Hans Talhoffer (auth); 1467; Michael Rasmusson (transcr & transl); 2004; Schielhau Web-Site; <http://www.schielhau.org/tal.html> 

Flos Duellatorum; Fiore dei Liberi (auth); Hermes Michelini (transl); Italy; 1410; Knights of the Wild Rose; Calgary; 2001; <www.varmouries.com/wildrose/fiore/fiore.html> 

Gotha Buch 4° 113/2 Handschrift; Hans Talhoffer (auth); 1467; Forschungs und Landesbibliothek Gotha 

Kurzen Schwert; Martin Hundfeld (auth); from Codex Speyer (Handschrift M I 29 or Fechtbuch); Hans von Speyer (edit & comp); Beatrix Koll (transcr); (transcript thereof & formerly also facsimile); Almania; 1491; Universitätsbibliothek Salzburg; 2002; <www.ubs.sbg.ac.at/sosa/webseite/fechtbuch.htm> 

Kurzes Schwert; Andre Lignitzer (auth); Kurzes Schwert; Martein Hundtfeltz (auth); both from Danzig Fechtbuch; Peter von Danzig (auth & edit); Monika Maziarz (transcr); Preuszen; 1452; ARMA-Poland Web-Site; 2004; <www.arma.lh.pl/index.html> 

Liber de Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi ; Filipo Vadi (auth); Urbino; 1482; Luca Porzio (transl); ARMA Web-Site; 2002; <http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/Vadi.htm> 

Medieval Combat; Mark Rector (transl & interp); Hans Talhoffer (auth); Bayern; 1467; Greenhill Books; London; 2000 

Medieval Meat Cutters; James Knowles (prod-direct); ARMA-Ogden Web-Site; Quicktime-video; Utah; 2004; <http://www.arma-ogden.org/content/view/11/2/> 

Meister Hans Thalhofer: Alte Armatur und Ringkunst; Hans Talhoffer (auth); Thott 290 2º; Bayern; 1459; Det Kongelige Bibliotek; Copenhagen; 2003; <www.kb.dk/kb/dept/nbo/ha/index-en.htm> 

Records of the Medieval Sword; Ewart Oakeshott (auth & illus); Boydell Press; Woodbridge; 2002 (rev-ed) 

Ritterlich Kunst; Sigmund Ringeck (auth); Johannes Liechtenauer (auth); Stefan Dieke (transcr); Mscr. Drsd. C 487; Bayern; 1389 & 1440; Sächsische Landesbibliothek-Dresden; Die Freifechter Webseite; 2001; <www.freifechter.org> 

Sigmund Ringeck’s Knightly Art of the Longsword; David Lindholm (transl & interp); Peter Svärd (illus); Johnsson & Strid (contr); Sigmund Ringeck (auth); Johannes Liechtenauer (auth); Paladin Press; Boulder; 2003 (from 1389 & 1440) 

Talhoffers Fechtbuch aus dem Jahre 1467; Hans Talhoffer (auth); Schwaben; 1467; Gustav Hergsell (transcr & transl); Prague; 1887; Forschungs und Landesbibliothek Gotha Buch 4° 113/2 

Talhoffers Fechtbuch aus dem Jahre 1467; Hans Talhoffer (auth); 1467; Mark Rector (transcr & transl); 1999; ARMA Web-Site; <http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/talhoffer.htm> 

The Tailoring of the Grande Assiette; Tasha Kelly McGann (auth); La Cotte Simple Web-Site; 2004; <www.cottesimple.com/blois_and_sleeves/grande_assiette/grande_assiette_overview.htm> 

The Wars of the Roses; Terrence Wise (auth); Gerry Embleton (illus); Osprey; Oxford; 2000 

***** 

Acknowledgements:  My thanks to Matt Anderson, Casper Bradak, Donald Lepping, Randall Pleasant, Shane Smith, and Bartholomew Walczak. 

About the Author:  Jeffrey Hull has been training in European fighting arts the ARMA way for about five years now.  Previously he trained in Asian martial arts.  He holds a BA in Humanities. 

Copyright 2004 of Jeffrey Hull