A Question on Medieval Two-Weapon Fighting

[JeanryChandler]

Wow, that is fascinating! I'm continually interested in all the references to throwing weapons, including both the clubs and the sword! Seems insane to me, but then, so did the tail guard until I learned how to use it. <img src="/forum/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for posting that Jared.

J

[Donald Lepping]

I have been messing around with two shortsword wasters for about two months now. It can be done, although I caution that as far as I am concerned the inability to put a free hand into the fight for wrestling and such really makes me uncomfortable. There is also a great deal of experimentation and slow understanding of what is required as far as weapon spacing and positioning so that you do not inhibit yourself in defense/attack/recovery.

You can certainly attack well once your used to the basics of it. I'm going to continue "playing" with this pairing since I think it is fascinating to apply what I know of other documented KdF weapons/tactics to this combination.

Still, I'll wager it was done from time to time, but I would wager that for the most part it was done out of desperation (loss of buckler/etc.).

Don

[James_Knowles]

Ever notice the (ahem...) rather "adult" oriented couple along the boarder of the Beaux Tapestry....

Yeah, you can find a lot of graphic, violent, racy, and outright pornographic stuff. Hieronymous Bosch's paintings take the cake in my book for information density, but Les Tres Riches Heures -- a religious prayer book -- has stuff then considered rather innocuous that would never be seen these days. The Birth of Venus (so-called "Venus on a Half-Shell") is mild. <img src="/forum/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" />

Also note on the ARMA site the various extracts of manuscripts. There's a lot of graphic stuff there; very interesting, though.

[John_Clements]

Here is another, a 12th century French margin illumination image (fr. 95, f.199v) that shows either two short arming swords or a sword and dagger. The scan is poor, but on the original copy the higher weapon does appear about 20% shorter. Of course, it could just have been the artist not being ery clear, or even being entirely imaginative, since the figure is fighting off a hybrid man boar.