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Hans Medel

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Hans Medel von Salzburg

A play from Medel's fencing manual
Occupation Fencing master
Citizenship Salzburg, Germany
Movement Liechtenauer tradition
Influences
Genres Fencing manual
Language Early New High German
Manuscript(s) Cod. I.6.2º.5 (ca. 1500)
Concordance by Michael Chidester
Translations

Hans Medel von Salzburg (Hans Niedel, Hans Mendel) was a 15th century German fencing master. Little is known about this master, but he seems to have been associated with the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer. He may have traced his lineage through Hans Seydenfaden von Erfurt, a member of the Fellowship of Liechtenauer,[1] as Medel's text is the only known source that mentions teachings from the earlier master.

Medel's name is attached to a manuscript fencing treatise from the late 15th or early 16th century, including an incomplete gloss of Liechtenauer's Recital on the long sword and an addendum on fencing based on "the Seven Stances"; it seems to have been written by a student or associate of Medel rather than the master himself. This gloss is unique in the Liechtenauer tradition in that it not only offers unique commentary on the Recital, but also both quotes and occasionally criticizes or corrects the earlier glosses of Sigmund ain Ringeck and Nicolaüs. The gloss specifically describes a teaching of Hans Seydenfaden or Hans Medel in a few places, but in several more it merely attributes the teaching to "Master Hans" without indicating which one.

This manuscript eventually passed into the library of Paulus Hector Mair, who seems to have acquired it in 1539 and bound it into the current Codex I.6.2º.5 some time after 1566; unfortunately, the extant fragment of the gloss terminates abruptly at the beginning of the section on drawing back, and the remainder is currently lost.

Treatise

Additional Resources

References

  1. The Fellowship of Liechtenauer is recorded in three versions of Paulus Kal's treatise: MS 1825 (1460s), Cgm 1570 (ca. 1470), and MS KK5126 (1480s).
  2. alt: right
  3. alt: side
  4. alt: defense
  5. the artist/professional doing their work
  6. alt: gladly valuing in the arts
  7. alt: gladly valuing with kindness
  8. alt: right
  9. alt: weapon
  10. eindrohen: to imminently threaten
  11. Zeck: a biting insect, ie: a tick.
  12. alt: closer, sooner
  13. this is usually the term for the severing of limbs/extremities, though it can mean hewing while exiting or just separating
  14. widerschlagen: to strike against, in a reverberating sense
  15. rechnen: compute, take into account, align
  16. towards
  17. In the standard verse it is 'ab', not 'fast'
  18. severely, precisely, ruthlessly, violently
  19. videlicet: namely; to wit
  20. abhauen: to sever or to hew in exit
  21. alt: high
  22. aufsitzen: to sit on top of something. A rider was sometimes called an 'Aufsitzer'
  23. ausheben: lift out
  24. conjecture, possibly: 'neben'
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 25.7 25.8 25.9 The text here is hidden by a crease in the page.
  26. alt: breaks-apart, shatters, asunders; burgles; interrupts
  27. ansiegen: to return with victory
  28. glance, discern, glean
  29. Ochs
  30. Ochs
  31. Ochs
  32. could also mean 'carelessly'
  33. Alternately: strongly, firmly, steadfastly.
  34. across
  35. across
  36. your leger
  37. rappen: to gather, to snatch, to seize
  38. no apparent verb here. A similar construction appears below with the added phrase: "set-upon upon the four endings to both sides"
  39. alt: flying
  40. mitmachen: join, unite, combine, participate
  41. alternately: old
  42. marginalia: 'malz' => bad, weak
  43. Or possibly "maler"
  44. Here some pages apparently have been lost, unfortunately.
  45. alt: across
  46. alt: inside
  47. alt: across
  48. uncross your hands