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Difference between revisions of "Johannes Liechtenauer"
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| archetype(s) = Hypothetical | | archetype(s) = Hypothetical | ||
| manuscript(s) = {{collapsible list | | manuscript(s) = {{collapsible list | ||
− | | [[Pol Hausbuch (MS 3227a)|MS | + | | [[Pol Hausbuch (MS 3227a)|MS 3227<sup>a</sup>]] (ca. 1400s) |
| [[Talhoffer Fechtbuch (MS Chart.A.558)|MS Chart.A.558]] (1448) | | [[Talhoffer Fechtbuch (MS Chart.A.558)|MS Chart.A.558]] (1448) | ||
| [[Starhemberg Fechtbuch (Cod.44.A.8)|Cod.44.A.8]] (1452) | | [[Starhemberg Fechtbuch (Cod.44.A.8)|Cod.44.A.8]] (1452) | ||
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| [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (MS KK5126)|MS KK5126]] (1480s) | | [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (MS KK5126)|MS KK5126]] (1480s) | ||
| [[Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29)|MS M.Ⅰ.29]] (1491) | | [[Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29)|MS M.Ⅰ.29]] (1491) | ||
+ | | [[Ortenburg Fechtbuch]] (1400s) | ||
| [[Johan Liechtnawers Fechtbuch geschriebenn (MS Dresd.C.487)|MS Dresd.C.487]] (ca. 1504-19) | | [[Johan Liechtnawers Fechtbuch geschriebenn (MS Dresd.C.487)|MS Dresd.C.487]] (ca. 1504-19) | ||
| [[Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)|MS Germ.quart. 2020]] (1535-40) | | [[Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)|MS Germ.quart. 2020]] (1535-40) | ||
| [[Oplodidaskalia sive Armorvm Tractandorvm Meditatio Alberti Dvreri (MS 26-232)|MS 26-232]] (1512) | | [[Oplodidaskalia sive Armorvm Tractandorvm Meditatio Alberti Dvreri (MS 26-232)|MS 26-232]] (1512) | ||
| [[Jörg Wilhalm Hutters kunst zu Augspurg (Cgm 3711)|Cgm 3711]] (1523) | | [[Jörg Wilhalm Hutters kunst zu Augspurg (Cgm 3711)|Cgm 3711]] (1523) | ||
− | | [[ | + | | [[Wilhalm/Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2º.2)|Cod.Ⅰ.6.2º.2]] (1523) |
| [[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Reichsstadt Nr. 82]] (1553) | | [[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Reichsstadt Nr. 82]] (1553) | ||
| [[Lienhart Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cgm 3712)|Cgm 3712]] (1556) | | [[Lienhart Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cgm 3712)|Cgm 3712]] (1556) | ||
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Liechtenauer was described by many later masters as the "high master" or "grand master" of the art, and a long poem called the ''Zettel'' ("Recital") is generally attributed to him by these masters. Later masters in the tradition often wrote extensive [[gloss]]es (commentaries) on this poem, using it to structure their own martial teachings. Liechtenauer's influence on the German fencing tradition as we currently understand it is almost impossible to overstate. The masters on [[Paulus Kal]]'s roll of the [[Fellowship of Liechtenauer]] were responsible for most of the most significant fencing manuals of the 15th century, and Liechtenauer and his teachings were also the focus of the German fencing guilds that arose in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the [[Marxbrüder]] and the [[Veiterfechter]]. | Liechtenauer was described by many later masters as the "high master" or "grand master" of the art, and a long poem called the ''Zettel'' ("Recital") is generally attributed to him by these masters. Later masters in the tradition often wrote extensive [[gloss]]es (commentaries) on this poem, using it to structure their own martial teachings. Liechtenauer's influence on the German fencing tradition as we currently understand it is almost impossible to overstate. The masters on [[Paulus Kal]]'s roll of the [[Fellowship of Liechtenauer]] were responsible for most of the most significant fencing manuals of the 15th century, and Liechtenauer and his teachings were also the focus of the German fencing guilds that arose in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the [[Marxbrüder]] and the [[Veiterfechter]]. | ||
− | Additional facts have sometimes been presumed about Liechtenauer based on often-problematic premises. The Pol Hausbuch, often erroneously dated to 1389 and presumed to be written by a direct student of Liechtenauer's, has been treated as evidence placing Liechtenauer's career in the mid-1300s.<ref>[[Christian Henry Tobler]]. "Chicken and Eggs: Which Master Came First?" ''In Saint George's Name: An Anthology of Medieval German Fighting Arts''. Wheaton, IL: [[Freelance Academy Press]], 2010. p6</ref> However, given that the Pol Hausbuch may date as late as 1494 and the earliest records of the identifiable members of his tradition appear in the mid 1400s, it seems more probable that Liechtenauer's career occurred toward the beginning of the 15th century. Ignoring the Pol Hausbuch as being of indeterminate date, the oldest version of the Recital that is attributed to Liechtenauer was recorded by [[Hans Talhoffer]] in the [[Talhoffer Fechtbuch (MS Chart.A.558)|MS Chart.A.558]] (ca. 1448), which further supports this timeline.<ref>There is one version of the Recital that predates Talhoffer's, recorded in [[Modus Dimicandi (MS G.B.f.18a)|MS G.B.f.18a]] (ca. 1418-28) and attributed to an [[H. Beringer]]; this also conforms to a 15th century timeline and suggests the possibility that Liechtenauer was himself an inheritor of the teachings contained in the Zettel rather than its original composer (presentations of the Recital that are entirely unattributed exist in other 15th and 16th century manuscripts). Alternatively, the Beringer verse, which includes only portions of the Recital on the Long Sword, may represent just one of the teachings that Liechtenauer received and compiled over the course of the journeys described in | + | Additional facts have sometimes been presumed about Liechtenauer based on often-problematic premises. The Pol Hausbuch, often erroneously dated to 1389 and presumed to be written by a direct student of Liechtenauer's, has been treated as evidence placing Liechtenauer's career in the mid-1300s.<ref>[[Christian Henry Tobler]]. "Chicken and Eggs: Which Master Came First?" ''In Saint George's Name: An Anthology of Medieval German Fighting Arts''. Wheaton, IL: [[Freelance Academy Press]], 2010. p6</ref> However, given that the Pol Hausbuch may date as late as 1494 and the earliest records of the identifiable members of his tradition appear in the mid 1400s, it seems more probable that Liechtenauer's career occurred toward the beginning of the 15th century. Ignoring the Pol Hausbuch as being of indeterminate date, the oldest version of the Recital that is attributed to Liechtenauer was recorded by [[Hans Talhoffer]] in the [[Talhoffer Fechtbuch (MS Chart.A.558)|MS Chart.A.558]] (ca. 1448), which further supports this timeline.<ref>There is one version of the Recital that predates Talhoffer's, recorded in [[Modus Dimicandi (MS G.B.f.18a)|MS G.B.f.18a]] (ca. 1418-28) and attributed to an [[H. Beringer]]; this also conforms to a 15th century timeline and suggests the possibility that Liechtenauer was himself an inheritor of the teachings contained in the Zettel rather than its original composer (presentations of the Recital that are entirely unattributed exist in other 15th and 16th century manuscripts). Alternatively, the Beringer verse, which includes only portions of the Recital on the Long Sword, may represent just one of the teachings that Liechtenauer received and compiled over the course of the journeys described in the Pol Hausbuch.</ref> |
== Treatise == | == Treatise == | ||
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Liechtenauer's teachings are preserved in a long poem of rhyming couplets called the ''Zettel'' ("Recital"), covering fencing with the "long" or extended sword (i.e. with both hands at one end of the sword), the "short" or withdrawn sword (i.e. with one hand at either end), and on horseback. These "obscure and cryptic words" were designed to prevent the uninitiated from learning the techniques they represented; they also seem to have offered a system of mnemonic devices to those who understood their significance. The Recital was treated as the core of the Art by his students, and masters such as [[Sigmund ain Ringeck]], [[Peter von Danzig zum Ingolstadt]], and [[Lew]] wrote extensive [[gloss]]es that sought to clarify and expand upon these teachings. | Liechtenauer's teachings are preserved in a long poem of rhyming couplets called the ''Zettel'' ("Recital"), covering fencing with the "long" or extended sword (i.e. with both hands at one end of the sword), the "short" or withdrawn sword (i.e. with one hand at either end), and on horseback. These "obscure and cryptic words" were designed to prevent the uninitiated from learning the techniques they represented; they also seem to have offered a system of mnemonic devices to those who understood their significance. The Recital was treated as the core of the Art by his students, and masters such as [[Sigmund ain Ringeck]], [[Peter von Danzig zum Ingolstadt]], and [[Lew]] wrote extensive [[gloss]]es that sought to clarify and expand upon these teachings. | ||
− | In addition to the verses on mounted fencing, several treatises in the Liechtenauer tradition include a group of twenty-six "figures" (''figuren'')—phrases that are shorter than Liechtenauer's couplets and often arranged into the format of a Medieval tree diagram. These figures seem to encode the same teachings as the verses of the mounted fencing, and both are quoted in the mounted glosses. However, figures follow a very different structure than the Zettel does, and seem to present an alternative sequence for studying | + | In addition to the verses on mounted fencing, several treatises in the Liechtenauer tradition include a group of twenty-six "figures" (''figuren'')—phrases that are shorter than Liechtenauer's couplets and often arranged into the format of a Medieval tree diagram. These figures seem to encode the same teachings as the verses of the mounted fencing, and both are quoted in the mounted glosses. However, figures follow a very different structure than the Zettel does, and seem to present an alternative sequence for studying Liechtenauer's techniques. It is not known why the mounted fencing is the only section of the Recital to receive figures in addition to verse. |
− | Seventeen manuscripts contain a presentation of at least one section of the Recital as a distinct (unglossed) section; there are dozens more presentations of the verse as part of one of the several glosses. The longest version of the Recital by far is actually found in one of these glosses, that of | + | Seventeen manuscripts contain a presentation of at least one section of the Recital as a distinct (unglossed) section; there are dozens more presentations of the verse as part of one of the several glosses. The longest version of the Recital by far is actually found in one of these glosses, that of [[Pseudo-Hans Döbringer]], which contains almost twice as many verses as any other; however, given that the additional verses tend to either be repetitions from elsewhere in the Recital or use a very different style from Liechtenauer's work, they are generally treated as additions by the anonymous author or his instructor rather than being part of the original Recital. The other surviving versions of the Recital from all periods show a high degree of consistency in both content and organization, excepting only the much shorter version attributed to [[H. Beringer]] (which is also included in the writings of [[Hans Folz]]). |
The following concordance tables include only those texts that quote Liechtenauer's Recital in an unglossed form.<ref>The figures are often given as a preamble for the [[gloss]] of [[Lew]], and a fragment of the short sword to the teachings of [[Martin Huntsfeld]], but those instances will not be included below and instead treated as part of those treatises.</ref> Most manuscripts present the Recital as prose, and those have had the text separated out into the original verses to offer a consistent view. For ease of use, this page breaks the general Wiktenauer rule that column format remain consistent across all tables on a page; the sheer number of Liechtenauer sources made this convention entirely unworkable, with more columns empty than filled, so instead the long sword table uses one layout, the mounted and short sword tables use another, and the figures use a third. | The following concordance tables include only those texts that quote Liechtenauer's Recital in an unglossed form.<ref>The figures are often given as a preamble for the [[gloss]] of [[Lew]], and a fragment of the short sword to the teachings of [[Martin Huntsfeld]], but those instances will not be included below and instead treated as part of those treatises.</ref> Most manuscripts present the Recital as prose, and those have had the text separated out into the original verses to offer a consistent view. For ease of use, this page breaks the general Wiktenauer rule that column format remain consistent across all tables on a page; the sheer number of Liechtenauer sources made this convention entirely unworkable, with more columns empty than filled, so instead the long sword table uses one layout, the mounted and short sword tables use another, and the figures use a third. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Note: This article includes a prior (2010) version of Christian Tobler's translation. A revised version of the translation was published in 2021 by Freelance Academy Press as part of ''The Peter von Danzig Fight Book''; it can be purchased in [http://www.freelanceacademypress.com/ThePetervonDanzigFightBook.aspx hardcover].'' | ||
{{master begin | {{master begin | ||
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| width = 480em | | width = 480em | ||
}} | }} | ||
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{| class="master" | {| class="master" | ||
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! <p>[[Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)|Krakow Version]] (1535-40){{edit index|Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Grzegorz Żabiński]]</p> | ! <p>[[Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)|Krakow Version]] (1535-40){{edit index|Goliath Fechtbuch (MS Germ.Quart.2020)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Grzegorz Żabiński]]</p> | ||
! <p>[[Jörg Wilhalm Hutters kunst zu Augspurg (Cgm 3711)|Munich Ⅱ Version]] (1523){{edit index|Jörg Wilhalm Hutters kunst zu Augspurg (Cgm 3711)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Filip Lampart]] and [[Martin Fabian]]</p> | ! <p>[[Jörg Wilhalm Hutters kunst zu Augspurg (Cgm 3711)|Munich Ⅱ Version]] (1523){{edit index|Jörg Wilhalm Hutters kunst zu Augspurg (Cgm 3711)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Filip Lampart]] and [[Martin Fabian]]</p> | ||
− | ! <p>[[ | + | ! <p>[[Wilhalm/Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2º.2)|Augsburg Ⅰ Version]] (1523){{edit index|Wilhalm/Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2º.2)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Dierk Hagedorn]]</p> |
! <p>[[Gregor Erhart Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.354)|Glasgow Version]] (1533){{edit index|Gregor Erhart Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.354)}}<br/></p> | ! <p>[[Gregor Erhart Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.354)|Glasgow Version]] (1533){{edit index|Gregor Erhart Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.354)}}<br/></p> | ||
! <p>[[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Augsburg Ⅱ Version]] (1553){{edit index|Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Werner Ueberschär]]</p> | ! <p>[[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Augsburg Ⅱ Version]] (1553){{edit index|Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Werner Ueberschär]]</p> | ||
! <p>[[Maister Liechtenawers Kunstbuech (Cgm 3712)|Munich Ⅲ Version]] (1556){{edit index|Maister Liechtenawers Kunstbuech (Cgm 3712)}}<br/></p><br/> | ! <p>[[Maister Liechtenawers Kunstbuech (Cgm 3712)|Munich Ⅲ Version]] (1556){{edit index|Maister Liechtenawers Kunstbuech (Cgm 3712)}}<br/></p><br/> | ||
! <p>[[Künnst zu fechten vonn dem Lienhartt Sollinger (Cod.Guelf.38.21 Aug.2º)|Wolfenbüttel Ⅱ Version]] (ca. 1588){{edit index|Künnst zu fechten vonn dem Lienhartt Sollinger (Cod.Guelf.38.21 Aug.2º)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Kevin Maurer]]</p> | ! <p>[[Künnst zu fechten vonn dem Lienhartt Sollinger (Cod.Guelf.38.21 Aug.2º)|Wolfenbüttel Ⅱ Version]] (ca. 1588){{edit index|Künnst zu fechten vonn dem Lienhartt Sollinger (Cod.Guelf.38.21 Aug.2º)}}<br/>Transcribed by [[Kevin Maurer]]</p> | ||
− | + | ||
|- | |- | ||
| <p>{{red|b=1|Here begins the epitome on the knightly art of combat that was composed and created by Johannes Liechtenauer, who was a great master in the art, God have mercy on him;}}<br/><br/></p> | | <p>{{red|b=1|Here begins the epitome on the knightly art of combat that was composed and created by Johannes Liechtenauer, who was a great master in the art, God have mercy on him;}}<br/><br/></p> | ||
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| <p><br/></p> | | <p><br/></p> | ||
− | <br/>{{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|59r|jpg|p=1}}<br/><br/>{{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|59v|jpg|p=1}}<br/><br/>{{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|60r|jpg|p=1}} {{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|60v|jpg | + | <br/>{{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|59r|jpg|p=1}}<br/><br/>{{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|59v|jpg|p=1}}<br/><br/>{{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|60r|jpg|p=1}} {{paget|Page:Cgm 1507|60v|jpg|p=1}} |
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{{section|Page:MS KK5126 104v.jpg|5|lbl=-|p=1}}<br/>{{section|Page:MS KK5126 104v.jpg|6|lbl=-|p=1}} | {{section|Page:MS KK5126 104v.jpg|5|lbl=-|p=1}}<br/>{{section|Page:MS KK5126 104v.jpg|6|lbl=-|p=1}} | ||
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| class="noline" | {{section|Page:MS 26-232 100v.png|6|lbl=-}} | | class="noline" | {{section|Page:MS 26-232 100v.png|6|lbl=-}} | ||
| class="noline" | | | class="noline" | | ||
− | {{section|Page:Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82 019r.jpg|4|lbl=-|p=1}}<br/>{{section|Page:Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82 019v.jpg|1|lbl= | + | {{section|Page:Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82 019r.jpg|4|lbl=-|p=1}}<br/>{{section|Page:Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82 019v.jpg|1|lbl=19v|p=1}} |
| class="noline" | {{section|Page:MS Var.82 075r.png|3|lbl=-}} | | class="noline" | {{section|Page:MS Var.82 075r.png|3|lbl=-}} | ||
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|- | |- | ||
− | | rowspan=" | + | | class="noline" rowspan="29" | {{double page|Cod.44.A.8 7v.jpg|Cod.44.A.8 8r.jpg|x288px|x288px}} |
+ | |||
+ | {{double page|MS Chart.A.558 022v.jpg|MS Chart.A.558 023r.jpg|200px|200px}} | ||
| <p>'''Figures of the Fight on Horseback'''</p> | | <p>'''Figures of the Fight on Horseback'''</p> | ||
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| <p>{{red|The 14th Figure:}} Turn around again to where the horses hasten.</p> | | <p>{{red|The 14th Figure:}} Turn around again to where the horses hasten.</p> | ||
| {{section|Page:MS Chart.A.558 023r.jpg|1|lbl=23r}} | | {{section|Page:MS Chart.A.558 023r.jpg|1|lbl=23r}} | ||
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}} | }} | ||
{{sourcebox | {{sourcebox | ||
− | | work = [[ | + | | work = [[Wilhalm/Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2º.2)|Augsburg Ⅰ Transcription]] |
| authors = [[Dierk Hagedorn]] | | authors = [[Dierk Hagedorn]] | ||
| source link = | | source link = | ||
− | | source title= [[Index: | + | | source title= [[Index:Wilhalm/Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2º.2)]] |
| license = copyrighted | | license = copyrighted | ||
}} | }} | ||
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== Additional Resources == | == Additional Resources == | ||
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== References == | == References == | ||
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[[Category:New format]] | [[Category:New format]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Modular display candidate]] |
Revision as of 19:29, 26 August 2024
Die Zettel | |
---|---|
The Recital | |
Full Title | A Recital on the Chivalric Art of Fencing |
Ascribed to | Johannes Liechtenauer |
Illustrated by | Unknown |
Date | Fifteenth century (?) |
Genre | |
Language | Early New High German |
Archetype(s) | Hypothetical |
Manuscript(s) |
|
First Printed English Edition |
Tobler, 2010 |
Concordance by | Michael Chidester |
Translations |
Johannes Liechtenauer (Hans Lichtenauer, Lichtnawer) was a 15th century German fencing master. No direct record of his life or teachings currently exists, and all that we know of both comes from the writings of other masters and scholars. The only account of his life was written by the anonymous author of the Pol Hausbuch, one of the oldest texts in the tradition, who stated that "Master Liechtenauer learnt and mastered the Art in a thorough and rightful way, but he did not invent and put together this Art (as was just stated). Instead, he traveled and searched many countries with the will of learning and mastering this rightful and true Art." He may have been alive at the time of the creation of the fencing treatise contained in the Pol Hausbuch, as that source is the only one to fail to accompany his name with a blessing for the dead.
Liechtenauer was described by many later masters as the "high master" or "grand master" of the art, and a long poem called the Zettel ("Recital") is generally attributed to him by these masters. Later masters in the tradition often wrote extensive glosses (commentaries) on this poem, using it to structure their own martial teachings. Liechtenauer's influence on the German fencing tradition as we currently understand it is almost impossible to overstate. The masters on Paulus Kal's roll of the Fellowship of Liechtenauer were responsible for most of the most significant fencing manuals of the 15th century, and Liechtenauer and his teachings were also the focus of the German fencing guilds that arose in the 15th and 16th centuries, including the Marxbrüder and the Veiterfechter.
Additional facts have sometimes been presumed about Liechtenauer based on often-problematic premises. The Pol Hausbuch, often erroneously dated to 1389 and presumed to be written by a direct student of Liechtenauer's, has been treated as evidence placing Liechtenauer's career in the mid-1300s.[1] However, given that the Pol Hausbuch may date as late as 1494 and the earliest records of the identifiable members of his tradition appear in the mid 1400s, it seems more probable that Liechtenauer's career occurred toward the beginning of the 15th century. Ignoring the Pol Hausbuch as being of indeterminate date, the oldest version of the Recital that is attributed to Liechtenauer was recorded by Hans Talhoffer in the MS Chart.A.558 (ca. 1448), which further supports this timeline.[2]
Contents
Treatise
Liechtenauer's teachings are preserved in a long poem of rhyming couplets called the Zettel ("Recital"), covering fencing with the "long" or extended sword (i.e. with both hands at one end of the sword), the "short" or withdrawn sword (i.e. with one hand at either end), and on horseback. These "obscure and cryptic words" were designed to prevent the uninitiated from learning the techniques they represented; they also seem to have offered a system of mnemonic devices to those who understood their significance. The Recital was treated as the core of the Art by his students, and masters such as Sigmund ain Ringeck, Peter von Danzig zum Ingolstadt, and Lew wrote extensive glosses that sought to clarify and expand upon these teachings.
In addition to the verses on mounted fencing, several treatises in the Liechtenauer tradition include a group of twenty-six "figures" (figuren)—phrases that are shorter than Liechtenauer's couplets and often arranged into the format of a Medieval tree diagram. These figures seem to encode the same teachings as the verses of the mounted fencing, and both are quoted in the mounted glosses. However, figures follow a very different structure than the Zettel does, and seem to present an alternative sequence for studying Liechtenauer's techniques. It is not known why the mounted fencing is the only section of the Recital to receive figures in addition to verse.
Seventeen manuscripts contain a presentation of at least one section of the Recital as a distinct (unglossed) section; there are dozens more presentations of the verse as part of one of the several glosses. The longest version of the Recital by far is actually found in one of these glosses, that of Pseudo-Hans Döbringer, which contains almost twice as many verses as any other; however, given that the additional verses tend to either be repetitions from elsewhere in the Recital or use a very different style from Liechtenauer's work, they are generally treated as additions by the anonymous author or his instructor rather than being part of the original Recital. The other surviving versions of the Recital from all periods show a high degree of consistency in both content and organization, excepting only the much shorter version attributed to H. Beringer (which is also included in the writings of Hans Folz).
The following concordance tables include only those texts that quote Liechtenauer's Recital in an unglossed form.[3] Most manuscripts present the Recital as prose, and those have had the text separated out into the original verses to offer a consistent view. For ease of use, this page breaks the general Wiktenauer rule that column format remain consistent across all tables on a page; the sheer number of Liechtenauer sources made this convention entirely unworkable, with more columns empty than filled, so instead the long sword table uses one layout, the mounted and short sword tables use another, and the figures use a third.
Note: This article includes a prior (2010) version of Christian Tobler's translation. A revised version of the translation was published in 2021 by Freelance Academy Press as part of The Peter von Danzig Fight Book; it can be purchased in hardcover.
Long Sword
Mounted Fencing
Short Sword
Figures
Copyright and License Summary
Additional Resources
The following is a list of publications containing scans, transcriptions, and translations relevant to this article, as well as published peer-reviewed research.
- Alte Armature und Ringkunst: The Royal Danish Library Ms. Thott 290 2º (2020). Trans. by Rebecca L. R. Garber. Ed. by Michael Chidester; Dieter Bachmann. Somerville, MA: HEMA Bookshelf. ISBN 978-1-953683-04-5.
- Kunst und Zettel im Messer: Bavarian State Library Cgm 582 (2021). Ed. by Michael Chidester. Somerville, MA: HEMA Bookshelf. ISBN 978-1-953683-16-8.
- Acutt, Jay (2019). Swords, Science, and Society: German Martial Arts in the Middle Ages. Glasgow: Fallen Rook Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9934216-9-3.
- Ain ringeck, Sigmund (2003). Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword. Trans. by David Lindholm. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press. ISBN 978-1-58160-410-8.
- Ain ringeck, Sigmund (2006). Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Arts of Combat. Trans. by David Lindholm. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press. ISBN 978-1-58160-499-3.
- Alderson, Keith (2010). "On the Art of Reading: An Introduction to Using the Medieval German 'Fightbooks'." In the Service of Mars: Proceedings from the Western Martial Arts Workshop, 1999-2009: 251-286. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press. ISBN 978-0-9825911-5-4.
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References
- ↑ Christian Henry Tobler. "Chicken and Eggs: Which Master Came First?" In Saint George's Name: An Anthology of Medieval German Fighting Arts. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. p6
- ↑ There is one version of the Recital that predates Talhoffer's, recorded in MS G.B.f.18a (ca. 1418-28) and attributed to an H. Beringer; this also conforms to a 15th century timeline and suggests the possibility that Liechtenauer was himself an inheritor of the teachings contained in the Zettel rather than its original composer (presentations of the Recital that are entirely unattributed exist in other 15th and 16th century manuscripts). Alternatively, the Beringer verse, which includes only portions of the Recital on the Long Sword, may represent just one of the teachings that Liechtenauer received and compiled over the course of the journeys described in the Pol Hausbuch.
- ↑ The figures are often given as a preamble for the gloss of Lew, and a fragment of the short sword to the teachings of Martin Huntsfeld, but those instances will not be included below and instead treated as part of those treatises.
- ↑ The text diverges here, omitting Liechtenauer's couplet and inserting this quatrain instead:
- Dagge swert stãge lãse schon
Messer bockler has vñ rõken
Taegñ darde vnd schilt
Miden allen zu ringe~ uff du wilt
- Dagge swert stãge lãse schon
- ↑ First letter almost illegible.
- ↑ First letter illegible.
- ↑ Talhoffer adds the following couplet: "Nun merck aber furbaß / und verstand ouch gar rechte daz".
- ↑ Text terminates at this point. The leaves with the rest of the text are gone, probably lost.
- ↑ kam
- ↑ deinen
- ↑ faler
- ↑ Talhoffer breaks up the Haupstucke differently, and inserts the following additional couplet: "überlouffen bind wol an / nit stand luog waß er kan".
- ↑ Gotha inserts the title Das ist der krieck in this position, but no other version separates it in that way.
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "hastu es vernomen zu kain / schlag mag er komen".
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "hast dus vernomen / zu kaim schlag mag er komen".
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "hastu es vernomen / zu kainen schlag mag er komen."
- ↑ Talhoffer expands upon Liechtenauer's couplet and adds two additional lines: "und erschrick ab kainem man / stand und sich in ernstlich an".
- ↑ Text adds an additional line: "das son ich vernomen".
- ↑ Text adds an additional line: "ha das han ich vernomen".
- ↑ There is no space between "Dupliere" and "doniden", the "D" was possibly added later.
- ↑ Text adds an additional line: "dz haw ich vermunen??".
- ↑ Corrected from »Im«.
- ↑ The text doubles the title of this section.
- ↑ Jump up to: 24.0 24.1 Corrected from »Twir«.
- ↑ haust
- ↑ Talhoffer adds an additional couplet: [4r] "So machst du in wol betöwben / Die faller in kunst berowben"
- ↑ Hier hat der Schreiber offensichtlich ein Häkchen vergessen.
- ↑ should be "dreffen"
- ↑ This section is followed by one titled "Von durchlauffen ab seczen", which repeat the verse on Absetzen.
- ↑ Talhoffer adds four additional verses: "und gang nach an den man / stoss mit dem ghiltz schon / wiltu denn nit schallen / so hastu zway eynfallen".
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "Das schwertt bind / zu der fleche truck in die hend".
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "Das schwert binden / zu der flech trukh in die hand"
- ↑ Talhoffer begins this section with two additional verses: "wer dir zestarck welle sin / heng fall im oben eyn".
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "thutt er sich gegen dir greisen / schlagen das er seisse".
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "thutt er sich gegen dir greifen / schlagen das er Seise".
- ↑ Text adds an additional couplet: "thuet er sich gegen dir raisen / schlagen dz er seisse."
- ↑ ";" in a circle
- ↑ A guide letter “w” is visible under the “U” (apparently ignored by the rubricator), making the intended word “Wer”.
- ↑ Hier ist anscheinend dem Schreiber das Leerzeichen verrutscht.