The title of this article contains the character º. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Hans Medel Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2o.5).
The Hans Medel Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2º.5) is a 16th century German manuscript compiled by Paulus Hector Mair some time after 1566.[1] It currently rests in the holdings of the Universitätsbibliothek Augsburg in Augsburg, Germany. The manuscript is a compilation of several older documents, including records from the Augsburg fencing guilds and a fencing manual that was probably created by a student or admirer of one Master Hans Medel of Salzburg. At the end are twelve prints of fencers and wrestlers by Dirck Coornhert, based on drawings by the Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck and apparently printed in 1552.[2]
Hans Medel's section, written in 1539,[3] consists of the master's modified presentation of the teachings of Johannes Liechtenauer, which takes the form of a sort of "updated version" of Sigmund Schining ein Ringeck's own treatise. The manuscript also includes a section on fighting from "seven stances", which appears to be Medel's own unique contribution to the art. The art in Medel's segment is very similar to the paintings Mair would later commission for his own manuscripts, and may have been the inspiration for them.
A final note of interest about this text is that it mentions Master Hans Seydenfaden von Erfurt twice, a name that also appears on Paulus Kal's roll of the Society of Liechtenauer[4] and a master from whom no treatise is known to survive. This may indicate that Hans Medel possessed some of his writings that have since been lost, or perhaps that Medel traced his lineage through Seydenfaden and received some of the master's teachings through an oral tradition.
Provenance
Contents
Gallery
Images hosted by the Universitätsbibliothek Augsburg.
Fencing Guild Records
Hans Medel von Salzburg
Maarten van Heemskerck
Additional Resources
References
