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Antonius Rast

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Antonius Rast
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Born ca. 1470s
Nuremberg, Germany (?)
Died 1549
Augsburg, Germany (?)
Occupation
Movement Marxbrüder
Influences
Influenced Paulus Hector Mair
Genres Fencing manual
Language Early New High German
Archetype(s) Currently lost (1540s)
Manuscript(s) Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82 (1553)

Antonius Rast (ca. 1470s - 1549) was a 16th century German fencing master and Captain of the Marxbrüder fencing guild from 1522 to 1523. Paulus Hector Mair is the primary source of information about his life, noting that Rast was a professional sword polisher as well as a certified 'Master of the Longsword'. He began work on a fencing manual later in his life, but didn't complete it before his death in 1549; Mair purchased the manuscript in 1552 and created a completed version in 1553.

Other than Mair's notes, there are no certain records of Rast's life. The chronicle of the Marxbrüder guild found in the Codex I.6.2º.5 mentions that an 'Anthoni Resch' was made Captain in 1522, and includes an 'Anthoni Rasch' in a list of Masters of the Longsword in 1534. Both of these are presumed to be references to Rast, as they correspond well with Mair's account and texts from this time period have frequent misspellings, but this is by no means certain.

Rast's writings are consistent with the complex of manuals known as the Nuremberg Group, but since Paulus Hector Mair had access to the Codex Wallerstein when finishing Rast's treatise, it's difficult to make any statements about the nature of Rast's own teachings.

Treatise

Additional Resources

References

  1. „von stangen varn“ würde hier eigentlich mehr Sinn ergeben. Gegen ein „u“ spricht der fehlende Umlaut. „nn“ würde aber keinen Sinn ergeben. Die letzte Silbe könnte auch ein „er“ sein.
  2. Man könnte fast meinen, der Schreiber verliert langsam die Lust ;-)