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| birthdate            = unknown
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| deathdate            = before 1470
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| patron              = Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
 
| patron              = Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
  
| period              =  
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| period              = 15th century
 
| genre                = [[Fencing manual]]
 
| genre                = [[Fencing manual]]
 
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| translations        = {{plainlist
 
| translations        = {{plainlist
 +
| {{English translation|http://www.historical-academy.co.uk/files/research/keith-farrell/Ringeck%20Longsword.pdf|1}}
 
  | {{English translation|http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/Ringeck.htm|1}}
 
  | {{English translation|http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/Ringeck.htm|1}}
| {{French translation|http://ardamhe.free.fr/biblio/Tetraptyque.pdf|1}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{collapsible list
 
{{collapsible list
 +
| {{French translation|http://ardamhe.free.fr/biblio/Tetraptyque.pdf|1}}
 
  | {{Hungarian translation|http://www.middleages.hu/magyar/harcmuveszet/vivokonyvek/ringeck.php|1}}
 
  | {{Hungarian translation|http://www.middleages.hu/magyar/harcmuveszet/vivokonyvek/ringeck.php|1}}
 
  | {{Polish translation|http://feder.org.pl/images/pdfs/MS_DRESD_C_487-puklerz.pdf|1}}
 
  | {{Polish translation|http://feder.org.pl/images/pdfs/MS_DRESD_C_487-puklerz.pdf|1}}
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'''Sigmund Schining ain Ringeck''' (Sigmund ain Ringeck, Sigmund Amring, Sigmund Einring, Sigmund Schining) was a 14th or [[century::15th century]] [[nationality::German]] [[fencing master]]. While the meaning of the surname "Schining" is uncertain, the suffix "ein Ringeck" may indicate that he came from the Rhineland region of south-eastern Germany. He is named in the text as ''Schirmaister''<ref>For possible meanings of this term, see [[Jens P. Kleinau]]. "Schirrmeister, Schermeister, Schirmmeister". ''[http://talhoffer.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/schirrmeister-schermeister-schirmmeister/ Hans Talhoffer ~ A Historical Martial Arts blog by Jens P. Kleinau]'', 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2015.</ref> to Albrecht, Count Palatine of Rhine and Duke of Bavaria. Other than this, the only thing that can be determined about his life is that his renown as a master was sufficient for [[Paulus Kal]] to include him on his memorial to the deceased masters of the [[Society of Liechtenauer]] in 1470.<ref>The Society of Liechtenauer is recorded in three versions of [[Paulus Kal]]'s treatise: [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (MS 1825)|MS 1825]] (1460s), [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (Cgm 1507)|Cgm 1570]] (ca. 1470), and [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (MS KK5126)|MS KK5126]] (1480s).</ref>
+
'''Sigmund Schining ain Ringeck''' (Sigmund ain Ringeck, Sigmund Amring, Sigmund Einring, Sigmund Schining) was a [[century::15th century]] [[nationality::German]] [[fencing master]]. While the meaning of the surname "Schining" is uncertain, the suffix "ein Ringeck" may indicate that he came from the Rhineland region of south-eastern Germany. He is named in the text as ''Schirmaister'' to Albrecht, Count Palatine of Rhine and Duke of Bavaria. This may signify ''Schirrmeister'', a logistical officer charged with oversseing the wagons and horse-drawn artillery pieces, or potentially ''Schirmmeister'', a title used by lower-class itinerant fencing masters in the Medieval period.<ref>[[Jens P. Kleinau]]. "[http://talhoffer.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/schirrmeister-schermeister-schirmmeister/ Schirrmeister, Schermeister, Schirmmeister]". '' Hans Talhoffer ~ A Historical Martial Arts blog by Jens P. Kleinau], 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2015.</ref> Apart from his service to the duke, the only thing that can be determined about his life is that his renown as a master was sufficient for [[Paulus Kal]] to include him on his memorial to the masters of the [[Society of Liechtenauer]] in 1470.<ref>The Society of Liechtenauer is recorded in three versions of [[Paulus Kal]]'s treatise: [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (MS 1825)|MS 1825]] (1460s), [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (Cgm 1507)|Cgm 1570]] (ca. 1470), and [[Paulus Kal Fechtbuch (MS KK5126)|MS KK5126]] (1480s).</ref>
  
The identity of Ringeck's patron remains unclear, as four men named Albrecht held the title during the fifteenth century. If it is [[wikipedia:Albert I, Duke of Bavaria|Albrecht I]], who reigned from 1353 to 1404, this would signify that Ringeck was likely a direct associate or student of the grand master [[Johannes Liechtenauer]]. However, it may just as easily have been [[wikipedia:Albert III, Duke of Bavaria|Albrecht III]], who carried the title from 1438 to 1460, making Ringeck potentially a second-generation master carrying on the tradition.<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.</ref> [[wikipedia:Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria|Albrecht IV]] claimed the title in 1460 and thus also could have been Ringeck's patron; this seems somewhat less likely in light of Ringeck's apparent death within that same decade, meaning the master would have had to have penned his treatise in the final few years of his life. In its favor, however, is the fact that Albrecht IV lived until 1508 and so both the Dresden and Glasgow versions of the text were likely created during his reign.
+
The identity of Ringeck's patron remains unclear, as four men named Albrecht ruled Bavaria during the fifteenth century; assuming that Ringeck was a personal student of Liechtenauer, further narrows the list down to just two. If the [[Codex Döbringer (MS 3227a)|MS 3227a]] is correctly dated to 1389, then Liechtenauer was a 14th century master and Ringeck's patron was [[wikipedia:Albert I, Duke of Bavaria|Albrecht I]], who reigned from 1353 to 1404. If, as increasingly seems likely, Liechtenauer was an early 15th century master (an associate or student of [[H. Beringer]]) and the Society of Liechtenauer was assembled to fight in the Hussite Wars of the 1420s and 30s, then Ringeck's patron would have been [[wikipedia:Albert III, Duke of Bavaria|Albrecht III]], who carried the title from 1438 to 1460.<ref>For a different perspective, see [[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.</ref> [[wikipedia:Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria|Albrecht IV]] claimed the title in 1460 and thus also could have been Ringeck's patron; this would probably signify that Ringeck was not a direct student of Liechtenauer at all, but a later inheritor of the tradition. That said, Albrecht IV lived until 1508 and so the Dresden, Glasgow, and Salzburg manuscripts were likely created during his reign.
  
Ringeck is often erroneously credited as the author of the [[Johan Liechtnawers Fechtbuch geschriebenn (MS Dresd.C.487)|MS Dresd.C.487]]. While Ringeck was the author of one of the core texts, a complete [[gloss]] of Liechtenauer's [[Recital]] on unarmored [[longsword]] fencing, and perhaps also the anonymous glosses of his [[armored fencing|armored]] and [[mounted fencing]], the manuscript contains an assortment of treatises by several different masters in the tradition (not just Ringeck), and it is currently thought to have been composed in the early 16th century<ref>Werner J. Hoffmann. [http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/dokumente/html/obj31600186 "Mscr.Dresd.C.487: Siegmund am Ringeck, Fechtlehre"]. ''Tiefenerschließung und Digitalisierung der deutschsprachigen mittelalterlichen Handschriften der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek (SLUB) Dresden''. Retrieved 26 May 2015.</ref> (well after the master's lifetime). Regardless, the fact that he authored one of the few glosses of Liechtenauer's verse makes Ringeck one of the most important masters of the 15th century.
+
Ringeck is often erroneously credited as the author of the [[Johan Liechtnawers Fechtbuch geschriebenn (MS Dresd.C.487)|MS Dresd.C.487]]. Ringeck was indeed the author of one of the core texts, a complete [[gloss]] of Liechtenauer's [[Recital]] on unarmored [[long sword]] fencing, and he may also have authored a set of teachings that sometimes accompany the gloss on fencing from a low guard called [[side guard]] or [[iron gate]]; the glosses of Liechtenauer's [[armored fencing|short sword]] and [[mounted fencing]] found therein are generally assumed to also be Ringeck's, though they don't mention his name. However, the remainder of the manuscript contains an assortment of treatises by several different masters in the tradition, and it is currently thought to have been composed in the early 16th century<ref name="Hoffman">Werner J. Hoffmann. [http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/dokumente/html/obj31600186 "Mscr.Dresd.C.487: Siegmund am Ringeck, Fechtlehre"]. ''Tiefenerschließung und Digitalisierung der deutschsprachigen mittelalterlichen Handschriften der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek (SLUB) Dresden''. Retrieved 26 May 2015.</ref> (putting it after the master's presumed lifetime). Regardless, the fact that he authored one of the few glosses of the Recital makes Ringeck one of the most important masters of the Liechtenauer tradition.
  
 
While it was not duplicated nearly as often as the more famous gloss of [[Pseudo-Peter von Danzig]], Ringeck's work nevertheless seems to have had a lasting influence. Not only was it reproduced by [[Joachim Meÿer]] in his [[Fechtbuch zu Ross und zu Fuss (MS Var.82)|final manuscript]] (left unifinished at his death in 1571), but in 1539 [[Hans Medel|Hans Medel von Salzburg]] took it upon himself to create an update and revision of Ringeck's Bloßfechten gloss, integrating his own commentary in many places.
 
While it was not duplicated nearly as often as the more famous gloss of [[Pseudo-Peter von Danzig]], Ringeck's work nevertheless seems to have had a lasting influence. Not only was it reproduced by [[Joachim Meÿer]] in his [[Fechtbuch zu Ross und zu Fuss (MS Var.82)|final manuscript]] (left unifinished at his death in 1571), but in 1539 [[Hans Medel|Hans Medel von Salzburg]] took it upon himself to create an update and revision of Ringeck's Bloßfechten gloss, integrating his own commentary in many places.
  
 
== Stemma ==
 
== Stemma ==
 +
 +
Ringeck's writings seem to be based on the gloss of [[pseudo-Peter von Danzig]], which is attested from the 1450s. Compared to pseudo-Danzig, Ringeck's descriptions are often slightly shorter, and contain fewer variations; he does, however, include a number of unique plays not discussed in the other. Unlike the earliest versions of pseudo-Danzig, Ringeck's long sword gloss was probably extensively illustrated: both the [[Glasgow Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.341)|MS E.1939.65.341]] (Glasgow) and [[Fechtbuch zu Ross und zu Fuss (MS Var.82)|MS Var.82]] (Rostock) constantly refer readers to these illustrations, while there is evidence that the [[Johan Liechtnawers Fechtbuch geschriebenn (MS Dresd.C.487)|MS Dresd.C.487]] (Dresden)'s scribe attempted to omit all such references (one reference [48] remains intact, one reference [19] merely dropped the word "pictured", and one [34] was replaced by the word "gloss").
 +
 +
[[file:Ringeck stemma.png|250px|left|thumb|Incomplete stemma, missing Augsburg]]
 +
 +
The earliest extant version of Ringeck's gloss (apart from the segments that are identical with the pseudo-Danzig) consists of just seven paragraphs added by [[Hans von Speyer]] as addenda to certain sections of the pseudo-Danzig gloss in his 1491 manuscript ([[Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29)|MS M.I.29]]). An eighth paragraph was integrated by Speyer into pseudo-Danzig's introduction to the Krumphaw so that Ringeck's explanation of how to use the Krump as a counter-cut balances pseudo-Danzig's explanation of how to break the guard Ochs.
 +
 +
Three more-substantial versions were created in the early 16th century. Dresden has been dated by watermark analysis to 1504-19, and thus was likely created in or shortly after that timeframe. It is the only source to contain all four texts attributed to Ringeck, but unfortunately it is also a hasty, error-ridden copy with frequent deletions, insertions, spelling errors, word confusion, and omissions (including key words like subjects and verbs, and even whole lines of verse); the majority of paragraphs also seem to have been shortened or truncated, and most references to Ringeck's illustrations have also been dropped as detailed above. In contrast, although it only contains the long sword material, the 1508 manuscript Glasgow uses a very neat and tidy hand and includes painted, though somewhat low-grade, copies of most of the original illustrations. Unfortunately, the first sections have been lost and it now begins in the middle of the Twerhaw gloss. The third version from this period is another fragment published by Freifechter [[Andre Paurñfeyndt]] in 1516, containing only the material on fencing from low guards (in characteristic form, Paurñfeyndt does not attribute this material to Ringeck). It would be reprinted by [[Christian Egenolff]] starting in the 1530s, translated to Walloon with the rest of the text and printed in 1538, and recopied by [[Lienhart Sollinger]] into the [[Hutter/Sollinger Fechtbuch (Cod.I.6.2º.2)|Cod. I.6.2º.2]] in 1564, but that is not relevant to the current discussion.
 +
 +
The remaining two versions of Ringeck's text come from later in the 16th century. In 1553, [[Paulus Hector Mair]] produced the [[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Reichstadt Nr. 82]] (Augsburg) based on the papers of the late master [[Antonius Rast]]. Included in this manuscript was a version of the pseudo-Danzig long sword gloss that was largely complete up to couplet 95 of the Recital where, with no explanation, it switches over to Ringeck's gloss for the remainder of the text (speculatively, perhaps the rest of Rast's copy of Ringeck was not among the papers Mair purchased and so he filled it in with the copy of pseudo-Danzig that he owned). The final version, Rostock, was created by Freifechter Joachim Meÿer between 1563 and his death in 1571. It includes nearly all of Ringeck's gloss of the short sword section, but only key paragraphs from the long sword gloss.
 +
 +
All six extant versions of Ringeck's gloss are fragments, but enough text remains in each to demonstrate a complete lack in interdependence (apart from Augsburg, which could conceivably derive from Glasgow if the scribe were particularly careless). Each of the other five manuscripts has a unique constellation of plays which can be authenticated from other versions, but do not match any other one version to have been copied from it. All appear therefore to proceed directly from the lost original, unless we suppose that someone gathered up multiple copies to compile a new one (but even that supposition would only account for Rostock, not the others).
 +
 +
Due to the fragmentary nature of the stemma at the moment and the lack of anything resembling an autograph or archetype, for the long sword translation below all versions were treated as co-authoritative: whenever feasible the longest sample was given preference, and the differences between versions detailed in the footnotes.
  
 
== Treatise ==
 
== Treatise ==
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{{master begin
 
{{master begin
  | title = Additional longsword teachings
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  | title = Additional long sword teachings
 
  | width = 160em
 
  | width = 160em
 
}}
 
}}
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{{sourcebox
 
{{sourcebox
 
  | work        = Translation (Bloszfechten)
 
  | work        = Translation (Bloszfechten)
  | authors    = [[Keith Farrell]]
+
  | authors    = [[Christian Trosclair]]
  | source link = http://www.historical-academy.co.uk/files/research/keith-farrell/Ringeck%20Longsword.pdf
+
  | source link =  
  | source title= Academy of Historical Arts
+
  | source title= Wiktenauer
 
  | license    = educational
 
  | license    = educational
 
}}
 
}}
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  | source link =  
 
  | source link =  
 
  | source title= Document circulated online
 
  | source title= Document circulated online
 +
| license    = copyrighted
 +
}}
 +
{{sourcebox
 +
| work        = [[Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29)|Salzburg fragments]]
 +
| authors    = [[Dierk Hagedorn]]
 +
| source link =
 +
| source title= [[Index:Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29)]]
 
  | license    = copyrighted
 
  | license    = copyrighted
 
}}
 
}}
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  | source title= [[Index:Glasgow Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.341)]]
 
  | source title= [[Index:Glasgow Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.341)]]
 
  | license    = copyrighted
 
  | license    = copyrighted
 +
}}
 +
{{sourcebox
 +
| work        = [[Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey (Andre Paurñfeyndt)|''Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey'']]
 +
| authors    = [[Michael Chidester]]
 +
| source link =
 +
| source title= Wiktenauer
 +
| license    = noncommercial
 +
}}
 +
{{sourcebo
 +
{{sourcebox
 +
| work        = [[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Augsburg fragments]]
 +
| authors    = [[Werner Ueberschär]]
 +
| source link =
 +
| source title= [[Index:Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)]]
 +
| license    = noncommercial
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{sourcebox
 
{{sourcebox

Revision as of 02:36, 4 July 2015

Sigmund Schining ain Ringeck
Period 15th century
Occupation Fencing master
Nationality German
Patron Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria
Movement Society of Liechtenauer
Influences Johannes Liechtenauer
Influenced
Genres Fencing manual
Language Early New High German
Archetype(s) Hypothetical
Manuscript(s)
First printed
english edition
Tobler, 2001
Concordance by Michael Chidester
Translations

Sigmund Schining ain Ringeck (Sigmund ain Ringeck, Sigmund Amring, Sigmund Einring, Sigmund Schining) was a 15th century German fencing master. While the meaning of the surname "Schining" is uncertain, the suffix "ein Ringeck" may indicate that he came from the Rhineland region of south-eastern Germany. He is named in the text as Schirmaister to Albrecht, Count Palatine of Rhine and Duke of Bavaria. This may signify Schirrmeister, a logistical officer charged with oversseing the wagons and horse-drawn artillery pieces, or potentially Schirmmeister, a title used by lower-class itinerant fencing masters in the Medieval period.[1] Apart from his service to the duke, the only thing that can be determined about his life is that his renown as a master was sufficient for Paulus Kal to include him on his memorial to the masters of the Society of Liechtenauer in 1470.[2]

The identity of Ringeck's patron remains unclear, as four men named Albrecht ruled Bavaria during the fifteenth century; assuming that Ringeck was a personal student of Liechtenauer, further narrows the list down to just two. If the MS 3227a is correctly dated to 1389, then Liechtenauer was a 14th century master and Ringeck's patron was Albrecht I, who reigned from 1353 to 1404. If, as increasingly seems likely, Liechtenauer was an early 15th century master (an associate or student of H. Beringer) and the Society of Liechtenauer was assembled to fight in the Hussite Wars of the 1420s and 30s, then Ringeck's patron would have been Albrecht III, who carried the title from 1438 to 1460.[3] Albrecht IV claimed the title in 1460 and thus also could have been Ringeck's patron; this would probably signify that Ringeck was not a direct student of Liechtenauer at all, but a later inheritor of the tradition. That said, Albrecht IV lived until 1508 and so the Dresden, Glasgow, and Salzburg manuscripts were likely created during his reign.

Ringeck is often erroneously credited as the author of the MS Dresd.C.487. Ringeck was indeed the author of one of the core texts, a complete gloss of Liechtenauer's Recital on unarmored long sword fencing, and he may also have authored a set of teachings that sometimes accompany the gloss on fencing from a low guard called side guard or iron gate; the glosses of Liechtenauer's short sword and mounted fencing found therein are generally assumed to also be Ringeck's, though they don't mention his name. However, the remainder of the manuscript contains an assortment of treatises by several different masters in the tradition, and it is currently thought to have been composed in the early 16th century[4] (putting it after the master's presumed lifetime). Regardless, the fact that he authored one of the few glosses of the Recital makes Ringeck one of the most important masters of the Liechtenauer tradition.

While it was not duplicated nearly as often as the more famous gloss of Pseudo-Peter von Danzig, Ringeck's work nevertheless seems to have had a lasting influence. Not only was it reproduced by Joachim Meÿer in his final manuscript (left unifinished at his death in 1571), but in 1539 Hans Medel von Salzburg took it upon himself to create an update and revision of Ringeck's Bloßfechten gloss, integrating his own commentary in many places.

Stemma

Ringeck's writings seem to be based on the gloss of pseudo-Peter von Danzig, which is attested from the 1450s. Compared to pseudo-Danzig, Ringeck's descriptions are often slightly shorter, and contain fewer variations; he does, however, include a number of unique plays not discussed in the other. Unlike the earliest versions of pseudo-Danzig, Ringeck's long sword gloss was probably extensively illustrated: both the MS E.1939.65.341 (Glasgow) and MS Var.82 (Rostock) constantly refer readers to these illustrations, while there is evidence that the MS Dresd.C.487 (Dresden)'s scribe attempted to omit all such references (one reference [48] remains intact, one reference [19] merely dropped the word "pictured", and one [34] was replaced by the word "gloss").

Incomplete stemma, missing Augsburg

The earliest extant version of Ringeck's gloss (apart from the segments that are identical with the pseudo-Danzig) consists of just seven paragraphs added by Hans von Speyer as addenda to certain sections of the pseudo-Danzig gloss in his 1491 manuscript (MS M.I.29). An eighth paragraph was integrated by Speyer into pseudo-Danzig's introduction to the Krumphaw so that Ringeck's explanation of how to use the Krump as a counter-cut balances pseudo-Danzig's explanation of how to break the guard Ochs.

Three more-substantial versions were created in the early 16th century. Dresden has been dated by watermark analysis to 1504-19, and thus was likely created in or shortly after that timeframe. It is the only source to contain all four texts attributed to Ringeck, but unfortunately it is also a hasty, error-ridden copy with frequent deletions, insertions, spelling errors, word confusion, and omissions (including key words like subjects and verbs, and even whole lines of verse); the majority of paragraphs also seem to have been shortened or truncated, and most references to Ringeck's illustrations have also been dropped as detailed above. In contrast, although it only contains the long sword material, the 1508 manuscript Glasgow uses a very neat and tidy hand and includes painted, though somewhat low-grade, copies of most of the original illustrations. Unfortunately, the first sections have been lost and it now begins in the middle of the Twerhaw gloss. The third version from this period is another fragment published by Freifechter Andre Paurñfeyndt in 1516, containing only the material on fencing from low guards (in characteristic form, Paurñfeyndt does not attribute this material to Ringeck). It would be reprinted by Christian Egenolff starting in the 1530s, translated to Walloon with the rest of the text and printed in 1538, and recopied by Lienhart Sollinger into the Cod. I.6.2º.2 in 1564, but that is not relevant to the current discussion.

The remaining two versions of Ringeck's text come from later in the 16th century. In 1553, Paulus Hector Mair produced the Reichstadt Nr. 82 (Augsburg) based on the papers of the late master Antonius Rast. Included in this manuscript was a version of the pseudo-Danzig long sword gloss that was largely complete up to couplet 95 of the Recital where, with no explanation, it switches over to Ringeck's gloss for the remainder of the text (speculatively, perhaps the rest of Rast's copy of Ringeck was not among the papers Mair purchased and so he filled it in with the copy of pseudo-Danzig that he owned). The final version, Rostock, was created by Freifechter Joachim Meÿer between 1563 and his death in 1571. It includes nearly all of Ringeck's gloss of the short sword section, but only key paragraphs from the long sword gloss.

All six extant versions of Ringeck's gloss are fragments, but enough text remains in each to demonstrate a complete lack in interdependence (apart from Augsburg, which could conceivably derive from Glasgow if the scribe were particularly careless). Each of the other five manuscripts has a unique constellation of plays which can be authenticated from other versions, but do not match any other one version to have been copied from it. All appear therefore to proceed directly from the lost original, unless we suppose that someone gathered up multiple copies to compile a new one (but even that supposition would only account for Rostock, not the others).

Due to the fragmentary nature of the stemma at the moment and the lack of anything resembling an autograph or archetype, for the long sword translation below all versions were treated as co-authoritative: whenever feasible the longest sample was given preference, and the differences between versions detailed in the footnotes.

Treatise

Additional Resources

  • Lindholm, David and Svard, Peter. Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2003. ISBN 978-1-58160-410-8
  • Lindholm, David and Svard, Peter. Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Arts of Combat: Sword-and-Buckler Fighting, Wrestling, and Fighting in Armor. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1-58160-499-3
  • Tobler, Christian Henry. Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship. Highland Village, TX: Chivalry Bookshelf, 2001. ISBN 1-891448-07-2
  • Żabiński, Grzegorz. The Longsword Teachings of Master Liechtenauer. The Early Sixteenth Century Swordsmanship Comments in the "Goliath" Manuscript. Poland: Adam Marshall, 2010. ISBN 978-83-7611-662-4

References

  1. Jens P. Kleinau. "Schirrmeister, Schermeister, Schirmmeister". Hans Talhoffer ~ A Historical Martial Arts blog by Jens P. Kleinau], 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. The Society of Liechtenauer is recorded in three versions of Paulus Kal's treatise: MS 1825 (1460s), Cgm 1570 (ca. 1470), and MS KK5126 (1480s).
  3. For a different perspective, see 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.
  4. Werner J. Hoffmann. "Mscr.Dresd.C.487: Siegmund am Ringeck, Fechtlehre". Tiefenerschließung und Digitalisierung der deutschsprachigen mittelalterlichen Handschriften der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek (SLUB) Dresden. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  5. The phrase "and pictured" is omitted from the Dresden.
  6. Corrected from »am«.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Line omitted from the Dresden.
  8. darhauen: To chop down, to fell.
  9. Lit: cut the cuts.
  10. D. Zeck: Tick; R. Zeckruhr: Insect bites.
  11. Possibly "strongly desire to execute".
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Note, this is" omitted from the Dresden.
  13. "You shall" omitted from the Rostock.
  14. Lit: "Before the moment he comes with his to you".
  15. wiederhalten: lit. "hold against"; to withstand, resist.
  16. Alternately: weapons.
  17. D. Wer dz wäre: "Whoever defends these".
  18. Alternately: avow, legally promise.
  19. Possibly "wages".
  20. 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 20.11 20.12 20.13 20.14 20.15 20.16 20.17 20.18 20.19 20.20 20.21 20.22 20.23 20.24 20.25 20.26 20.27 20.28 20.29 20.30 20.31 20.32 20.33 20.34 20.35 20.36 20.37 20.38 20.39 20.40 20.41 20.42 20.43 20.44 20.45 20.46 20.47 20.48 20.49 20.50 20.51 20.52 20.53 20.54 20.55 20.56 20.57 20.58 20.59 20.60 Word omitted from the Dresden.
  21. Lit: "cut other cuts".
  22. "In the same five cuts" omitted from the Rostock.
  23. ober is an adjective, oben is an adverb.
  24. R. "the".
  25. 25.00 25.01 25.02 25.03 25.04 25.05 25.06 25.07 25.08 25.09 25.10 25.11 25.12 25.13 25.14 25.15 25.16 25.17 25.18 25.19 25.20 25.21 25.22 25.23 25.24 25.25 25.26 25.27 25.28 25.29 25.30 25.31 25.32 25.33 25.34 25.35 25.36 25.37 25.38 25.39 25.40 25.41 25.42 25.43 25.44 25.45 Clause omitted from the Dresden.
  26. 26.0 26.1 "This is" omitted from the Dresden.
  27. abrucken: "removere" (remove), "absetzen" (set-aside).
  28. D. wider[sic]: "again".
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 D. "the".
  30. D. bind: "bind-in".
  31. R. Jun ger [sic].
  32. R. dem krieg: "the war".
  33. D. hurten: "to rush".
  34. "the cut, or thrust, or slice" omitted from the Dresden.
  35. "nor thrust… slice" omitted from the Rostock.
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 Sentence omitted from the Rostock.
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 37.6 37.7 37.8 Word omitted from the Rostock.
  38. Alternately: ponder, weigh, calculate, estimate, consider.
  39. Alternately: avenge, take full legal retribution.
  40. Alternately: straight, upright, properly.
  41. D. schüczen, R. behuetẽ.
  42. Rostock cuts off at this point and picks up in the middle of the sixth subsequent play, probably indicating a missing page.
  43. Alternately: part, piece.
  44. aufkrummen: Lat. sursum torquere, twist, turn or bend up; twist, turn, bend, or cast back; avert, deflect .
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 Word omitted from the Salzburg.
  46. Sic, lit. "your".
  47. "the opening" omitted from the Salzburg.
  48. S. "the over- or under-cut".
  49. Possibly "it".
  50. S. vß gestreckten: "outstretched".
  51. Sentence omitted from the Salzburg; instead, it nonsensically concludes with the final few lines of the pPvD gloss: wol vff die rechte~ site~ vnd schlag in mit der langen schnide~ vß gekrutzten armen vber sin hende ~, "well on your right side and strike-in with the long edge from crossed arms over his hands".
  52. Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29), ff 18v-19r
  53. Likely a scribal error here, omitting a verb.
  54. Rostock begins again at this point.
  55. "Cut" omitted from the Dresden.
  56. D. "above"
  57. S. "so".
  58. "When you… well, and" omitted from the Rostock and the Salzburg.
  59. Clause omitted from the Dresden; this seems to be an abbreviated explanation of the previous play, which is skipped entirely in the Rostock.
  60. R., S. "the crooked-cut".
  61. D. "you".
  62. R., S. "to".
  63. D. "Gloss"; clause omitted from the Salzburg.
  64. S. "guard himself".
  65. "Komp" added below the line in a different hand.
  66. Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29), ff 20v-21r
  67. "Stand with… shoulder, and" omitted from the Dresden.
  68. D. "thwart".
  69. 69.0 69.1 Alternately, wiederhalten: to struggle or resist.
  70. Word omitted from the Glasgow, the Rostock, and the Salzburg.
  71. "Or otherwise" omitted from the Salzburg.
  72. "-cut" omitted from the Dresden, the Glasgow, and the Rostock.
  73. Clause omitted from the Dresden; struck out in the Rostock.
  74. 74.0 74.1 Clause omitted from the Dresden and the Rostock.
  75. Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29), ff 21v
  76. R. "wind".
  77. "with the over-cut" omitted from the Glasgow.
  78. R. unternn: "lower".
  79. "Next to" omitted from the Rostock.
  80. Glasgow adds albeg: "always, continually".
  81. Or "connects"; alternately: rouses, stirs (ostensibly your opponent).
  82. "This is" omitted from the Glasgow and the Rostock.
  83. G. twerhaw: "thwart-cut".
  84. R. "wind".
  85. "Or left" omitted from the Glasgow.
  86. Everything from "and steal away" to the end of the sentence is omitted from the Dresden.
  87. Alternately: to turn around.
  88. "And strike in" omitted from the Dresden.
  89. D. "is".
  90. 90.0 90.1 D. "right".
  91. D. mit auß: "with from".
  92. As a thief would break into a house.
  93. 93.0 93.1 93.2 93.3 Word omitted from the Glasgow and the Rostock.
  94. 94.0 94.1 Word omitted from the Dresden and the Rostock.
  95. annehmen: receive, accept, take up, assume, claim, obtain, etc.
  96. "Upright, elevated, straight, at a right angle"; Glasgow gives auff gerackten, which may be a misspelling of pPvD's aus gestrackten, "out-stretched".
  97. "With up-right arms" omitted from the Rostock.
  98. 98.00 98.01 98.02 98.03 98.04 98.05 98.06 98.07 98.08 98.09 98.10 98.11 98.12 98.13 98.14 98.15 98.16 98.17 98.18 98.19 98.20 98.21 98.22 98.23 98.24 98.25 98.26 98.27 98.28 Word omitted from the Glasgow.
  99. Corrected from »seiner«.
  100. S. bestetigstu: "to plant".
  101. G. abent: "evening", clearly an error; Medel: anwinden: "winding-upon".
  102. 102.00 102.01 102.02 102.03 102.04 102.05 102.06 102.07 102.08 102.09 102.10 Word omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  103. "To his point" omitted from the Rostock.
  104. "To his point" omitted from the Glasgow.
  105. R. includes couplet 64 with this gloss.
  106. R. denn Schaytler: "the parter".
  107. 107.0 107.1 107.2 107.3 Clause omitted from the Rostock.
  108. D. der lange: "long, high, tall, or lofty".
  109. "To his head" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  110. "If he parries" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  111. einhangen: to adhere, stick to, cleave to, hold on to, engage deeply.
  112. "With the long… and thrust him" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  113. Kehr has two etymologies: one is "to turn", the other is "to sweep away" or to "carry off"; the gloss supports the first derivation.
  114. Alternately: strongly, firmly, steadfastly.
  115. R. includes this couplet with the previous gloss.
  116. G., R., S. "Item".
  117. D. "hang-in"; "strike-in and" omitted.
  118. "the point" omitted from the Salzburg".
  119. Word omitted from the Glasgow and the Rostock.
  120. D., G., R. "you".
  121. D., G., S. "the".
  122. "In the parrying" omitted from the Salzburg and the Rostock.
  123. "Of the parter" omitted from the Dresden, the Rostock, and the Salzburg.
  124. S. fast vber sich: "firmly upward".
  125. Clause omitted from the Dresden, the Glasgow, and the Salzburg.
  126. "His hands" omitted from the Dresden, the Glasgow, and the Salzburg.
  127. R. "here".
  128. 128.0 128.1 Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29), ff 28v
  129. Rostock combines the glosses for couplets 65-67 into a single paragraph; they have been separated here according to their presentation in Dresden and Glasgow.
  130. D., G. Schon, lit. "already", "yet".
  131. D. stuch, R. stich: "press the thrust".
  132. Word omitted from the Dresden, the Glasgow, and the Salzburg.
  133. 133.0 133.1 Clause omitted from the Dresden, the Rostock, and the Salzburg.
  134. S. "well broken".
  135. "From the under-slice" omitted from the Salzburg.
  136. "And wind your sword… withdraw yourself" omitted from the Rostock.
  137. imperative of fliehen.
  138. "Note, this" omitted from the Dresden.
  139. "Will be" omitted from the Glasgow.
  140. 140.0 140.1 140.2 140.3 "Is called" omitted from the Dresden
  141. "with the hilt" omitted from the Dresden.
  142. G. auß gestrackten: "upstretched".
  143. "It all" omitted from the Dresden.
  144. "In this book" omitted from the Glasgow.
  145. G. "Guard yourself parrying crossed in front".
  146. D. instead continues "that the four parryings, they are the four cuts".
  147. Setzen", possibly a shortening of versetzen, "parries".
  148. D. "oxen".
  149. R. "When".
  150. "As it arrives… So note" omitted from the Rostock.
  151. G. versetzte: "parried".
  152. 152.0 152.1 Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29), ff 31r
  153. "The head" omitted from the Salzburg.
  154. 154.0 154.1 Clause omitted from the Dresden and the Salzburg.
  155. S. "also".
  156. G. mit dem schwert: "with the sword".
  157. D. "grasp with the sword".
  158. G. magst: "may".
  159. 159.0 159.1 159.2 G. "the".
  160. Alternately: defense.
  161. "And hit him" omitted from the Rostock.
  162. "The moment" omitted from the Dresden.
  163. D. wieder-kommen: to meet, to encounter, to run into".
  164. "Or fall… from you" omitted from the Rostock.
  165. Corrected from »dem«.
  166. Line omitted from the Rostock.
  167. R. "or".
  168. "If he then" omitted from the Rostock".
  169. D. haw: "cut".
  170. geim: "watchfully, to observe, cautiously, with foresight".
  171. Word omitted from the Glasgow and the Salzburg.
  172. S. "the feeling work thusly".
  173. "You come… onset and" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  174. S. "soft or hard".
  175. S. "feeling.
  176. "To the nearest opening" omitted from the Salzburg.
  177. Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29), ff 33v
  178. Word omitted from the Dresden and the Salzburg.
  179. mitmachen: "join, unite, combine, participate".
  180. D. blitzscht: "flashes".
  181. D. "Item".
  182. G. "note".
  183. Schier has the sense of approaching quickly and closely.
  184. Zucken has the connotation of pulling something hard or quickly, like yanking or snatching; there is an essence of agitation in the pull.
  185. "On the sword" omitted from the Dresden.
  186. Beginning of sentence in Glasgow reads "and work swiftly with the doubling.
  187. D. "(and with other plays)".
  188. 188.0 188.1 Sentence omitted from the Dresden.
  189. 189.0 189.1 R. "hang down behind you".
  190. G. "next to this".
  191. R. "when in the running-in he also drives-up with the arms".
  192. Corrected from »dim«.
  193. Line omitted from the Glasgow.
  194. D. "left hand inverted".
  195. 195.0 195.1 D. "your".
  196. "With an inverted hand" omitted from the Dresden.
  197. 197.0 197.1 G. "his".
  198. "Thus you" omitted from the Glasgow.
  199. Corrected from »rechtem«.
  200. Corrected from »sinem«.
  201. D. "One other wrestling at the sword".
  202. 202.0 202.1 202.2 202.3 Clause omitted from the Glasgow.
  203. Sentence omitted from the Glasgow.
  204. D. "A sword taking".
  205. Read: "attacks".
  206. "With strength" omitted from the Glasgow.
  207. 207.0 207.1 G. far: "drive".
  208. D. "Yet another slice".
  209. "He then" omitted from the Dresden.
  210. "And press… pictured here" omitted from the Dresden.
  211. G. "your".
  212. "With that" omitted from the Dresden.
  213. "With the slice" omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  214. Clause omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  215. Remainder of fragments from Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82), ff 13r-14v
  216. "With him" omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  217. "Or test" omitted from the Dresden.
  218. Sentence omitted from the Augsburg and the Dresden.
  219. sach: thing, or disagreement, contention, dispute, or the thing underlying the disagreement, contention or dispute.
  220. 220.0 220.1 220.2 220.3 220.4 220.5 220.6 Word omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  221. A. "and".
  222. 222.0 222.1 222.2 222.3 222.4 222.5 Sentence omitted from the Augsburg and the Dresden.
  223. The word »es« is almost illegible.
  224. 224.0 224.1 224.2 224.3 224.4 224.5 Word omitted from the Augsburg.
  225. nachbinden: "attach to the end or behind something".
  226. "With the long edge" omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  227. "From the sword" omitted from the Dresden.
  228. "With the point" omitted from the Dresden.
  229. D. "or"; word omitted from the Augsburg.
  230. abziechen.
  231. D. Mörck Ee: "Note, before".
  232. "Too closely" omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  233. "When he… the sword" omitted from the Dresden.
  234. A., D. "the".
  235. D. "cuts from above to below".
  236. Corrected from »ausgerattñ«.
  237. D. "to the other side to the opening".
  238. "Your sword" omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  239. Sentence omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  240. "Art of" omitted from the Dresden.
  241. A., D. "shortened for you to understand".
  242. "Quite well" omitted from the Augsburg.
  243. Dresden reverses these.
  244. "Also so that… play" omitted from the Dresden.
  245. wägen: "to have weight, to lay on a scale, to estimate"; it has a bunch of other senses that are provocative to the action at hand, such as: "to poise, balance, to stir up or agitate, to incite a response", but there's not enough in the text to make it a defensible choice.
  246. "And properly estimate" omitted from the Dresden.
  247. "The sword" omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  248. D. "understand".
  249. "With strength" omitted from the Dresden.
  250. "And thrust" omitted from the Dresden.
  251. "Of the" omitted from the Glasgow.
  252. "-In the point above" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  253. A. "over-windings-upon".
  254. A. "and".
  255. D. "and"; omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  256. "And shall" omitted from the Augsburg and the Glasgow.
  257. "You step towards" omitted from the Dresden.
  258. D. "wounder".
  259. D. nebenhůtten: "side-guard"; G. Eysenen pfort, "iron-gate"; P. uses both interchangeably in this section.
  260. streichn.
  261. D. "Here note to fence from the side-guards, that is, also the sweeps"; P. "Play in the sweeping-upon".
  262. wiewohl.
  263. G. "Item. Know that one shall execute the sweeps from the iron-gate from the left side because it is not as certain from the right."
  264. 264.00 264.01 264.02 264.03 264.04 264.05 264.06 264.07 264.08 264.09 264.10 264.11 264.12 264.13 264.14 264.15 264.16 Word omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  265. Clause omitted from the Dresden and Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  266. P. "from his right shoulder".
  267. wiederhalten: lit. "hold against"; "to withstand, resist".
  268. einduplieren.
  269. 269.0 269.1 P. "ear".
  270. "As before" omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  271. "-Around quickly" omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  272. "The man and the sword" replaced by "his" in Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  273. "And low with the hands" omitted from the Glasgow.
  274. "-in straight" omitted from the Dresden and Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  275. "At hand" omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  276. "To your left side" omitted from the Glasgow.
  277. "Off from the sword and strike" omitted from the Dresden.
  278. D. haüpt, G. kopf.
  279. "You lay… guard, or" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  280. stoß; this could either be to stab him or hit him.
  281. "Him under his sword" omitted from the Dresden and Glasgow.
  282. Word omitted from the Dresden and Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  283. P. farñ: "drive".
  284. "Side of" omitted from the Dresden and Glasgow.
  285. "Behind his neck" omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  286. Marginalia: The word schrit ("a step") appears over the word "sword" in the Dresden, and schret ("a step or make a step") appears under.
  287. obenauf.
  288. D. "opposite".
  289. "As before (to all sides)" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  290. 290.0 290.1 Word omitted from the Glasgow and Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  291. "In front" omitted from the Dresden.
  292. Alternately: "parrying(s)".
  293. næhe: "a boat without mast nor deck".
  294. Corrected from »dem«.
  295. Corrected from »dim«.
  296. P. "side-guard".
  297. "And from… stands forward" omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  298. Sentence omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  299. P. "side-guard".
  300. 300.0 300.1 Clause omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  301. See næhe above. It is not "the nach" (after) because nach is neuter and would be das nach. G. also writes die neche.
  302. "With that" omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  303. P. "convenient".
  304. P. "then escape afterwards".
  305. "Bind on" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  306. 306.0 306.1 306.2 Clause omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  307. "To the other side" omitted from Ergrundung Ritterlicher Kunst der Fechterey.
  308. P. "So thwart in before to his neck".
  309. P. "From the wrath-cut".
  310. "Fence someone and if [you]" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  311. "With the wrath-cut or otherwise" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  312. P. "arms".
  313. D., G. "will take".
  314. Sic, lit. "you".
  315. "And move… his head" omitted from the Dresden and the Glasgow.
  316. Corrected from »dinem«.
  317. The text ends here abruptly, in the middle of a play. Since the page isn't full, it's unclear why the scribe stopped at this point. The subsequent folia come from earlier in the manuscript; they were removed and then added back in at the end.