Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat

Two people are to be thanked for this fine book, Mark Rector, the translator and Hans Talhoffer, the medieval fencing master whose work is shown here for the first time in English. Talhoffer's fechtbuch is primarily an illustrated work and much interpretation still needs to be done on his combat system. I have personally used this translation in the preparation of a paper on medieval sword and shield techniques. Talhoffer presents a section on the use of an odd shaped shield in judicial duels, giving us our only substantial material on medieval sword and shield combat. An exhaustive examination of medieval illustrations reveals the positions shown in Talhoffer shown over and over. This suggests that despite his strange shield, what Talhoffer was showing in the mid 15th century was nothing new.This book is useful to people who wish to interpret medieval combat. It contains some editorial comment on the techniques, but this is minimal. Readers should not expect a how-to guide. This is an original fencing treatise, faithfully reproduced. Furthermore the original work was pitched at a fairly advanced level, so don't expect to see the basics. Medieval Combat would work very well in conjunction with Christian Tobler's Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship. That book is a translation and interpretation of another treatise from the same tradition. Anyone who reads Tobler and wants more should buy Medieval Combat. Anyone who reads Medieval Combat and finds themselves confused, should buy Tobler's book to give themselves a solid grounding in German medieval swordsmanship.

In making Talhoffer's fencing book accessible to the world again, Mark Rector has provided us with an important contribution to sword knowledge. Not just for those involved in recreationist swordplay, but for anyone interested in the roots of fencing. Moreover, for many young fencers today realizing that fencing didn't begin with them might be the first step to developing some respect for the art, science, and sport of fencing -- an attribute that is sorely lacking in many sport fencing circles these days. There's a long history here that makes individuals not all that important. Fencing is bigger than the moment, bigger than egos. The traditions, skills, and mindsets span centuries. The information in this book also has applications as a working reference for anyone wishing to hone their theatrical fencing skills along historical lines. And, of course, "Talhoffer" should be of interest to anyone in love with things medieval. As a fencing master of thirty years, the author of "The Encyclopedia of the Sword," "The Art and Science of Fencing," and "The Inner Game of Fencing," and the editor-in-chief of FENCERS QUARTERLY MAGAZINE, I recommend this fascinating book.

Fightmaster Hans Talhoffer is one of the pivotal figures of German sword arts. Steeped into traditions that are as well documented as they remain inaccessible to full camprehension, his art (and showmanship?) belongs to the few medieval systems that have survived not in one but a few manuscripts.The 1467 Gotha Codex, probably the artistically accomplished in its execution, was first revived for reproduction and re-publication by the Viennese fencing master Gustav Hergsell, whose transcription and interpretation of the instructions may not have remained without vocal critics, but whose leather-bound 1887 editions (both self-published and, later that year, by Calve) still command prices of between $500 and $900 that are eagerly paid by collectors.Mark Rector has exercised restraint and competence in his endeavor of making Talhoffer accessible to the Anglophone market. He places the manuscript into its appropriate cultural and combative context that has as much to offer to the history buff as it has to the combative practitioner. His work finds a well deserved place in the literary canon of combative arts source literature.The quality of the production is solid and well worth the price. This books has earned an unconditional seal of approval! Go buy it now.

I am delighted with the response to MEDIEVAL COMBAT. My hope is that it serves to help the emerging Western Martial Arts community in their study of European swordsmanship, and that students and scholars and just plain folks who are interested in the history and art of the Middle Ages look to this book for the insights it provides into the real people who fought and lived and died in this fascinating period.As a martial artist and stage fight choreographer and combatant, I am keenly interested in understanding the "real deal" of European swordsmanship. There is an astonishing wealth of material outlining the systematic methods for using all the weapons in the medieval and Renaissance warrior's arsenal, but many of these documents remain untranslated into English. For years, English speaking martial artists have been constrained to base their interpretation of these methods on the illustrations alone, without the benefit of the knowledge to be gained by a careful study of the accompanying text. Now, finally, efforts are under way to unlock these secrets of the sword.This book is just one small step in what promises to be an exciting rebirth of the study of the Western Martial Arts and historical European swordsmanship.Cheers!Mark Rector

Hans Talhoffer didn't write for sporting enthusiasts. His techniques were intended to allow a practitioner to walk away from situations where losing meant your death. Mark Rectors' translation, analysis, and commentary complement Talhoffer's centuries old illustrations of the "fine arts" of armed and unarmed combat. This book clearly shows the brutally effective techniques that were used on and off the battlefields of medieval Europe.