This presentation offers a humorous and insightful exploration into the world of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), specifically highlighting peculiar and often absurd techniques found in medieval and Renaissance fencing manuals. The speaker introduces four key examples: the anonymous priest of Manuscript 133, known for a dubious "sword-grabbing" trick and featuring the earliest known depiction of a female fighter; the 15th-century armored fencing texts that popularized the infamous "pommel throw"; Johannes Lecküchner, whose long-knife manual includes bizarre grappling instructions like pinning an opponent to play board games or even throwing them into a bag; and Paulus Hector Mair, an aristocratic embezzler who, despite his criminal acts, became a HEMA patron saint for preserving vast collections and even creating manuals for impractical weapons like the sickle and scythe. The talk concludes with an invitation to engage with the HEMA community and explore available historical resources.
Unusual Techniques and Eccentric Masters: A Humorous Look at Historical Fencing
0:00 Introduction to HEMA: The speaker introduces Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) as the reconstruction and practice of fencing styles from 14th-16th century Europe, extending up to 1918 and including European-influenced cultures.
0:18 Speaker's Background: The presenter has 2.5 years of experience in sword and buckler fencing with the Hammerborg club in Hamburg.
1:45 Anonymous Priest: Written around the 1320s by an anonymous priest, MS133 is the oldest surviving fencing manual.
2:45 The "Sword as a Pointing Stick" Trick: A technique where the fencer physically grabs the opponent's sword, described as a "stupid idea" but a potential trick against inexperienced fencers.
3:55 Pioneering Female Fighter: MS133 uniquely depicts a female fighter named Valporgus who defeats the priest, leading her to be considered the patron saint of sword and buckler fencers.
4:33 A 15th-Century Meme: From 15th-century armored fencing manuals, this technique instructs fencers to unscrew their sword's pommel and throw it at the opponent's head to disorient them.
5:59 "Ending Him Rightly": An early mistranslation led to the popular HEMA meme of "ending him rightly."
6:42 Long Knife Master: A 15th-century priest and fencing master known for his treatise on the "langmesser" (long knife), a weapon popular after swords became illegal.
8:09 "Falling on Your Ass" to Pin an Opponent: An absurd grappling technique where the fencer pins an opponent to the ground, falls on them, and can then "play board games, eat and drink" while the opponent is trapped.
8:43 "Throwing Him into a Bag": An even more bizarre instruction to secretly arrange for men with a bag to capture an opponent at swordmanship competitions and throw them into it "in the name of God."
9:48 Paulus Hector Mair - The Embezzling Collector:
9:48 Aristocrat and Thief: Born in 1517, Mair was a German aristocrat who, after spending his family's wealth, embezzled public funds to collect fencing manuals and fund his lavish lifestyle, leading to his arrest and hanging in 1579.
10:35 HEMA Patron Saint: Despite his criminal acts, Mair is an unofficial patron saint of HEMA due to his extensive collection, which preserved valuable historical martial arts knowledge.
11:45 Impractical Weapon Manuals: Mair created detailed fencing manuals for the sickle and scythe, despite these being entirely impractical and historically unproven combat weapons, likely for novelty ("shits and giggles").
13:36 Online Access: Scans of many historical manuals are available on the Victtonau website, often referred to as the Wikipedia for historical fences.
13:54 Widespread Clubs: HEMA clubs are accessible across Germany and Europe, with national organizations like the German umbrella group (DFV) working to ensure inclusive and anti-racist environments.
15:58 Q&A - HEMA Scope: HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) encompasses various combat forms, including wrestling, not just fencing.
17:49 Q&A - Pre-14th Century Manuals: Before the 1320s (MS133), written fencing manuals are largely absent; earlier combat methods are mostly reconstructed through "combat archaeology," with one known Greek wrestling manual from the 1st century BCE/CE.