<I>The Art of Swordsmanship</I> by Hans Leckuchner

Johannes Lecküchner's Art of Combat with the Langes Messer is a 1482 medieval text on fighting with swords. It is the most detailed explanation of the two-handed sword techniques of the German Liechtenauer school and includes over four hundred illustrations with explanatory text. This translation makes the treatise accessible for the first time since the author's untimely death.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 481 pages
\n Publication date: 16 March 2018
\n Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
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Completion of Johannes Lecküchner's Art of Combat with the Langes Messer (Messerfechtkunst) in 1482 ranks among the most significant medieval manuscripts on the art of sword fighting. The Messer, a single-edged, one-handed utility sword unique to central Europe, finds its application in Lecküchner's techniques, which extend to cut-and-thrust swords in general. Not only is this treatise the single most substantial work on the use of one-handed swords to survive from the Middle Ages, but it also provides the most detailed explanation of the two-handed sword techniques of the German Liechtenauer school, dating back to the 1300s. Lecküchner's lavish manuscript, consisting of over four hundred illustrations with explanatory text, showcases his expertise in bladework, deception, and grappling. The author, a parish priest, delves into techniques ranging from life-or-death escapes from armed assailants to comedic moves intended to entertain the crowd during public fencing matches. This translation, accompanied by all illustrations from the manuscript, makes the treatise accessible for the first time since the author's untimely death less than a year after its completion left his major work lost to generations. An extensive introduction, notes, and glossary analyze and contextualize the work, clarifying its technical content. JEFFREY L. FORGENG serves as the curator of Arms and Armor and Medieval Art at the Worcester Art Museum, and he also teaches as an adjunct professor of history at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

\n Weight: 734g\n
Dimension: 157 x 234 x 26 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781783272914\n \n