Foundational Description of the Art of Fencing - The 1570 Treatise of Joachim Meyer, Reference Edition Vol. 1
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Foundational Description of the Art of Fencing – The 1570 Treatise of Joachim Meyer, Reference Edition Vol. 1

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Description

by Joachim Meyer, Hans Christoph Stimmer (illustrator), Rebecca L. R. Garber (translator), Michael Chidester (editor)

In his short life, master cutler and Freifechter Joachim Meyer appears to have had quite a successful career as a fencing master, teaching craftsmen and noblemen alike while also authoring at least four different fencing treatises (and possibly more). His works became renowned far outside of his own nation and were copied by other authors for over 100 years after his death.

These books contain Dr. Rebecca L. R. Garber’s entirely new translation of Meyer’s longest and most developed treatise, Foundational Description of the Free, Knightly, and Noble Art of Fencing, published in 1570. It teaches complex and sophisticated methods for using all the typical weapons of his day, beginning with the two-handed sword prized by the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer, then showing how traditional German fencing should be applied to the eastern European dusack and the Mediterranean rapier which had become popular as sidearms, and finally covering the dagger and polearms that were commonly used in the militias of the Imperial Free Cities.

In Volume 1, Michael Chidester’s transcription of the original 1570 text has been included alongside the translation, and hundreds of footnotes have been added throughout. In addition, Christopher VanSlambrouck has provided an exhaustive introduction to Meyer and the world that he inhabited.

Version: 1st edition (December 2023)
Length: 512 pages
Dimensions: 8 ¼ × 11 × 1 ½ in.; 3 ¼ lbs.

Table of Contents: Volume 1

Abbreviations ⅰ

Acknowledgements ⅲ

Editor’s Preface ⅶ

The Book ⅺ

Introduction: The Brief Life and Times of Joachim Meÿer ⅹⅲ

by Christopher VanSlambrouck

Ⅰ. Sixteenth century ⅺ — 1. Fencing societies of the 16th century ⅹⅶ — 2. The schooling of fencing ⅹⅺ — 3. The process is improvement ⅹⅹⅴ
Ⅱ. Baseler Messerschmidt & Freyfechter ⅹⅹⅸ — 1. Noble interactions ⅹⅹⅺ
Ⅲ. Straßburg ⅹⅹⅹⅲ — 1. The Veldenz Manuscript ⅹⅹⅹⅵ — 2. The Solms Manuscript ⅹⅹⅹⅶ — 3. Artistic interlude ⅹⅹⅹⅷ — 4. The Fechtmeisters Fechtbücher ⅹⅼⅲ — 5. The art on display ⅹⅼⅵ
Ⅳ. Until Saint Matthias’ Day ⅹⅼⅸ — 1. The Diet in Speyer ⅼ — 2. Meÿer’s Speyer Fechtbuchlein (1570) ⅼⅱ — 3. Meÿer’s Ross und zu Fuß un zum Kampf Fechtbuch ⅼⅳ — 4. Winter 1570–71 ⅼⅱ — About ⅼⅵ

Translator’s Introduction 1

A few brief notes on some specific terminology 2

Transcription notes 4

Preface 5

Dedication 5 — Foreword to the reader 13 — Contents of the entire book 21

Sword 23

Contents of the first book about fencing with the sword 25 — 1. About the opponent and the division of the same 29 — 2. About the sword and its divisions 31 — 3. About the stances or guards 33 — 4. About the cuts 40 — 5. A useful reminder about counteraction 47 — 6. About the withdrawal 59 — 7. An ad-monition about steps 60 — 8. About Before, after, simultaneous, and Indes 62 — 9. Introduction to the sequences 64 — 10. How one should fence at the four openings 67 — 11. Fencing from the stances 74 — The third part of the Sword [Section] 96

Dusack 131

Organized description and instruction in fencing with the dusack 132 — 1. Contents of fencing with the dusack 133 — 2. About the stances or guards and their use 135 — 3. About the four cuts 137 — 4. About the secondary cuts 145 — How one should use the four openings 153 — 6. About counteractions and how all cuts are divided into three parts—that is, the Provoker, Taker, and Hitter 156 — 7. The stances now follow 159 — 8. About the Watchtower 161 — 9. About the Bull 165 — 10. About the Wrath Guard 174 — 11. The Simple Brace or the Slice 180 — 12. How you should fence from the Arch 185 — 13. About the Boar 194 — 14. About the Middle Guard 197 — 15. About the Change [Guard] 201 — Bastion 204

Rapier 209

1. Contents of fencing with the rapier 211 — 2. About the division of the opponent and the weapon 214 — 3. About the guards and stances with the rapier 217 — 4. About the classification of the four cuts 220 — 5. About thrusts 231 — 6. How one should convert the cuts into thrusts, the thrusts into cuts 237 — 7. About the misleading 239 — 8. Changing, pursuit, remaining, feeling, pulling, and twisting 248 — The second part of fencing with the rapier 251 — Summary 290 — Rapier and dagger 294 — Rapier and cloak 302 — Rapier against spear 304

Dagger 307

Polearms 331

Short staff 333 — About the halberd 357 — Fencing with the long pike 369 — The second part of the long pike 377 — How you should use your pike in serious matters on the field 383

Appendix: The Meyer Census 385

by Michael Chidester

Reference tables 388 — Austria 390 — Belgium 392 — Czechia 393 — Denmark 396 — France 397 — Germany 398 — Italy 408 — Netherlands 409 — Norway 410 — Russia 411 — Sweden 412 — Switzerland 413 — United Kingdom 414 — United States 416 — Unknown 419

Bibliography 421

Index 443

About the Author 447

Edition matrix

 Reference Edition vol. 1 Reference Edition vol. 2
Text English translation by Rebecca L. R. Garber ✕
German transcription by Michael Chidester ✕
Introduction by Roger Norling
Introduction by Christopher VanSlambrouck ✕
Introduction by Michael Chidester ✕
The Meyer Census ✕
Bibliography ✕ ✕
Index ✕
Illustrations Black and white illustrations ✕
Color illustrations ✕
München ms. illustrations ✕
Lund ms. illustrations ✕
Rostock ms. illustrations ✕

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