Medieval Combat in Colour

Hans Talhoffer's combat manual reveals how medieval fighters merged footwork, timing, and grappling to master weapon and shield.

Hans Talhoffer's professional fencing manual of 1467 illustrates the intricacies of the medieval art of fighting, covering both the 'judicial duel' (an officially sanctioned fight to resolve a legal dispute) and personal combat.

Combatants in the Middle Ages used footwork, avoidance, and the ability to judge and manipulate timing and distance to exploit and enhance the sword's inherent cutting and thrusting capabilities. These skills were supplemented with techniques for grappling, wrestling, kicking, and throwing the opponent, as well as disarming him by seizing his weapon. Every attack contained a defense and every defense a counter-attack. Talhoffer reveals the techniques for wrestling, unarmored fighting with the long sword, pole-axe, dagger, sword and buckler, and mounted combat.

This unparalleled guide to medieval combat, illustrated with 268 contemporary images, provides a glimpse of real people fighting with skill, sophistication, and ruthlessness. This is one of the most popular and influential manuals of its kind.

HANS TALHOFFER was a fifteenth-century German fencing master. He authored at least five fencing manuals and made his living teaching and training people for trial by combat. The Translator and editor, MARK RECTOR, is a world-renowned practitioner of historical swordsmanship.

Dierk Hagedorn was born in 1966 in Hamburg, Germany, and he started sport fencing at the age of nine. He is head instructor of the longsword for Hammaborg Historischer Schwertkampf. He is also a member of HEMAC, the Historical European Martial Arts Coalition, and has transcribed more than a dozen German manuscripts. He is an illustrator, web-designer and lecturer.