Royal Armouries Ms. I.33 - Contents

Contents

The fencing system is based on a number of wards (custodie) which are answered by defensive postures (obsessiones). The wards are numbered 1 to 7 on the first two pages and supplemented by various 'special' wards later in the text. The seven basic wards are:

  1. under the arm (sub brach)
  2. right shoulder (humero dextrali)
  3. left shoulder (humero sinistro)
  4. head (capiti)
  5. right side (latere dextro)
  6. breast (pectori)
  7. 'long-point' (langort)

The German terms appearing in the Latin text are the following:

  • albersleiben (possibly the fool's guard position)
  • durchtreten, durchtritt ('stepping through')
  • halpschilt ('half shield', one of the obsessiones)
  • krucke ('crutch', a defensive position)
  • langort ('long-point', may be either a custodia or an obsessio)
  • nucken ('nudge', a specific attack)
  • schiltslac ('shield-blow')
  • schutzen ('protect')
  • stich ('stab')
  • stichschlac ('stab-blow')
  • vidilpoge ('fiddle-bow', a specific custodia)

Sporadic dialectal elements in these terms (notably nucken and halpschilt) suggest a location of composition consistent with the reported discovery in a Franconian monastery in the wider area of Würzburg.

Read more about this topic:  Royal Armouries Ms. I.33

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