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    Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Sword-fighting and Close-Quater Combat
    Unavailable
    Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Sword-fighting and Close-Quater Combat
    Unavailable
    Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Sword-fighting and Close-Quater Combat
    Ebook266 pages1 hour

    Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Sword-fighting and Close-Quater Combat

    By Hans Talhoffer

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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 defence and every defence a counter-attack. Talhoffer reveals the techniques for wrestling, unarmoured 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPen and Sword
    Release dateApr 30, 2014
    ISBN9781473835177
    Unavailable
    Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Sword-fighting and Close-Quater Combat
    Author

    Hans Talhoffer

    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.

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    Reviews for Medieval Combat

    3.5/5

    35 ratings2 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This is an interesting book, a classic in the field. It gets the point across (pun intended) via a collection of gritty little illustrations that would be amusing in any other context. No messing around, here.
    • 4/5
      Mainly consists of illustrations reproduced from the 1467 original. Each illustration is captioned, explaining what is happening in the illustrated maneuver. Also contains a foreword by John Clements and an introduction to the material by editor and translator Mark Rector.