In the late 14th century, the German swordsman Johannes Liechtenauer
developed and codified a system of armed combat with sword, spear, and
dagger that spread through the Holy Roman Empire and dominated German
martial arts for nearly 300 years. By the end of the 15th century, a
fellowship of swordsmen in Frankfurt known as "the Brotherhood of Saint
Mark," or Marxbruder, had been granted an imperial charter to train and
test swordmasters. Peter Falkner was a long-time member and sometime
captain of this famed fencing guild, and it was during this tenure that
he set about creating an illustrated fight book of his own; colorful,
painted figures and short captions depict combat with a wide variety of
weapons: the longsword, dagger, staff, poleaxe, halberd, dueling shield
and mounted combat. Where his work excels, however, is in its extensive
treatment of the falchion-like messer, and the unique variations of core
techniques of the Liechtenauer canon. In this first, printed edition of
Falkner's work, German martial arts teacher and scholar Christian Tobler
includes a full translation, transcription, and analysis, combined with
a photographic reproduction of the original manuscript. The end result
is a lovingly rendered, English translation of a 500 year old
picture-book that shows an adaptation of the Liechtenauer tradition, by
a known master of its most prestigious school, as taught over a century
after its foundation.
