[Regia-NA] Sword and Shield
Martin Field
list-regia-na@lig.net
Mon, 23 Jun 2003 22:33:32 -0400
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You can also access Toronto based AEMMA's web-site for details.
www.aemma.org
Cheers
Martin.
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Douglas Sunlin=20
To: California_Viking_Age@egroups.com ; list-regia-na@lig.net=20
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2003 9:36 PM
Subject: [Regia-NA] Sword and Shield
In the current issue of Spada: Anthology of Swordsmanship =
(http://www.chivalrybookshelf.com/titles/spada/spada.htm), Stephen Hand =
and Paul Wagner offer an article Talhoffer's Sword and Shield Duelling =
Shield Techniques as a Model for Reconstructing Early Medieval Sword and =
Shield Techniques that may provoke some thought. They begin by looking =
at a "Fechtbuch" or fighting manual written by Hans Talhoffer in 1467 =
(as seen in Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Illustrated Manual of =
Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat). One of the most curious sets of =
illustrations shows two duelists using large, door-sized shields. Hand =
and Wagner suggest that the techniques for these shields cannot have =
arisen out of nowhere, and that by studying them, one can derive the =
otherwise-undocumented sword and shield techniques of the early Middle =
Ages.=20
=20
They supplement their observations by looking at other fencing =
treatises (Marozzo, Agrippa, Di Grassi, Capo Ferro and McBane) as well =
as pre-15th century pictorial evidence, as far back as 300 BC. The =
conclusion is pretty clear: outside of the shieldwall, and armed with a =
sword and shield, the general practice was not that of keeping the =
shield vertical and perpendicular to the line of combat (which I will =
define as a straight line between two combatants). Instead the shield =
was rotated to be roughly parallel (within 20 degrees?) to the line of =
combat, roughly vertical, and with the boss pointed to the left (for a =
right-handed fighter) to protect the outside line. The authors call this =
the "Outside Ward" and it allows a better bead on the target and a more =
open path for your sword. The shieldwall position (as described above) =
is termed "Medium Ward". A third ward is called "Inside Ward" and it =
consists of rotating the shield from the Outside Ward so the boss is =
pointing to the right.
=20
I think this is worthy of being experimented with; there are many =
hide-bound ideas about how men fought back in the days, and there are =
certainly safety concerns, but I think we should at least try to =
represent combat with the same fidelity as we do our costumes.
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>You can also access Toronto based =
AEMMA's web-site=20
for details.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.aemma.org">www.aemma.org</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Cheers</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Martin.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Ddsunlin@hotmail.com =
href=3D"mailto:dsunlin@hotmail.com">Douglas=20
Sunlin</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
title=3DCalifornia_Viking_Age@egroups.com=20
=
href=3D"mailto:California_Viking_Age@egroups.com">California_Viking_Age@e=
groups.com</A>=20
; <A title=3Dlist-regia-na@lig.net=20
href=3D"mailto:list-regia-na@lig.net">list-regia-na@lig.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, June 21, 2003 =
9:36=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Regia-NA] Sword and=20
Shield</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D2>In =
the current=20
issue of <I>Spada: Anthology of Swordsmanship </I>(<A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.chivalrybookshelf.com/titles/spada/spada.htm">http://w=
ww.chivalrybookshelf.com/titles/spada/spada.htm</A>),=20
Stephen Hand and Paul Wagner offer an article <I>Talhoffer=92s Sword =
and Shield=20
Duelling Shield Techniques as a Model for Reconstructing Early =
Medieval Sword=20
and Shield Techniques</I> that may provoke some thought. They begin by =
looking=20
at a =93Fechtbuch=94 or fighting manual written by Hans Talhoffer in =
1467 (as seen=20
in <I>Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Illustrated Manual of =
Swordfighting=20
and Close-Quarter Combat</I>). One of the most curious sets of =
illustrations=20
shows two duelists using large, door-sized shields. Hand and Wagner =
suggest=20
that the techniques for these shields cannot have arisen out of =
nowhere, and=20
that by studying them, one can derive the otherwise-undocumented sword =
and=20
shield techniques of the early Middle Ages. </FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT=20
size=3D2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D2>They =
supplement=20
their observations by looking at other fencing treatises (Marozzo, =
Agrippa, Di=20
Grassi, Capo Ferro and McBane) as well as pre-15<SUP>th</SUP> century=20
pictorial evidence, as far back as 300 BC. The conclusion is pretty =
clear:=20
outside of the shieldwall, and armed with a sword and shield, the =
general=20
practice was not that of keeping the shield vertical and perpendicular =
to the=20
line of combat (which I will define as a straight line between two=20
combatants). Instead the shield was rotated to be roughly parallel =
(within 20=20
degrees?) to the line of combat, roughly vertical, and with the boss =
pointed=20
to the left (for a right-handed fighter) to protect the outside line. =
The=20
authors call this the =93Outside Ward=94 and it allows a better bead =
on the target=20
and a more open path for your sword. The shieldwall position (as =
described=20
above) is termed =93Medium Ward=94. A third ward is called =93Inside =
Ward=94 and it=20
consists of rotating the shield from the Outside Ward so the boss is =
pointing=20
to the right.</FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT=20
size=3D2> <o:p></o:p></FONT></P>
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D2>I =
think this is=20
worthy of being experimented with; there are many hide-bound ideas =
about how=20
men fought back in the days, and there are certainly safety concerns, =
but I=20
think we should at least try to represent combat with the same =
fidelity as we=20
do our costumes.</FONT></P></DIV></DIV><BR clear=3Dall>
<HR>
Protect your PC - <A =
href=3D"http://g.msn.com/8HMYENUS/2755??PS=3D">Click here</A>=20
for McAfee.com VirusScan Online=20
_______________________________________________ list-regia-na mailing =
list=20
list-regia-na@lig.net=20
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ML>
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