Academy of Historical Arts

and the
Historical European Martial Arts Coalition (HEMAC)

The Pedagogical Skill of Andre Lignitzer,

a 15th Century Fencing Master

Author:
Keith Farrell

Version: 02
th
Date: 5 January 2014

The Academy of Historical Arts is a division within

Triquetra Services (Scotland), a charitable organisation registered
in Scotland: registration number SC042086.
 Version and Copyright Information

Version: 02
Date: 5th January 2014
Copyright Keith Farrell, 2014

Version: 01
Date: 4th March 2013
Copyright Keith Farrell, 2013

Version 01 of this article was originally published in volume 5 of

Katsujinken: A Sword Arts Journal (Spring 2013).

Please respect the copyright and intellectual property of the

author(s) of this document. Please contact the organisation if you
would like to publish or upload this document anywhere.
Image by Ben Kerr, July 2012.
 The Pedagogical Skill of Andre Lignitzer,
a 15th Century Fencing Master

Andre Lignitzer was a European fencing master from the Holy

Roman Empire who authored several martial arts treatises on the
subjects of fencing in armour, fencing with sword and buckler,
grappling, and the use of the dagger. He lived most likely
between the late 14th century and the first half of the 15th
century. In his armoured fencing treatise included in the Codex
44.A.8, a manuscript from the year 1452, his name is followed
by the phrase Dem got genadig se. 1 A translation is may God
have mercy upon him, a traditional blessing for the dead,
meaning that he was no longer alive by 1452.

He was also part of the Society of Liechtenauer,2 meaning that

he had some connection to Johannes Liechtenauer, the
progenitor of a long tradition of medieval and renaissance martial
arts. There is a theory that Lignitzer may also have authored a
brief treatise discussing the conversion of longsword techniques
to messer techniques as this treatise was written by a Magister
Andreas,3 but so far it has been impossible to prove the theory
to be either true or false.4

Lignitzer's treatise on sword and buckler offers a fascinating

insight into a method of fighting with a one-handed sword and a
small round (or slightly oval) centre-grip shield. The style of
fighting is quite different in nature to that which is shown in the
well-known MS I.33, the earliest surviving European fencing
treatise. What is of particular interest, however, is Lignitzers
ability to condense an entire martial art into just six training
sequences. A full, rational and sensible martial art, with all the
options and principles of a proper martial art, condensed down to
just six sequences that contain all of the information for someone
with the will to study the text.

As someone who has taught karate for more than a decade, and
who has been teaching historical European martial arts for a few
years, I find this combination of succinct writing and very rich
sequences to be fascinating. I would be hard pressed to
condense my martial arts knowledge down to just six well-
chosen sequences; indeed, I suspect that many martial arts
teachers would find it difficult to do likewise!

1 Anonymous. Codex 44.A.8, 1452, 73r.
2 Paulus Kal. CGM 1507, c.1470, 2r.
3 Anonymous. MS M.I.29, 1491, 5r-7r
4 http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Magister_Andreas
Johannes Liechtenauer wrote a poem, a series of rhyming
couplets, to hold and record his art. 5 Even though this poem
(called the Zettel6) is quite cryptic and lacking in detail, each
section of the poem (it has separate parts for Blossfechten 7 ,
Rossfechten8 and Kampffechten9) is still considerably longer than
Lignitzers treatise for sword and buckler. Other masters such as
Sigmund Ringeck wrote glosses to explain Liechtenauers Zettel,
and it is thanks to the expansiveness of these later glosses that
we are able to reconstruct these historical martial arts.

Expansiveness and comprehensiveness are certainly valuable for

modern researchers and practitioners in terms of providing the
information to reconstruct a historical martial art. However, the
conciseness of Lignitzers treatise shows a completely different
skill for codifying a martial art, and the combination of brevity
and completeness is masterful in its own right.

My own English translation of Lignitzers sword and buckler

treatise can be found on the Wiktenauer, 10 one of the most
valuable resources available to practitioners and researchers of
the historical European martial arts today:
http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Lignitzer

By examining the principles in this treatise, we can see that the

fighting system is large and complex, and that it is comparable
to other martial arts in its breadth and depth. For example, here
is the first play:

The first play with the buckler from the Oberhaw. Mark when you
drive the Oberhaw (over strike / strike from above) to the man:
with the pommel go inwards, your sword close to the buckler and
your thumb, and thrust in from beneath to his face. Wind against
his sword and then go with a snap over and around.

The words are chosen very cleverly. Your strike from above
should be directed at the opponent, not just at his sword. Your
sword hand should come close to the buckler so that the shield
may protect your hand and wrist. Then you thrust to the face,
from below. This means that the hands must come low in the
strike, further protecting them against sniping attacks, and
chambering the sword ready to shoot out with a thrust.

5 http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Liechtenauer
6 This could be translated as epitome or markverse or learning verse.
7 Unarmoured fencing on foot with the longsword.
8 Fencing on horseback.
9 Armoured fencing with the shortened sword or halfsword.
10 http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Lignitzer
If the opponent binds at this stage, but places no pressure on the
sword, then a straight thrust will still be effective and will find its
mark. However, if the opponent does place some pressure
against your blade, then you may wind in and up against the
pressure. This will result in a stronger body structure, allowing
for either a continuation of the thrust to the face, or, if the
opponents pressure is simply too great, another cut around to
the other side of the opponent.

This suggests three responses to a bind, one for each of these

situations: when there is no pressure, when there is a little
pressure and when there is too much pressure. Although these
responses are not made explicit, due to the conciseness of the
writing, a reader familiar with the system of winding taught by
Liechtenauer will be able to identify the same sorts of scenarios
and responses. By inserting a little more context into the
sequence by the use of red text, these options can become a
little easier to see:

The first play with the buckler from the Oberhaw. Mark when you
drive the Oberhaw to the man: with the pommel go inwards, your
sword close to the buckler and your thumb, and if there is no
pressure against your sword thrust in from beneath to his face. If
there is some pressure, if he defends against this thrust, then
wind in and up against his sword to improve your structure and if
he defends against this by pushing your sword even further to the
side then go with a snap over and around.

The second play gives another possible option:

From the Underhaw (under strike / strike from below), when he

strikes from above. Wind against him to your left side, [with his
sword] against your shield. Thus you stand in two shields. So
wind to the right side opening and strike in at the mouth. See if
he deals with this by raising his shield, and if so then take the left
leg. This works on both sides.

Here, the opponents descending strike is more powerful in the

bind than your rising strike, and you are unable to wind in
against it to gain superior leverage. Instead you can wind out
and around the pressure and use the buckler to keep your hand,
arm, head and body safe by trapping the opponents sword in the
bind. By adding red text we can see the context better:

From the Underhaw, when he strikes from above onto your

sword. Wind against him to your left side to improve your
structure, [with his sword] against your shield. If he defends
against this with more pressure thus you stand in two shields. So
wind out and around his sword to the right side opening and
 strike in at the mouth. See if he deals with this by raising his
shield making it impossible for you to wind any further against
him, and if so then leave the bind and take the left leg. This works
on both sides.

This shows a fourth response to the bind, giving the following

options:

1) if there is little or no pressure against your sword, shoot

straight at him with a thrust;
2) if there is some pressure against your sword and you both
contest the centre line, wind in against his sword to become
stronger through better structure;
3) if there is a lot of pressure against your sword, go with it, and
wind out around the bind;
4) if there is too much pressure against your sword and there is
no option to wind successfully, leave the bind and strike
round or do something else that does not involve winding.

These responses show that the fencer must feel what is

happening with the swords in the bind, and so must have some
concept of Fhlen or feeling as described in the Liechtenauer
system of longsword fencing. The fencer must also understand
the concepts of the strong and weak parts of the sword and
how to work with an opponent who is hard or soft in the bind.
The first one and a half plays in Lignitzers treatise show that his
system includes all of these advanced principles, condensed very
skillfully into just a few sentences! The conciseness of the work
does obscure the comprehensive nature of the principles that
underpin the art, but for someone who is familiar with the idea of
winding and feeling pressure and who has studied Liechtenauers
longsword system, the principles are present and identifiable.

The remainder of the second play shows two other important

principles. Firstly, that if you can force your opponent to raise his
sword and buckler high (perhaps to defend his head), then once
his defence is high, you can cut him low in the legs where he is
undefended. Secondly, many of these techniques work on both
sides. By choosing to describe techniques originating only from
the right side, a greater brevity and conciseness can be
achieved. The six sequences can be expanded to twelve
sequences simply by starting on the other side of the body!

Another interesting principle is seen in the fifth play:

 From the Sturzthaw (plunging strike) make as if to go to [his]
left side over his shield with a thrust then with the point change
under and thrust swiftly inside his shield. Wind immediately to
your left side and if he defends against this then take his right leg
with your long edge.

The Sturzthaw is a descending cut with the long edge (front

edge) of the sword, aimed at the shoulder or neck. As the cut
travels forwards, the palm of the hand rotates down and out to
the other side, bringing the short edge (or back edge) of the
sword to the fore. This allows the blade to come at the opponent
from a different angle, and indeed the first part of this motion
can be used to feint a normal strike that can be parried by a
buckler, then by inverting the hand and bringing the short edge
into play from above, the sword can circumvent the buckler and
hit the head without ever touching the shield. This is a very
useful technique, and if the fight could be compared with a game
of chess then this strike would be analogous to being able to
make two moves in a row with the same piece to get around an
obstacle on the board.

The sequence continues by suggesting that if the opponent

manages to defend against this surprising development, then a
small wrist movement will suffice to circle the tip of the sword
around the buckler and bring it back to point at the opponents
chest, allowing for a thrust. This could be an example of the
fourth response to a bind: if there is too much pressure against
you and you are unable to make an effective contact from your
current position in the bind, then leave the bind and move your
sword to a more advantageous position. It is also exactly the
same as the Durchwechseln concept in Liechtenauers
longsword. When the buckler is used to block a cut, you need not
strike wildly from side to side to try to get around the shield;
sometimes a simple and skillful disengagement is all that is
needed to establish a more advantageous position.

However, if the opponent realises what is happening, and tries to

follow the sword tip during this disengagement, perhaps pushing
the tip further across to the other side of his body with the
buckler or sword (applying pressure in the bind), then you may
wind around his pressure and keep your point towards him,
threatening him and maintaining your pressure and initiative. If
he pushes your sword even further to the side in an effort to get
rid of your threat, then he will have left himself open to another
disengagement. Leave the bind and cut him across the leg; his
sword and his buckler will be elsewhere, so take your opening
when you have the chance!
Many of these principles are similar to those found in the vastly
bigger longsword tradition of Liechtenauer, glossed and
explained and expanded upon by several masters over the
following couple of centuries. Lignitzers fourth play names some
of the master strikes or hidden strikes that are found in
Liechtenauers longsword system; his third play talks of the
Wechelhaw or changing strike, another of the strikes and
concepts in Liechtenauers system. His sixth play introduces the
concepts of grappling, disarms and halfswording (holding the
sword with one hand on the grip as normal and one hand on the
blade, using the weapon like a short spear, staff or lever).

I will not present a complete interpretation of his six plays here,

due to the time and space constraints for this article. However,
the sequences are not very difficult to follow, they are short and
to the point, and it is an interesting exercise to look at the
sequences with a view to WHAT is being taught, WHY it is being
done that way, and HOW it all fits together into a comprehensive
and coherent system.

To answer the WHAT question, we can compile a list of named

techniques from the treatise, such as the Oberhaw, the
Underhaw, the Sturzthaw and suchlike. We can also compile a
list of implied actions, such as winding in against a bind, winding
out around a bind, thrusts, cuts to the leg, etc. From the phrase
this can be done on both sides, we can see that a lot of the
techniques and ideas can be mirrored on the left and right sides
of the body. This gives us a surprisingly high number of actions
that can be performed, more than might be expected from just
six sequences. Incorporating so many actions into the
sequences, in a meaningful and not particularly artificial manner,
is very skillful. Anyone who has tried to design his or her own
kata will know that this is a more difficult process than it looks
keeping sequences meaningful and not artificial is important, and
these sequences have been designed in such a way that they
include lots of different possible actions that can be performed
quite reasonably in a fighting situation.

To answer the WHY question is a little more difficult. The general

emphasis is on keeping ones self safe in a fight, by way of
remaining in the bind to feel what is happening for as long as
possible. Keeping the buckler close to the sword hand is also
intended to keep ones hand safe. Regardless of who attacks
first, once a bind has occurred, many of these actions can be
performed. So the winding actions can be used to steal the
initiative from the other person if he attacks first, or they can be
used to maintain initiative and to increase the pressure on the
opponent if you attack first. When reading these sequences and
trying to interpret how they should be performed, the one idea
that should always be at the forefront of the mind should be that
each action will somehow keep you safe, either directly (by
performing a block or parry) or indirectly (by adding more
pressure against the opponent, making him react to you).

The HOW question is very difficult to answer. How do all the

techniques and sequences fit together? I believe that the
sequences are showcases of options, and any sort of response
can be done at any appropriate time during a fight. The
sequences provide ideas for how everything links together; a bit
like katas from karate, but for two people. By practicing these
sequences, the ideas and responses to situations become
ingrained into students, and then the appropriate technique can
be performed at the right time when the situation arises.

Not only did Lignitzer manage to introduce several different

techniques and principles in these six short sequences, he even
managed to provide opportunities to re-enforce lessons such as
taking the opponents sword and buckler high or to the side,
where they are of no further defensive use, then cutting him in a
different opening that he is unable to cover and protect. By using
the phrase this works on both sides so often, Lignitzer
managed to condense a system with lots of techniques and
sequences down into a much smaller set of sequences based on
principles and logical progressions.

Although he only provided a few words about how to work in the

halfsword, and how to perform a disarming technique, these
tantalising hints show that these concepts and ideas were
included in his system. With due study and experimentation, we
could easily discover more such techniques and sequences that
fit the principles and the flavour of his system. If his treatise
was intended to be a memory aid, or even a basic curriculum of
sorts, then the treatise can still perform this role and can also
teach us about how sword and buckler fighting was taught in
parts of medieval Europe.

Andre Lignitzer managed to condense a huge amount of practical

and theoretical information into just a few short paragraphs,
showing a mastery of not just fighting with sword and buckler,
but also a mastery of teaching the system, and yet further skill
by his ability to condense his entire system into six short
teaching sequences. The medieval period was home not just to
skilled and able swordsmen, but also to skilled and able teachers
and authors!
Bibliography

Websites:

http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Magister_Andreas

http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Liechtenauer

http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Lignitzer

Facsimiles / Transcriptions / Translations:

Anonymous. MS I.33, c.1290. Digitally reproduced by Dieter Bachmann,

http://freywild.ch/i33/i33en.html

Anonymous. Codex 44.A.8, 1452. Hosted by the Wiktenauer,

http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Codex_Danzig_(Cod.44.A.8)

Anonymous. MS M.I.29, 1479. Transcribed by Dierk Hagedorn, translated

by Beatrix Knoll, hosted by the Wiktenauer,
http://wiktenauer.com/wiki/Codex_Speyer_%28MS_M.I.29%29

Lignitzer, Andre. Codex 44.A.8, 1452. Transcribed by Dierk Hagedorn.

Translated by Keith Farrell, 2012. Hosted by the Academy of
Historical Arts, http://www.historical-academy.co.uk/files/
research/keith-farrell/Lignitzer Sword and Buckler.pdf

Kal, Paulus. Codex Germ.1507, 1470. Digitally reproduced by the

Bayerische StaatsBibliothek, http://daten.digitale-
sammlungen.de/0000/bsb00001840/images/index.html

Ringeck, Sigmund ain. Ringeck Longsword, c.1510. Transcribed by

Andreas Engstrm. Translated by Keith Farrell, 2011.
http://www.historical-academy.co.uk/files/research/keith-
farrell/Ringeck%20Longsword.pdf

Books:

Farrell, Keith and Alex Bourdas. AHA German Longsword Study Guide.
Glasgow: Fallen Rook Publishing, August 2013.

Forgeng, Jeffrey. The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship: A Facsimile and

Translation of the World's Oldest Personal Combat Treatise.
Highland Village: Chivalry Bookshelf, 2004.

Lindholm, David. Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Arts of Combat. Boulder:

Paladin Press, 2006.

Tobler, Christian. In Service of the Duke. Highland Village: Chivalry

Bookshelf, 2006.
Tobler, Christian. In Saint Georges Name: An Anthology of Medieval
German Fighting Arts. Wheaton: Freelance Academy Press, 2010.

Wagner, Paul and Stephen Hand. Medieval Sword and Shield: The Combat
System of Royal Armouries MS I.33. Highland Village: Chivalry
Bookshelf, 2003.

DVDs:

Rawlings, David. Obsesseo. DVD, Region 2, London Longsword Academy,

November 2011.

Warzecha, Roland and Tobias Wenzel. Sword and Shield: Basic principles
and technique of medieval buckler combat. DVD, Region Free,
Agilitas.tv, September 2011.