Sword and Buckler according to I.33
“Fechtbuch I.33” is an anonymous German manuscript now in the collection of the Royal Armouries in Leeds. It is extremely significant as the earliest known surviving fencing manual, having been dated to the late 13th century, and presents a unique window into to world of early medieval combat. I.33 deals exclusively with the use of sword and buckler (a small round shield), and presents a fairly complex and demanding system where both cuts and thrusts are used in simultaneous coordination with movement of the buckler around the swordarm, and combined with aggressive binding, closing and grappling techniques. This course will present a basic introduction to the style of sword and buckler combat described by I.33, concentrating on illustrating the principles of the system, as a complimentary study to the use of the Broadsword and Targe, with which it shares many similarities.