I.33 Sword and Buckler

The world’s oldest surviving fencing manual, Royal Armouries MS I.33 contains a fabulous system of combat with sword and the small centre grip shield known as the buckler. This is one of the advanced weapons at Stoccata: Hobart and is taught based on Stephen’s book (with Paul Wagner), Medieval Sword and Shield, and particularly on Stephen’s revision of the I.33 system in his later paper, Re-interpretation of some aspects of the sword and buckler system of manuscript I.33 (which is due to be published in Spada II later this year).

Classes commence with the principles, ward and counterward, attacking and defending the arm, stabknocks, binding with the sword and shieldknocks. This introduces the student to the system and allows them to make sense of the seemingly endless collection of wards and techniques used in I.33, the latter simply being applications of principles.