Michael Chidester

In his short life, master cutler and Freifechter Joachim Meyer appears to have had quite a successful career as a fencing master, teaching craftsmen and nobility alike while also authoring at least four different fencing treatises (and possibly more). His works became renowned far outside of his own nation and were copied by other authors for over 100 years after his death. This book contains Dr. Rebecca Garber's entirely new translation of Meyer's longest and most developed treatise, Foundational Description of the Valiant, Knightly, and Noble Art of Fencing, published in 1570. It teaches complex and sophisticated methods for using all the typical weapons of his day, beginning with the two-handed sword prized by the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer, then showing how traditional German fencing could be applied to the eastern European dusack and the Mediterranean rapier which had become popular as sidearms, and finally covering the dagger and polearms that were commonly used in the militias of the Imperial Free Cities. To aid in the study of this important work, the 61 elaborate Figures created by the circle of Tobias Stimmer have been broken up into individual pairs of fencers and placed inline in the text, and hundreds of footnotes have been added throughout. In addition, Roger Norling has provided an exhaustive, 110-page introduction to Meyer and the world that he inhabited. This book will prove to be an important resource for any student of medieval or early modern fencing.

This book contains a representation of an early 20th century typescript by A. F. Johnson, currently owned by the Howard de Walden Library and housed in the Wallace Collection, containing his unpublished translation of the 1606 treatise of Salvator Fabris. Since it is not possible to scan the book, it was photographed by Guy Windsor and these photos were carefully transcribed by Michael Chidester, and then formatted to resemble the original as closely as modern technology allows. No attempt has been made to correct spelling, grammar, or formatting errors present in the original. This is the illustrated edition, containing reproductions of Fabris' artwork on the blank verso pages, as might have been intended for the original. There is also an unillustrated edition, exactly matching the typescript.

This book contains a representation of an early 20th century typescript by A. F. Johnson, currently owned by the Howard de Walden Library and housed in the Wallace Collection, containing his unpublished translation of the 1606 treatise of Salvator Fabris. Since it is not possible to scan the book, it was photographed by Guy Windsor and these photos were carefully transcribed by Michael Chidester, and then formatted to resemble the original as closely as modern technology allows. No attempt has been made to correct spelling, grammar, or formatting errors present in the original. This is the unillustrated edition, exactly matching the typescript. There is also an illustrated edition containing reproductions of Fabris' artwork on the blank verso pages, as might have been intended for the original.

This is a companion volume to the Leck chner facsimile. In its pages, you will find articles from some of the leading scholars in the field of historical European martial arts studies that highlight various aspects of the manuscript and the world it came from. T]he first section contains a detailed description of the manuscript and its history by Michael Chidester, as well as a full transcription by Carsten Lorbeer, et al. T]he second section relates to Leck chner himself. Daniel Burger describes the life and times of Hans Leck chner in great detail. Falko Fritz discusses the physical properties of Messers and how they relate to Leck chner's teachings, and Jessica Finley delves into the unusual terminology used by Leck chner (and Liechtenauer). T]he third section looks at the wider landscape of Messer fencing that Leck chner existed in. Dierk Hagedorn offers the first catalog of all surviving Messer and Dussack treatises. Olivier Dupuis discusses the concept of fencing in jest and in earnest and how it's reflected in fencing treatises. Casper J. van Dijk and Oskar ter Mors evaluate the Messer teachings that predate Leck chner and look for possible influences on his teachings. Finally, Adam Franti considers the place of Messers and Dussacks in art and society throughout the early modern period.

Fiore dei Liberi was a weapons-master from Italy who was active in the 14th and early 15th century. After fifty years of training Italy's elite, he put his art to paper and created the Flower of Battle. The Flower of Battle covers the use of the dagger, sword, spear, axe as well as fighting in armor, on horseback, and other odds and ends. MS M 383, owned by the Morgan Library and Museum, differs from the other Italian versions by beginning with fighting on horseback and moving to foot combat with progressively smaller weapons. It has been transcribed and translated by Michael Chidester, who also wrote a codicological analysis and an overview of dueling at the turn of the 15th century to help contextualize the treatise. An appendix includes a paper by Jay Leccese that analyzes the artwork and explores connections to others of Fiore's manuscripts.

The long sword gloss in GNM ms. 3227a is one of the most important texts in the Liechtenauer corpus. It presents a teaching that is unique in the tradition, more focused on ideas and concepts than on individual plays or techniques. In this way, it is the perfect companion to the more action-oriented glosses of other masters like Sigmund ain Ringeck, Pseudo-Peter von Danzig, and Jud Lew. This book seeks to present these teachings in a new light, with an original English translation that is easier to read and understand than existing offerings. In this way, it will hopefully reveal this important text to a wider audience.

The long sword gloss in GNM ms. 3227a is one of the most important texts in the Liechtenauer corpus. It presents a teaching that is unique in the tradition, more focused on ideas and concepts than on individual plays or techniques. In this way, it is the perfect companion to the more action-oriented glosses of other masters like Sigmund ain Ringeck, Pseudo-Peter von Danzig, and Jud Lew. This book seeks to present these teachings in a new light, with an original English translation that is easier to read and understand than existing offerings. In this way, it will hopefully reveal this important text to a wider audience.

The long sword gloss in GNM ms. 3227a is one of the most important texts in the Liechtenauer corpus. It presents a teaching that is unique in the tradition, more focused on ideas and concepts than on individual plays or techniques. In this way, it is the perfect companion to the more action-oriented glosses of other masters like Sigmund ain Ringeck, Pseudo-Peter von Danzig, and Jud Lew. This book seeks to present these teachings in a new light, with an original English translation that is easier to read and understand than existing offerings. In this way, it will hopefully reveal this important text to a wider audience. Included are color scans, revised transcription by Dierk Hagedorn, English translation by Michael Chidester, introductory material, and a few notes along the way.

The long sword gloss in GNM manuscript 3227a is one of the most important texts in the Liechtenauer tradition. This is beyond question. It presents a teaching that is unique in the tradition, more focused on ideas and concepts than on individual plays or techniques. In this way, it is the perfect companion to the more action-oriented glosses of other masters like Sigmund ain Ringeck, Pseudo-Peter von Danzig, and Jud Lew. This book seeks to present these teachings in a new light, with an original translation that will hopefully be easier to read and understand than existing offerings. In this way, it will hopefully reveal this important text to a wider audience. A large format version, including color scans and a revised transcription by Dierk Hagedorn, can be had here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-chidester-and-dierk-hagedorn/the-long-sword-gloss-of-gnm-manuscript-3227a-hardcover/hardcover/product-24490896.html