Archives for January 2019

O lordy. Here we go. This page alone blows every other longsword treatise out of the water. We have footwork, people. Clearly-defined terms. Nothing vague, mysterious or difficult. This section begins with these words above the picture:

Noy semo doi guardie, una si fatta che l’altra, e una e contraria de l’altra. E zaschuna altra guardia in l’arte una simile de l’altra sie contrario, salvo le guardie che stano in punta, zoe, posta lunga e breve e meza porta di ferro che punta per punta la piu lunga fa offesa inanci. E zoe che po far una po far l’altra. E zaschuna guardia po fare volta stabile e meza volta. Volta stabile sie che stando fermo po zugar denanci e di dredo de una parte. Meza volta si e quando uno fa un passo o inanzi o indredo, e chossi po zugare de l’altra parte de inanzi e di dredo. Tutta volta sie quando uno va intorno uno pe cum l’altro pe, l’uno staga fermo e l’altro lo circundi. E perzo digo che la spada si ha tre movimenti, zoe volta stabile, meza volta, e tutta volta. E queste guardie sono chiamate l’una e l’altra posta di donna. Anchora sono iv cose in l’arte, zoe passare, tornare, acressere, e discressere.

We are two guards, one made like the other, and one is counter to the other. And [with] every other guard in the art one like the other is the counter, except for the guards that stand with the point [in the centre], thus, long guard and short, and middle iron door, that thrust against thrust the longer will strike first. And thus what one can do the other can do. And every guard can do the stable turn and the half turn. The stable turn is when, standing still, you can play in front and behind on one side. The half turn is when one makes a pass forwards or backwards, and thus can play on the other side, in front and behind. The whole turn is when one goes around one foot with the other foot, the one staying still and the other going around. And so I say that the sword also has three movements, thus stable turn, half turn, and full turn. And these guards are called, one and the other, the woman’s guard. Also there are four things in the art, thus: pass, return, advance, and retreat.

Let’s unpack this. 

1. The two guards shown are both posta di donna. One is shown forward weighted, the other back weighted. I interpret the difference between them to be a volta stabile (more on that later). 

2. Any two guards that are alike can counter each other. 

3. Except for guards that have the point in the centre line (longa, breve, and mezana porta di ferro; more on those in the next section). This is because the longer sword will strike first. Here I’m translating punta as point (stano in punta, stand with the point), and thrust (punta per punta, thrust against thrust). The meaning is obvious whichever way you translate it though: don’t stand with your point in line against someone else who has their point in line unless you have the longer sword.

4. Any similar guards can do what the guards they are like can do.

5. Every guard can do the volta stabile and the meza volta. (I use the Italian terms for technical actions, guards, etc. where possible. Refer to the glossary if you need it.

6. The volta stabile: I interpret stando fermo, standing still, to mean without stepping, or moving a foot. As I do the volta stabile, the balls of my feet stay on the same spot on the ground. It makes no sense for a turning action to involve no movement at all, so standing still cannot mean literally ‘not moving’.

7. The meza volta: this is a passing action, forwards or backwards. I interpret that to include a turn of the hips and body, so you go from one side to the other. 

8. The tutta volta: here again we have a ‘fixed’ foot, that, unless your legs are made of swivel-joints (top tip: they’re not), must at least turn around itself for the action to occur. This supports my reading of ’stando fermo’ above. Simply, this is whenever you pivot on one foot by turning the other one round it. There is a video of me doing these three movements further down this post.

9. The sword also has three movements: stable turn, half turn, and full turn. Unfortunately there is no further discussion of this, and these terms simply aren’t used in the rest of the book. Fiore will tell us to ‘turn the sword’ for instance in the play of the punta falsa, on f27v, but never with the qualifiers stable half or full. So I simply do not use these terms to apply to sword actions. Other instructors and interpreters do, but you should be aware that there is no evidence supporting any one interpretation of these turns over another.

10. In case you missed it the first time: both these guards are posta di donna. Both of them. Got that?

11. There are four things in the Art: pass, return, advance and retreat. (See the video further down this post.)

Let me further unpack those four things:

Passare and Tornare

Passare is to pass; an unexceptional and totally uncontroversial word meaning to step with one foot going past the other. As we see from the meza volta definition, it can be done forwards and backwards. Tornare is also a pass, but backwards. It literally means to return (please note: it in no way implies a turning action). It is not often used in the treatise, though you can find it used on f19r, in the play of the dagger defending against a sword thrust:

Qui cominza Spada e daga a zugare. La vantazo e grande a chi lo sa fare. Lo magistro spetta in questa guardia. E la guardia se chiama denti di zenghiaro. Vegna tagli e punte che di quello mi so guardare. Lo pe dritto cum rebatter in dredo lu faro tornare. Lo zogo stretto so a mente e non lu posso fallare. A uno a uno vegna chi contra me vol fare. Che se ello non me fuzi io lo guastaro in un voltare.

Here begin the sword and the dagger to play. The advantage is great to the one that knows how to do it. The master waits in this guard. And the guard is called the boar’s tooth. Come cut or thrust, I am watching for them. I make a return with the right foot with the parry. I have the close play in mind and I cannot fail. Come one by one, whoever wants to act against me. They cannot escape me, I’ll smash them in one turn.

Note: I’ve translated ‘rebatter’ here as parry, because you’re doing it with the dagger against the sword, so it doesn’t feel like a ‘beat’, the way I would translate it sword against sword.

The play is shown in the next illustration:

Lo mio magistro contra la punta fa tal coverta e subito fieri in lo volto overo in lo petto. E cum daga contra spada sempre vole zogo stretto. Qui son stretto e ti posso ben ferire, o vogli o no tu lo conven sofrire.

My master makes this cover against the thrust, and immediately strikes in the face or in the chest. And with the dagger against the sword one always wants close play. Here I am close and can strike you well. Whether you want to or not, you will suffer.

I need to shoot a video of this action- in the meantime, you can find it on pages 140-142 of The Medieval Dagger  as you can see in these page caps:

Notice that the tornare here isn’t really a full pass back: the feet come together. But I do end up with the other foot forwards, so they must pass each other.

You can also find tornare used in the text regarding posta frontale, on f24v, the pollax guard finestra, on f36r, and in the spear guard dente di zenghiaro, on f40r. Note, I’ve not done an exhaustive search for it, as it is an uncontroversial word.

Acressere and Discressere

We know from the internal evidence that accressere (literally ‘increase’, which I translate as ‘advance’) is a movement of the front foot forwards and/or to the side, without passing, such as in the plays of the sword in one hand. Discressere (literally ‘decrease’) is used much more rarely (I’ve had a quick look, but can’t find a single instance. There’s bound to be one somewhere, feel free to point it out), but is obviously a step back without passing. 

This video is extracted from the 23 minute longsword footwork class module from the Fundamentals: Footwork course. If Fiore's footwork fascinates you, you can buy just that one section for only $20 (plus sales tax in the EU, sorry), here: https://swordschool.teachable.com/p/longsword-footwork-mini-course

The mini-course also includes a $100 discount voucher for the whole course.

In conclusion then, we have three turns (stable, half, and full), and four steps (pass forwards, pass back, step forwards, step back), making seven things. I wonder how many blows of the sword there are? That’s coming in a couple of weeks. Next up will be the six ways of holding the sword, starting with the rest of this page. See you then.

I've completed work on all the longsword out of armour and on foot plays, and it has been published as From Medieval Manuscript to Modern Practice. 

F21v continues with the tenth play of the sword in one hand, like so:

Questo mi trassi per la testa e io rebater la sua spada. Io so vegnudo aquesto partido. Anchora ti faro volare voltare per non aver fallito. E la spada te mettero al collo, tanto son io ardito.

[The underlined “volare” is in the text; it should be crossed out, but I’ve reproduced it as-is, and translated it too!]

This one attacked my head, and I beat his sword. I have come to this technique. Again I want to make you fly turn, to not fail. And I’ll put my sword to your neck, so bold am I.

It’s nice to see one of the four virtues (in this case ardimento) mentioned in the text. Here’s a blog post on developing that virtue, should you need it.

The play is quite simple: as the blow comes in, you beat it away and down, and enter in, pushing the elbow, and turning them to cut their throat. Here it is:

“Peasant’s blow?” I hear you cry? Why yes, it reminds me strongly of that. Because the only way that player’s sword is going to end up on the ground is if they fall asleep mid-attack (which is unlikely), or they are striking overly hard. Like a peasant. 

This is the fifth and sixth play of the master of the zogho largo crossed at the middle of the swords, on f26r.

Questo zogho sie chiamado colpo di villano, e sta in tal modo, zoe, che si de aspettare lo villano che lo traga cum sua spada, e quello che lo colpo aspetta de stare in picolo passo cum lo pe stancho denanzi. E subito che lo villano ti tra per ferire acresse lo pe stancho fora de strada inverso la parte dritta. E cum lo dritto passa ala traversa fora di strada piglando lo suo colpo a meza la tua spada. E lassa discorrer la sua spada a terra e subito responde gli cum lo fendente per la testa o vero per gli brazi, overo cum la punta in lo petto come depento. Anchora e questo zogho bon cum la spada contra la azza, e ntra un bastone grave o liziero.

This play is called the peasant’s blow, and it’s like this, thus: one awaits the peasant to attack one with his sword, and the one who waits should be in a narrow stance [piccolo passo: lit. Small pace, I.e. With the feet not too far apart] with the left foot forwards. And immediately that the peasant comes to strike, advance the left foot out of the way towards the right side [of the peasant]. And with the right pass across out of the way, grabbing his blow in the middle of your sword. And let it run off to the ground and immediately reply with the fendente to the head, or to the arms, or with the thrust in the chest as is pictured. Also this play is good with the sword against the axe, and against a staff, heavy or light.

Qui denanzi sie lo colpo del villano che ben glo posta la punta in lo petto. E cossi gli posseva un colpo per la testa fare e per gli brazzi cum lo fendente com’e ditto denanzi. Anchora s’el zogadore volesse ‘ntra de mi fare volendo mi ferire cum lo riverso sotto gli miei brazzi io subito acresso lo pe stancho e metto la mia spada sopra la sua. E non mi po far niente.

Here before is the peasant’s blow, that can well put the thrust in the chest. And thus one could do a strike to the head and to the arms with the fendente as is said above. Also, if the player might want to act against me wishing to strike me with the riverso under my arms, I immediately advance the left foot and put my sword over his. And he can do nothing to me.

I do it like so:

It’s worth noting that Fiore (or his scribe) spells colpo di villano in two different ways here: di, or del. It’s not important to the meaning, it’s just important to remember that standardised spelling was many years in the future, so don’t sweat it.

This section concludes with the 11^th play, which on the face of it makes no sense:

Questo e un zogo che vol esser armado chi vol metter tal punta. Quando uno ti tra di punta o de taglio, tu fay la coverta e subito metti gli questa per lo modo che depinto.

This is a play that should be done in armour, and that places this thrust. When one comes at you with a thrust or a cut, you make the cover and immediately place this [thrust] in the way that is pictured.

And then we have two blokes just standing there. What on Earth is the player’s sword doing down there, and what is the scholar up to?

My feeling is that this is no more than a general instruction: when in armour, thrust using half-sword. If we turn a couple of pages to 22v, we see this figure:

Io son bona guardia contra spada azza e daga siando armado, per che io tegno la spada cum la man mancha al mezo. Ello faco per fare contra la daga che me po fare de le altre arme pezo.

I am a good guard against sword, axe, and dagger, being in armour, because I hold the sword with the left hand at the middle. I do it [i.e. hold the sword with the left hand at the middle] to act against the dagger, which can do worse [to me] than the other weapons.

It’s clear then that the grip shown is the critical factor in armoured combat with the sword. Skipping ahead to the guards and plays of the sword in armour, f32v-f35r, we see only half-sword grips on the part of Fiore’s masters and scholars at the moment of the cover, which confirms the theory that half-swording is the critical instruction here. So I think that the ‘technique’ shown in the picture on 21v is a general admonition: ‘in armour, do this’ rather than a specific action.

Either begin in one of the armoured guards, or make the parry and shift to half-sword.

This concludes the sword in one hand section; next week I'll provide a summary of the material so far, and place it in some historical context. Be warned, there may be some German stuff coming… see you then!

This project is being published in stages. You can get part one, The Sword in One Hand, as a free PDF by subscribing to my mailing list below, or buy it in ebook format from Amazon or Gumroad. You can get Part two, Longsword Mechanics, from Amazon or Gumroad too!

Continuing on from last week…. If you’re coming late to the party, you should start here (where I explain what this project is all about, describe my decision making in the transcription and translation, and so on). Unless you are already familiar with Fiore, and are looking for a specific play, then starting at the beginning is the best way to go.

The sixth play is simplicity itself: push the elbow.

The text reads:

Qui ti posso ferire denanci. E questo non mi basta, per lo cubito che io ti penco, io ti faro voltare per ferirte di dredo, e la spada al collo ti poro butare, si che di questo non ti poray guardare.

Here I can strike you in front. And this does not satisfy me; by the push that I have given to your elbow, I will make you turn to strike you from behind, and I can throw my sword to your neck, and you won’t be able to defend against it.

By controlling the elbow, you can prevent them from parrying your strike. By pushing it, you can turn them to strike from behind. The seventh play shows this continuation. The text reads:

Per quello zogo che me denanzi per quello modo ti faro voltare e subito la spada mia ti butar al collo. Se io non te taglo la gola di pur che io sia tristo e follo.

By this play that is before me, in this way I make you turn and immediately throw my sword to your neck. If I don’t cut your throat, I would be a sad fool.

This is how I do it:

The 8^th play is interesting; it’s basically a breaking of the thrust (which I’ll detour into in a moment).

The text reads: 

Tu mi zitassi una punta e io la rebati a terra. Vede che tu sei discoverto e che ti posso ferire. Anchora ti voglo voltare per farte pezo. E di dredo te feriro in quello mezo.

You threw a thrust at me and I beat it to the ground. You see that you are uncovered and I can strike you. Also I want to turn you by pushing you. And I will strike you from behind in the middle of that [turn].

We turn the page to the 9^th play to find the results of the elbow pushed mentioned in the 8^th play:

F21v

Per la volta che ti fici fare penzando ti per lo cubito, a questo partido so’ vegnudo ben di subito, per cason ti butar te in terra, per che tu non fazi, ne a me ne altruy guerra.

By the turn that I have made you you, pushing your elbow, I have come to this play immediately, for the purposes of throwing you to the ground, so you will not make war with me or anyone else.

Here is how I do them:

Notice that the parry is different- you must keep your hand low and whip the blade over theirs, middle to middle and drive it to the ground. How do I know that? Well, practice, but also this, the 11^th play of the master of the zogho largo crossed at the middle of the swords, shown on f26v:

The text reads: 

Questa sie unaltra deffesa che se fa contra la punta, zoe, quando uno ti tra una punta come to detto in lo scambiar de punta in lo secondo zogo che me denanzi che se de acresser e passar fora di strada. Chossi si die far in questo zogho salvo che lo scambiar de punta se va cuz punta e cum gli brazzi bassi, e cum la punta erta de la spada come ditto denanzi. Ma questa se chiama romper de punta che lo scolaro va cum gli brazzi erti e pigla lo fendente cum lo acresser e passare fora de strada e tra per traverso la punta quasi a meza spada a rebater la a terra. E subito vene ale strette.

This is another defence that is done against the thrust, so, when one thrusts at you as I said in the exchange of thrust, in the second play that is before me, one advances and passes out of the way. So you must do in this play except that in the exchange of thrust you go with the thrust, and with the arms low, and with the point of the sword high, as I said before. But this is called the breaking of the thrust, that the scholar goes with his arms high and grabs the fendente with the advance and pass out of the way, and strikes across the thrust about at the middle of the sword to beat it to the ground. And immediately goes to the close plays.

The action is completed in the next play, the 12^th:

Lo scolaro che me denanzi a rebatuda la spada del zugador a terra, e io complisto lo suo zogho per questo modo. Che rebattuda la sua spada a terra, io gli metto cum forza lo mio pe dritto sopra la sua spada. Overo che io la rompo o la piglo per modo che piu non la pora curare. E quisto no me basta, che subito quando glo posto lo pe sopra la spada, io lo fiero cum lo falso dela mia spada sotta la barba in lo collo. E subito torno cum lo fendente de la mia spada per gli brazzi o per le man come depento.

The scholar that is before me has beaten the sword of the player to the ground, and I have completed his play in this way. Having beaten the sword to the ground, I place my right foot with force over his sword. Either I break it or I grab it in a way that prevents him from recovering from it. And this is not enough for me, so immediately that I have put my foot over his sword, I strike him with the false [edge] of my sword under the beard in the throat. And immediately return with the fendente with my sword to the arms or the hand as is pictured.

Isn’t that wonderfully specific? The false edge in the throat under the beard. This action, a roverso mezano, naturally leads into a fendente, which you can do to the head (as Fiore shows later), or to the arms or hand, as you see…

Here’s how I do that:

This is pretty straightforward. The next three plays are continuations from here, but I’ll leave them for when I translate that section, as they are not needed for understanding the 8^th play of the sword in one hand. But, it does look like I’ll have to cover the 9^th play of the second master of the zogho largo here, as Fiore mentions it in the text… ok, here goes:

Questo zogho si chiama scambiar de punta e se fa per tal modo zoe. Quando uno te tra una punta subito acresse lo tuo pe ch’e denanci fora de strada e cum l’altro pe passa ala traversa anchora fora di strada traversando la sua spada cum cum gli toi brazzi bassi e cum la punta de la tua spada erta in lo volto o in lo petto com’e depento.

This play is called the exchange of thrust, and it is done like this, thus. When one strikes a thrust at you immediately advance your foot that is in front out of the way and with the other foot pass also out of the way, crossing his sword with with your arms low and with the point of your sword up in the face or in the chest as is pictured.

Note the repeated ‘cum’, ‘with’. A common scribal error. Not secret messages from beyond the grave, ok? The instructions couldn’t be clearer, could they? I do this play like so (continuing onto the 10th play, which I'll cover later on):

I’m often asked about the difference between German and Italian medieval longsword sources. Here’s the big one, as far as I can see: Fiore tells us exactly what to do, and organises everything into a consistent and coherent system. The German sources… don’t.

Next week's post will complete the plays of the sword in one hand, and the week after that I'll summarise this section, and put its core action, the parry from the left, into some historical context with later Italian and German sources. I was thinking of putting these posts together into a pdf for you once I complete each section; would that be useful? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Just a gentle reminder: if you want me to see and respond to your comments on this material, you need to put them in the comments section on this site, or email me. I won't see it on crapbook, twooter, or the like. And, if you want to encourage me to get on with the rest of the treatise, then a tip in the tip jar would go a long way to persuading me you're finding this useful!

This project is being published in stages. You can get part one, The Sword in One Hand, as a free PDF by subscribing to my mailing list below, or buy it in ebook format from Amazon or Gumroad. You can get Part two, Longsword Mechanics, from Amazon or Gumroad too!

Happy New Year! and what better way to kick off 2019 than by stealing your opponent's sword?

Continuing on from last week… If you’re coming late to the party, you should start here (where I explain what this project is all about, describe my decision making in the transcription and translation, and so on.)

F21r sword in one hand 5^th play

Qui te posso ben ferire, e la tua spada tore senza fallire, voltandola in torno la mane ti faro riversare per modo che la spada te convien lassare.

Here I can strike you well, and take your sword without fail, turning it around your hand I’ll make you twist in such a way that you’d prefer to let go of the sword.

The execution of this play is perfectly clear and straightforward. You can see how I do it here: 

It depends on the player’s arm being sufficiently extended that you can reasonably grab the hilt, as shown in the image.  I do the turn to my right, only (just as I do the other tor di spada plays, on f30r and f30v. Seeing as I’ve mentioned them, here they are:

F30r: the Soprano Tor di Spada, 19^th and 20^th plays of the master of the zogho stretto:

Questo el tor di spada lo soprano cum lo mantener de mia spada io penzo inanzi e cum la mia man mancha io stringo gli doi brazi per modo chello convene perder la spada. E poy de grande feride gle faro derada. Lo Scolaro che me dredo aquesto zogo mostra como la spada del zugadore e in terra poste.

This, the upper taking of the sword [disarm], with the handle of my sword I push forwards and with my left hand I constrain his two arms in a way that makes him lose the sword. And then I mess him up with great blows. The scholar that is after me shows this play, how the sword of the player is put on the ground.

Per la presa del scolaro che denanzi mi a fatta la spada in terra te caduta, tu lo poy sentire. Asai feride te posso fare senza mentire.

By the grip of the scholar before me I have made your sword fall to the ground, you can feel it. So I can strike you, without lying.

Let me rephrase that last sentence: “I can smack you up, no lie”. Or “I’m not lying when I say…”

As you can see, I prefer to give you the more literal translation, as a number of readers are using the transcription and translation to teach themselves Italian (or at least, teaching themselves to read Fiore). By sticking as closely to his sentence structure and grammar as is consistent with making sense, I’m helping those future scholars of the art. This may not suit everyone, but tough.

Turning the page to 30v, we see three more disarms, the middle (gripping the sword handle), the lower (gripping the pommel), and a last un-named variant, where you drop your sword and grab the blade. 

21st play:

Questo el mezano tor de spada chi lo sa fare. Tal voltar di spada si fa in questo qual al primo. Salvo che le prese non sono eguale.

This the middle disarm that I know how to do. The turn of the sword is done in this [play] as in the first. Except that the grips are not the same.

22nd play:

Questo e un altro tor de spada chiamado sottano. Per tal simele modo se tole questa como fa lo sottano el soprano, zoe cum tale voltar de spada per lo camino de le altre questa vada. Cum la mane dritta cargando inanci una volta fada cum lo mantenir. E la mane stancha la volta tonda debia seguir.

This is another disarm, called ‘low’. By that similar way this is done as is done the low, the high, thus with that turn of the sword in the path that the other is done, this goes. I make a turn with the handle with the right hand pressing forwards . And the left hand must follow the round turn.

The meaning is clear, but the language is clunky (sorry maestro). In essence: do this the same way that you did the high disarm, following the same path. (I translated ‘camino’ as ‘path’, though way would also work, because elsewhere I translate ‘modo’ as ‘way’. This ‘camino’ is explicitly a way as in a pathway, not a way as in a general style.) As you make the turn with the right hand pressing forwards, make sure your left hand follows the same turn. 

23^rd play:

Uno altro cosi fatto tor d’spada che quando uno e ale strette incrosado, lu scolaro de mettere la sua mane dritta per sotto la sua de si instesso E piglar quella del zugadore quasi al mezo o ben erto. E subito lassar la sua andar in terra. E cum la man stancha de piglar sotto lo pomo la spada del zugadore e dargli la volta tonda a man riversa, e subito lo zugadore avara la sua spada persa.

Another disarm is done like this, when one is crossed at the close, the scholar puts his right hand under his [sword]…. And grab that of the player about at the middle, or well up [the blade]. And immediately let his [sword] go to the ground. And with his left hand he grabs the player’s sword under the pommel and gives it a round turn to the left-hand side, and immediately the player will have lost his sword.

Returning to the sword in one hand, you can see that the mechanics of the disarm are the same in the fifth play; you turn their sword clockwise with your left hand at the hilt. As they are holding on with only one hand, you should be able to do the disarm using only your hand, but I usually use the blade of my sword (instead of the handle or your hand) to push their blade round too, and pass behind myself as I do it, just as in the stretto plays disarms. 

The disarms can be tricky for students, especially those which use the handle of your sword to apply pressure. I usually teach the 23^rd stretto play version first, starting from an artificial static crossing, then work backwards, through the low, middle and high disarm. This way the mechanics are clear. 

Here’s an extract from the Longsword Course, showing that procession from 23rd back to the 19th in practice:

Yes, you should definitely sign up for the course. Here's a 50% discount

Or you could buy me a drink via the tip jar. Mine’s a pint of IPA…

Next week we’ll take a look at plays 6-9, an elbow push, a throat cut, a breaking of a thrust, and ANOTHER elbow push. Exciting times ahead…

This project is being published in stages. You can get part one, The Sword in One Hand, as a free PDF by subscribing to my mailing list below, or buy it in ebook format from Amazon or Gumroad. You can get Part two, Longsword Mechanics, from Amazon or Gumroad too!