Peter von Danzig's Fechtbuch (MS 1449)

pvd3  pvd5

MS 1449 is an extensive multi-master fechtbuch compiled in 1452. The essays may have been recorded sometime earlier by an aging Peter von Danzig and then compiled by his students, or perhaps the students themselves commited the verbal lessons to script. In addition to von Danzig's own contribution, this book includes treatises by Johannes Liechtenauer as well as Andreas Lignitzer, Martin Hundfeld, and Jud Ott, masters who like von Danzig himself were apparently associates of Liechtenauer.*  A similar fechtbuch, Goliath, compiled about 50 years later, repeated this pattern and included many of the same teachings of the same masters almost verbatim, with the addition of illustrations. Strangely, Peter von Danzig is the only master included in MS 1449 whose teachings are not included in Goliath.

*Paulus Kal, "Lichtenawer mit seiner geselschaft" - a list of masters: Liechtenauer and his 16 associates

The following links are to translations of some of the manuscript's chapters. This is an effort in progress. The first longsword chapter is a link to the completed Goliath version which is nearly identical to the Danzig version. Other chapters will follow.

    Liechtenauer's Longsword (Goliath version)
    Liechtenauer's Armoured Combat
    Hundfeld's Dagger
    Hundfeld's Armoured Combat  *new*
    Lignitzer's Dagger
    Lignitzer's Shortened (Half) Sword
    Lignitzer's Sword and Buckler


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