Translation Projects

Wiktenauer

Wiktenauer is an ongoing collaboration among researchers and practitioners from across the Western martial arts (WMA) community, seeking to collect all of the primary and secondary source literature that makes up the text of historical European martial arts (HEMA) research and to organize and present it in a scholarly but accessible format. The Wiktenauer project started in 2009, later receiving sponsorship from the HEMA Alliance, and is named for Johannes Liechtenauer, grand master of the best-documented tradition of the early Modern era, the subject of many dozens of manuscripts and books over a period of nearly three centuries.

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Lehr- und Handbuch der Deutschen Fechtkunst

W. Lübeck's Lehr- und Handbuch der Deutschen Fechtkunst from 1865 is an extensive manual - nearly 300 pages long - covering all aspects of the Berliner Turnschule fencing systems. The first section is devoted to the Stossfechten, thrust-fencing, that is derived from Kreussler's thrust-fencing system of the 17th century. This system's traditional interpretation is largely found with the Roux family and their publications, spanning from the late 18th through the late 19th century. The Berliner Turnschule interpretations of this system are similar but use German terminology rather than the French, and the techniques vary in some wrist positions and usage. Lübeck's manual describing this system is the most thorough treatment found within the Berliner Turnschule, and once the translation is complete (almost there!!) will be the most extensive English translation of a thrust-fencing system derived from Kreussler's teachings.

The book also contains bayonet fencing instructions, the Berliner Hiebfechten (cut fencing) system, and instructions on Doppelfechten, where the system seeks to recombine cut- and thrust fencing systems.

This book is my main translation focus at the moment. It will be my magnum opus, put out into the world section by section, until the whole thing is complete!

German Sabre

In his 1843 manual, Ernst Friedrich Seidler describes a system of fencing that developed out of German Academic Hiebfechten of the Berliner Turnschule during the French occupation of Prussia in the early 19th century. It treats the heavily curved m1811 light cavalry sabre, also known as the Blücher sabre, separately from the straight-bladed Pallasch or Kürassierdegen.

Infantry Saber

Friedrich Schneider's "Anleitung zum Unterricht im Säbelfechten" was published in Switzerland in 1887 and describes a basic infantry saber system with obvious German, French, and Italian influences.

Das Säbelfechten

Eiselen's Das Säbelfechten is a short work was written in 1836 and is a collection of exercises Eiselen, and presumably Seidler, used to teach sabre fencing on horseback to officers at the Königlichen Lehr-Eskadron. Being a short summary of the lessons and not a comprehensive manual makes it impossible to use as a stand-alone source, but it is an excellent complement to Seidler's book and the exercises on horseback that he describes.

Gustav Hergsell

Hergell's Unterricht im Sabelfechten, published in 1885, is a book filled with saber exercises (over 100 pages of them!!) and very little description of the techniques. It's a wonderful resource to combine with Hergsell's Die Fechtkunst or any other military saber system. Though I've translated some of this, I usually just work from the original German when using it as a source.

Die Fechtkunst

Gustav Hergsell's Die Fechtkunst from 1881 is a massive nearly 400 page book detailing the use of the foil and the saber. I've only translated bits and pieces of this one and have no plans to expand that in the near future. It is a beautiful book and the scans don't do it justice!

Deutsches Sabel und Stossfechten

I worked with the staff at the Smithsonian Libraries Research Annex to make scans of the 1888 reprint of Eiseln's 1857 work available. The reprint corrects some errors in the original and includes Das Sabelfechten, written in 1836. The summary of das Stossfechten is light on explanations, but contains all the summary exercise tables for the system.

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