Part 1 Introduction

Chapter 1 History
Chapter 2 Concepts
Chapter 3 School of Thought
Chapter 4 Training

Part 2 Weapon Commentary

Chapter 1: Longsword
Chapter 2 Armor Battle
Chapter 3: Half-Sword and Assassination
Chapter 4 Two-Handed Sword
Chapter 5: Pulse and Messer
Chapter 6 Buckler
Chapter 7 Side Sword (Rapier)
Chapter 8 Side Swords and Daggers
Chapter 9 Side Sword and Cape
Chapter 10 Two Swords
Chapter 11: Basket-Hilt Sword
Chapter 12 Small Sword
Chapter 13 Wrestling
Chapter 14 Boxing
Chapter 15 Dagger
Chapter 16 Staffs and Long-Handled Weapons
Chapter 17: Sickles, scythes, flails, and clubs
Chapter 18: Rising, Developing, and Fighting
Chapter 19: King Duarte's Horsemanship
Chapter 20: Shield
Chapter 21: The Great Shield for Dueling
Chapter 22 Ranged Weapons
Chapter 23: Islamic Weapons and Armor

Part 3 Technical Commentary

How to Read Technical Diagrams
Chapter 1: Longsword
Chapter 2: British Longsword Fencing
Chapter 3: Half-Sword and Assassination
Chapter 4 Swords and Buckles
Chapter 5: Pulse and Messer
Chapter 6 Two-Handed Sword
Chapter 7 Side Sword
Chapter 8 Side Swords and Daggers
Chapter 9 Side Swords and Bucklers
Chapter 10 Side Sword and Taji
Chapter 11 Side Swords and Shields
Chapter 12 Side Sword and Cape
Chapter 13 Two Swords
Chapter 14 Small Sword
Chapter 15: Basket-Hilt Sword
Chapter 16: Mounted Combat
Chapter 17 Wrestling
Chapter 18 Dagger
Chapter 19 Boxing
Chapter 20: The Great Shield for Dueling
Chapter 21: Polaxe
Chapter 22 Long-Handled Weapons
Chapter 23: Pike and Longstaff
Chapter 24 Halberd
Chapter 25: Quarterstaff
Chapter 26: Sickles, scythes, flails, and clubs
Chapter 27: Combat with Different Weapons
Chapter 28: Martial Arts in Islam

Column

Tour Français
longsword
Priests and Weapons
The power of weapons seen through the remains
A real sword
How to hold a sword
How to make a sword

supplement
References
List of abbreviations in literature
Introduction to phrases

The Middle Ages in Europe are often called the barbaric age or the dark ages.
Given the bleak circumstances of the times, it is not surprising that such an expression would be used, but in relation to martial arts, it can be said with certainty that the opposite is true.
The desperation of having to defend oneself without help from anyone else led to the flourishing of various martial arts in the Middle Ages.
This was a struggle that began with human instinct, but eventually, thorough philosophy, science, and logic were combined to form a school of thought.
Each and every movement was a battle of high intelligence that could not be separated from various elements such as distance from the opponent, time, technique, feint, speed and strength, technique, and mindset.

It is on a different level from the simple swordsmanship we see in medieval content on the market, with coping methods to overcome the difference in strength, delicate movements considering the shortest distance, a mindset to overcome fear, and practical operating methods to maximize the abilities of various weapons and martial arts.
Even in hand-to-hand combat sports like wrestling and boxing, the basic techniques of the martial arts we know today were already perfected in the Middle Ages.


These movements were completed by famous martial artists of the time with detailed drawings and texts, and this is the martial arts textbook of the time, Fechtbuch.

This book explains in as much detail as possible the concepts of all the martial arts that were popular in medieval Europe, as recorded in the Fechtbuch.
Prior to martial arts, it comprehensively introduces the historical inevitability of the times in which weapons and movements emerged, as well as science, philosophy, popular trends, and ways of thinking.

All movements have been illustrated in detail by the author, and creators with a medieval European setting or readers interested in martial arts will find this part particularly inspiring.
It introduces not only the weapons we commonly encounter in various narratives, but also exotic weapons such as dual swords, scythes, and large shields, as well as Islamic martial arts.
It vividly illustrates mounted combat, duels between different weapons, and dazzling acrobatic techniques, and also includes practical columns on the power, crafting, and holding of swords.


The martial arts of medieval Europe are imbued with the history and spirit of the time.
Understanding martial arts means understanding the zeitgeist of the time, and can be considered a cornerstone for understanding modern European history and martial arts.
Medieval European martial arts contain the essence of research and techniques honed for survival.
This book, which captures the irresistible charm of medieval European martial arts, including its scientific and logical extreme practicality and simple yet profound secrets, is a masterpiece that I confidently recommend to both readers who want to know more about medieval Europe and those who want to delve deeper into modern martial arts.