| Summary: | Royal Armouries Manuscript I.33, also known as the Tower Fechtbuch or the Walpurgis Manuscript, is the oldest-known manual of swordsmanship in the western canon. Dated to the early fourteenth century, it is a stunning work of late medieval art and the Armouries' most treasured manuscript, one so famous it has become known simply by its shelf number: I.33. -- Book jacket. Jointly Published with the British Royal Armouries, Medieval fighting has long been thought to be rough and untutored. Visions of men madly slashing to and fro and hoping for the best still dominate not only popular culture but modern histories of fencing as well. In recent years, the survival of more than 175 fighting treatises from the Middle Ages and Renaissance has provided a whole generation of enthusiasts, scholars, reenactors and stage choreographers with a wealth of new information. This text represents the earliest known text on swordsmanship anywhere in the world. Royal Armouries MS I.33 presents a system of combat that is sophisticated and demonstrates the diffusion of fighting arts beyond the military classes. Within the manuscripts richly illustrated full-color illustrations lie still-potent demonstrations of sword techniques, surprisingly shown by a Priest and Scholar. Most surprisingly, however, is the presence of a woman practicing in the text, the only one illustrated in any European fighting treatise. This full color facsimile & translation has been long-awaited and promises to become an important resource for years to come.
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