Hans Talhoffer — A Glimpse Into The Underestimated Medieval People Lives
The world of today boasts of its technologies and achievements. But, the curiosity that a human mind holds doesn’t have a start date, or does it?
Here, we are going to talk about Hans Talhoffer. For those who don’t know who he is, let’s start with a brief introduction. Hans Talhoffer was born around ca. 1410 to 1415. Although, his birthplace isn’t clear, many records dating from 1443 state his name. His existence stretches over different places in today’s Germany. He was a master of fencing. But fencing wasn’t his only expertise. In his, Fechtbuch you can see clear and colorful pictures of many types of fight techniques. His book also records some inventions. Were all the illustrations in the book his ideas? Or whether all those machines and fighting strategies were common at that time.
Some of the interesting chapters in his book are below.
Man VS Woman Duel
This duel probably used to take place between a husband and wife. This image tells a lot about the status of women in medieval times. Maybe it was different than the pictures we usually see of medieval women.
Both the fighters are wearing a suit made up of linen or leather. You can see that the woman is holding a cloth. The cloth contains something that can cause harm to the man, like rocks. The man can be seen half immersed in a hole. The man uses a weapon that he could handle using his hand. The woman could run around the combat area. But the hole limits the man’s movement.
Talhoeffer’s book describes many methods of fighting for this kind of combat. The result of this combat was the death of one of the fighters.
Practices In Battles
Talhoffer’s book tells a lot about common practices during battles. Although there’s no text written about this image in the book. Still, the picture speaks so much by itself. These could be common military practices during that time.
First is a man sitting in a perrière. A perrière is a machine used in medieval times for throwing stones. The man seems to spy at the castle or the canon on the top of the castle. The second man is sitting on a bladder raft supported by a cantilever. This should have been the tool to cross the river and reach the castle. The third man is using an air ring or swim ring by inflating it through a pipe.
Gilding a Wreath of White Roses
Talhoeffer’s book not only tells about battle practices and fighting techniques. But also, methods of how certain things were done since the medieval ages.
Take some marsh marigold flowers. Mash the flowers and then beat some eggs whites. Mix the mashed flowers, beaten eggs, and some brandy. You’ll get a golden-colored mixture. Now paint your white roses with this mixture. And you get golden roses.
It’s pretty surprising that without much means, people still used to find ways to carry out their jobs. The wreath should have been really beautiful. Not to forget that all the materials used in the process are natural.
Talhoeffer’s book contains many pictures and descriptions like these. Once you start reading the book, it’s impossible to take your eyes away from it. The manual is proof of human history and how we evolved.
Images via Fight Earnestly — the Fight-Book from 1459 AD by Hans Talhoffer by Jeffrey Hull.
