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Martin Huntsfeld

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Martin Huntsfeld
Born date of birth unknown
Died before 1452
Occupation Fencing master
Nationality German
Movement Fellowship of Liechtenauer
Genres
Language Early New High German
Manuscript(s)
First printed
english edition
Tobler, 2010
Concordance by Michael Chidester
Translations

Martin Huntsfeld (Martein Hündsfelder) was an early 15th century German fencing master. Based on his surname, he was likely born in Psie Pole, a district of present-day Wrocław, Poland; alternatively, it is possible that he was from the village of Hundsfeld, about 20 km east of Würzburg. While Huntsfeld's precise lifetime is uncertain, he seems to have died some time before the creation of the Starhemberg Fechtbuch in 1452.[1] The only other thing that can be determined about his life is that his renown as a master was sufficient for Paulus Kal to include him in the list of members of the Fellowship of Liechtenauer in 1470.[2] Attributed to Huntsfeld are teachings on armored fencing (both with the short sword and unarmed), dagger, and mounted fencing.

Treatises

Note that the Augsburg, Salzburg, Graz, and Rostock versions of Huntsfeld's treatise on short sword fencing are erroneously credited to Lew, while that of Andre Lignitzer is credited to Huntsfeld.[3]

The text of the Krakow version of Hundsfeld frequently refers to intended illustrations that were never added to the manuscript. The appropriate blank pages are included in the illustration column as placeholders. It's possible (though not likely, given what we know about its origins) that this manuscript was replicating another one with a complete set of illustrations; if this ever surfaces, the illustrations will be replaced.

Beginning with the Augsburg version (and later also in the works of Mair), the mounted fencing gloss attributed to Lew concludes with the poem that begins Huntsfeld's mounted teachings. It's likely that the manuscript was planned to include the entire mounted fencing treatise, but it was either never completed or, since the poem falls at the end of a quire, that the final quire containing it was later lost from the manuscript. The Vienna and Rostock versions further complicate the matter by including the poem separately from the Lew gloss but not including the Huntsfeld section either. The fact that the poem was eventually transmitted separately from either work suggests that it might not be the work of Huntsfeld at all. These versions are all listed here for lack of a better claim to authorship.

Additional Resources

References

  1. His name is accompanied by the traditional blessing on the dead on folio 87r.
  2. The Fellowship of Liechtenauer is recorded in three versions of Paulus Kal's treatise: MS 1825 (1460s), Cgm 1570 (ca. 1470), and MS KK5126 (1480s).
  3. Jaquet and Walczak 2014.
  4. Das Initial ist ausgespart und nur durch einen kleinen provisorischen Buchstaben kenntlich gemacht.
  5. completed based on Danzig
  6. Written "die In", with marks indicating the correct order
  7. Korrigiert aus »an«.
  8. Placed between "die hant", with marks indicating the correct placement
  9. Note: "wrenching" is a pure guess.
  10. Paragraph placed after 53.
  11. Die beiden Worte »ÿm« und »mit« sind vertauscht, was durch entsprechende Einfügezeichen kenntlich gemacht ist.
  12. Should be "fůessen"
  13. Unleserliches Wort von anderer Hand neben der der Zeile. Illegible word from another hand next to the line.
  14. »mag« von anderer Hand neben der der Zeile. “mag” from another hand next to the line.
  15. Note: "pull upward" is another guess.
  16. choke
  17. das »b« war ursprünglich ein »g«
  18. Note: schlos/schloss can mean castle/fort as well as lock. In either case it is something that is strongly closed.
  19. Written "glaffenn der", with marks indicating the correct order
  20. Korrigiert aus »rechtenn.