Halpschilt
Halpschilt
Literally: half-shield
Also known as: Halbschild
A defensive sword-and-buckler position from manuscript I.33, in which the strong part of the blade is hidden behind the buckler.
Quick Facts
About
Halpschilt, also Halbschild, literally half-shield, is one of the so-called obsessiones, the defensive positions of manuscript I.33. It is the oldest surviving European fencing treatise on sword and buckler, dated roughly to 1270-1320, and it describes a bout between a priest (sacerdos) and a student, Walpurgis, armed with an arming sword and a buckler. In halpschilt the sword is held high or low so that its middle third, the forte, remains hidden behind the buckler. Unlike fully open guards, halpschilt thus hides the forte of the blade and limits the opponent's options for binding: it prevents a bind on the inside of the sword and forces the opponent to bind on the outside. According to an analysis on a blog devoted to Talhoffer, this at the same time reduces the number of defensive reactions the fighter must handle and simplifies his tactics. A similar sword-and-buckler position was used a century later by master Hans Talhoffer (1467).
Historical sources
- Liber de Arte Dimicatoria (MS I.33) — Lutegerus (Clericus Lutegerus), 1270–1330