So, if you ever thought historical dueling was all about "honor" and shit, think again... and maybe take a look at this extremely amusing
1611 German illustrated treatise on rapier fencing by Michael Hundt (yes, the guy was really called
that and did not speak English so he would not have been bullied over it), who has some
fascinating suggestions. We'll look at some pretty funny and (more or less... okay, hopefully less) relatable situations he describes! (I'm using my own translations and not the ones provided on that site.) None of this is supposed to be combat advice, or, worse, legal advice.
The first snippet I'm going to show here describes a somewhat unpleasant situation that's
probably self-defense, unless the author himself started the fight. Context: Mike Hunt (:p) is talking about a hateful (that is, "real" and not regulated) fight that breaks out, and everyone is wearing different weapons, so there are no clear rules of engagement. Mike Hunt (:p) has, however, a good reason to assume his opponent is superior at whatever bladed weapon they are brandishing.
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[...]und der eine hat nichts darinnen gelernet: So nemen E.G. an stat des Dolches ein kurz Rohr, allda wird sichs wol außweisen, was das beste bey der fache thut, oder nicht, Wo nich gleiche Wehren für dem Manne gebrauchet werden, denn in der noth muß man brauchen, was man erdencken kan [...]
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([...]and one has learned nothing in it: so Y.G. take instead of the dagger a short barreled weapon, and it will become clear what works best in that case, or no, where not same defenses are used by men, because in an emergency one must use whatever one can think of)Very pragmatic, that.
"Just shoot him if you know you can't beat him in a bladed fight" is such a charming and down-to-earth approach to the problem! Not necessarily one the guys who obsessed over honor would approve of... but I think that shit is typically reeeeallly exaggerated in "historical" and fantasy novels, and most real people also would have chosen survival.
Generally,
many situations Mike Hunt (:p) describes are much closer to self-defense than what today's writers understand as a "duel".
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Es kömpt bisweilen, das einer bey der Nacht von etlichen angegriffen wird, es sey wo es wolle, bißweilen von vier auch von fünf oder mehr Personen, und wird mancher also uberfallen, daß es ihme sein Leib und Leben kostet, und forderlich, wenn einer sich bey der Nacht wil auff die Bulschafft begeben, do offt ein ander ihme auff den Dienst wartet, wie es denn wol bißweilen kommen kan, so thunn E.G. ein ding, und verwaren sich mit einem guten Rappier. Werden aber E.G. im heimgehen uberfallen, von den ganzen Hauffen der Feinde, so nemen E.G. das Rappier zu beyden Feusten, und schiessen es nach dem nazen hauffen, und sehen hernach, wo E.G. weiter können schuz erlangen, Denn nith bricht bißweilen Eysen, ehe man das Leben dahin giebet.
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(It sometimes happens that one is attacked at night by several, no matter where, occasionally by four or five or more persons, and some people are ambushed in a way that costs them body and life, so if you are out at night in order to have an affair, and someone else is lying in wait for him as can happen sometimes, so do a thing and defend yourself with a good rapier. But if Y.G. is attacked while going home, by the whole group of enemies, you Y.G. take the rapier in both fists, throw it into the whole group, and afterwards see about getting safety. Because sometimes necessity breaks iron before you give life away.)Yep. If you're ever attacked by a group of thugs while you just wanted to go and, uh... Look, this is reeeeaaally ambiguously phrased, and unless I'm very wrong about this man's mindset, this is entirely intentional. He's either out at night to
visit a lover or to
have intercourse in public. (With this guy, it's probably the latter, but there's just enough plausible deniability.) Either way, he's describing something that's clearly a genuine self-defense situation. "Throw your rapier at them and run" sounds like
excellent advice when faced with multiple attackers, too.
Some other situations are just what you'd expect in a modern German bar fight. (Some things never change.) Mike Hunt (:p) is, of course, perfectly aware of the oldest trick in the book!
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Wollen E.Gn. einem ein bossen reissen, es sey im fechten oder im balgen, im Dolch unnd Rappier zugleich, so brauchen E.G. nicht mehr, als diese wort, ich balge mich nicht mit ihr zweyten, sondern mur mit einem, und sich der wil umbsehen, so kömpt er zu kurz, und können ihn E.Gn. durch und durch stossen, auch ihn um hawen verleßen, wenn er nicht recht ist vor der Thür gewesen, und heisset recht: Biete dinem Feinde das Gesichte, trawe ihme nicht zu viel, das heist recht verführet, im fechten und im balgen, man kan es auch aunem aus kurzweile thun, wann E.G. lust zu einem haben im fechten, aber un der noth und in grossen unfällen ist dieses stück auch gut zugebrauchen.
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(If Y.G. wishes to trick someone, whether it's in fencing or in grappling, same for dagger or rapier, so Y.G. does not need more than this word, "I will not fight you two but only one", and he wants to turn and look, so he comes up short and Y.G. can stab him through and through, or strike him down when he was not right at the door, and it is said correctly: "Face the enemy, don't trust him too much", this is a proper deception both in fencing and in grappling, you can also do it for fun if you are yearning for a fight, but in trouble and great emergencies this piece is also useful.)If you now suspect that Mike Hunt (:p), who apparently not only stabbed people from behind
for fun (let's be clear: that's not self-defense, that's just murder), but actually thought to publish the suggestion in an instruction manual (I
think this, at least, is really just German humor and not a genuine suggestion... look, one can hope, right?), was
generally not necessarily the most law-abiding guy ever...
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Sehen E.G. daß einer mit einem Flegel bey der Nacht zu ir kömpt, vö wil nach E.G. schlagen (wie es denn bißweilen der gebrauch ist auff Universiteten, wenn man von Tische gehen, und von der Wache wird angegriffen, wenn offt einer etwas zuvor bey der Wache gethan hat, und ein anderer kömpt [...]
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(If Y.G. sees that someone goes after you with a flail at night, and wants to hit Y.G. (as occasionally happens at universities, when you leave the table, and you are attacked by the guard, because often one has previously done something to the guard, and another comes [...])...you might be correct. The guy this just
occasionally happened to is, however, an excellent resource, providing priceless advice. (The actual fencing advice is less interesting, though - looks solid as far as I can tell without ever having used a real rapier, no
obvious nonsense like in some other pamphlets of the time - but you find the same information also in other old publications... And the illustrations are clearly more interested in fashion design than fencing, which makes the whole thing hilarious.) By the way, he's also describing the classic "brick in a sock" (well, a bag of stones, but same thing) as "sometimes superior to three or four bare rapiers". That bag of stones would not have shown up in a "honorable" duel, either, but Mike Hunt (:p) values practicality over formality. (The whole thing just
screams North German, right? Well. Mike Hunt (:p) was from what's Saxony-Anhalt today.) Strong reading recommendation! :)
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