Medieval Sword School (HEMA)

German Medieval Martial Arts

Journal of Medieval Military History XV

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How on earth have I not seen these books until now.  I also didn’t realise these set of books are actually the annual publication of De re militari: The Society for Medieval Military History.  With that in mind, I was really excited to delve into the Journal of Medieval Military History.  The first thing to say, is this is very well put together, for an organisation journal it is a very nice tome and not a magazine type affair you tend to expect.

This is a review of Issue XV.  I can see I am going to start saving for the previous issues.  Looks like this would build into an set like the Encyclopedia Britannica of medieval military history.

I think I am also going to have to become a card carrying member of De Re Militari.

The book doesn’t contain a theme beyond medieval military history so there is a wide array of subjects, some taken from a conference in 2009.  From Roman warfare, Norman conquests,  to how the English adapted during Viking wars, to the conquest of Estonia, plus a nice article on the Longbow.

Each chapter covers a different topic by a different author so the book provides so a wide range of ideas on medieval strategy and tactical thinking.  It is interesting to see some very different topics presented together in the same book.

I was very interested in the Roman, Viking, and Longbow contributions.

Richard Abels section on English strategies shows a military strategic link between middle ages military doctrine and the strategies espoused by Vegetius in his book on later roman military tactics – De re Militari.  It also shows why siege conflict becomes so popular as Generals in roman times are told to starve an enemy rather than fight them.

The chapter on the longbow was very interesting as the author says most people think of the longbow being present and decisive in every battle fought during the middle ages, but as he points out, they were used in great effect when in combination with heavy cavalry and infantry.  In some decisive battles such has Benevento in 1266, Manfred of Sicily has some 10,000 archers and foot soldiers but the day is won by cavalry.  So it was as much about strategy and tactics as much as having bowmen on the field.

There are a few chapters I glossed over as they didn’t currently appeal to me but I know they are there when I have a bit more time to investigate.

If you are a medieval military history buff, you will want to check out this range of books.

You can buy this book on Amazon

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

 

The Art of Renaissance Warfare: From the Fall of Constantinople to the Thirty Years War

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I have read a few of the Japanese samurai history books by Stephen Turnbull and was surprised to learn he has an interest in Medieval and Renaissance history too. The book covers the period of the 14th and 15th centuries.

During this period the book charts the development of arms, armour, and tactics in warfare.  The impact of technology on changes to the knightly arts of combat. The skill of the individual knight in combat seems to neutralised by. New range of weapons, from huge cannons to pike tactics.

From a German martial tradition, this period seems to see the start of the decline as Germans clung to their longsword systems, while other countries moved with the times and embraced new technology and weaponry.

I also saw that the landsknecht were mainly pikemen.  Not sure why I didn’t know that.  For some reason I saw them as schlachtschwert wielders in fancy pants.

For anyone interested in the development of warfare, this seems like a period of massive invention and the almost industrialisation of war not seem again until the First World War.

The sections on Eastern Europe during this time are very interesting as it is not part of history or region I have read about before.  There are complaints from scholars about this book, but to be honest for me I found the book informative and a great jumping off point into further research.

If it wasn’t for the book I would not have gone on to look for images of the huge bombards Turnbull talks about.  Holy moly, weapons capable of firing 1200lb shells, in the 15th Century.  I wonder what the fighting elite solider thought about his future in the light of such weaponry.  Hardly honourable way to conduct war..

But we see the change from armoured knight to lightly multi armed cavalryman.

The book should be of interest to anyone studying military history and use it not as a definitive guide but more as a gateway book to more research.

You can buy this book on Amazon.

Please note I was not paid to write this review but was sent a review copy of the book. All comments are my own, and the publishers have not amended the review in any way.

Historical Martial Fitness Conditioning using Persian Meels, Clubbells, and Macebells

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One of the key components of swordsmanship or in fact any martial art is conditioning and training.

While we train using historical reference materials, conditioning has always been hard to deliver using training techniques that can be considered as authentic or historically accurate.

It has taken a while but I have found a system that was designed for use by warriors and is historically developed for those using swords, shields, spears, maces, clubs and other weapons, which we train in. The Persian Yoga system (Don’t be fooled by the name – this is not Lycra and stretching) is registered by UNESCO as one of the worlds first training systems and was used by the Sassanid empire (Persian Empire).

We will be running an 3 hour introductory workshop to using these tools and also showing you how to build this into a training regime you can do at home. This will help your swords skills and other martial arts practice no end.

I have managed to get Neil Meekings, the UK’s first qualified Persian Yoga instructor who will run an introductory workshop for those who wish to:

  • develop better conditioning;
  • increase flexibility;
  • have more stamina;
  • improve coordination and dexterity;
  • build muscle tone, balance and rhythm;
  • and much much more.

Who is this suitable for?

While this is aimed at the historical martial artists, we welcome anyone who wishes to learn and use these traditional conditioning tools. You will need to be 18 years or over. This is group training but you work to your own pace and capabilities.

What do I need to bring?

I would suggest gym clothes or tracksuit bottom and t-shirt. Bring a towel, water bottle and a notepad, as you might want to take notes during or after sections.

Costs

The cost will be £30 per head – paid in advance – and we are limiting to 20 spaces. This is the first time Neil has run a workshop anywhere in Kent, so I suggest you get booked on as soon as possible as places will go quickly.

Because of the nature of a workshop we have managed to get Neil for the equivalent of £10 per hour each. When you consider personal training with Neil in Essex is £50 an hour, this is a great way to get the knowledge you need to begin down the path to Persian Yoga fitness.

When

The workshop will run on Sunday 29th April 2018 from 10am to 2pm

Venue

The venue will St George’s School, Broadstairs

St George’s Church of England Foundation School
Westwood Road,
Broadstairs,
Kent.
CT10 2L

Booking

Initially, email jason@speediepr.co.uk to enquire, you will then be sent a link to pay for your booking. Simply clicking “Going” on our Facebook event page does not secure your place.

The Knight Shop sponsor KDF Broadstairs

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We are delighted to announce that HEMA shop (The Knight Shop) are sponsoring us by providing a number of synthetic longswords, to help us run more beginners workshops at events this year and helps us to take part in the Games of Thrones themed ThroneFest event taking place in May this year in Thanet – where we are running a number of medieval combat workshops.

The Knight Shop is one of Europe’s largest retailers and wholesalers of replica militaria and associated giftware. As the UK’s market leaders their impressive portfolio boasts a 1,000 sq. ft. Shop opposite the World Heritage Conwy Castle, a 12,000 sq. ft. showroom and distribution Centre, a full time Historical Combat Academy and their very own 13th Century Medieval Tower currently housing the Tower Coffee House.   Visit them here https://www.theknightshop.com/

We really value the sponsorship we have been provided with.  We are the only Historical Martial Arts group in East Kent and members come from as far as Faversham, Ashford and Folkestone to practice with us.  This new equipment will help us taken in more members and run more workshops at other events around the county.

In this way we hope to grow the appeal of Historical Martial Arts in Kent. We couldn’t have done this without the support of the Knight Shop.  We accept members from 18 years of age and are fully insured.  We run regular weekly classes on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm to 9pm.

We are always on the look out for more sponsors to help us grow and in return we will promote you as much as humanly possible. Please get in touch for more info.

About Us

KDF Broadstairs (Thanet Fecht Schule) is a German Longsword HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) Group based in Broadstairs, Thanet.

Canterbury Medieval Combat is a HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) Group based in Canterbury, Kent.

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