Theil: Masters of the Longsword

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The Marxbrüder in the Holy Roman Empire. 

Documented since the 1450s, the Marxbrüder became the foremost brotherhood of swordsmen in the Holy Roman Empire—and for generations, they decided who could teach others the art of swordsmanship.

From their base in Frankfurt, they built an institution that stretched across central Europe: a network of fencing masters who instructed and examined candidates, enforced a monopoly granted by successive emperors, and fought rivals in council chambers as fiercely as on the fencing floor. Among their ranks were figures of lasting fame, including Hans Talhoffer, one of the most prominent fencing masters of the Late Middle Ages.

Masters of the Longsword is the first comprehensive history of this remarkable brotherhood. Drawing on largely untapped archival sources from Frankfurt, Basel, Prague, and Vienna, it recovers the Marxbrüder’s long-lost coat of arms of 1541, maps the trades and origins of over 300 masters, and follows their bitter rivalry with the Federfechter to their eventual decline. That this institution was built and sustained for over 250 years not by nobles or soldiers but by craftsmen makes its story all the more compelling.

Although the Marxbrüder are almost entirely forgotten, their legacy endures: they are a key reason why the longsword is so thoroughly documented and today practiced again by thousands of historical fencers.

    “The story of fencing, a much-needed one. Written in a very approachable way, it’s a must for every HEMA library.”
    — Martin Fabian

Edited by Jacob H. Deacon. With a foreword by Eric Burkart. 

Geb., 308 S., zahlr. Abb.