As promised two posts ago here come the Codex Manesse Fencers. First four gentlemen fighting with sword and buckler are wearing only Cotte and gloves. According to Sachsenspiegel such were requirements for judicial duel in German states so they are probably sides in trial by combat. Just my guess though, as in joust or at war I would expect the combatants to be armed as the fifth and sixth miniature – armoured and dressed in coat of arms.
As it was a couple of times in the past, this time we have also two special guest stars. This time Sacredos (priest) and Scolaris (scholar or student) from Fechtbuch I33 (so called Tower Manuscript), the oldest surviving European martial arts manuscript – a treatise about sword and buckler combat. I have coloured them up a bit as the images in the original I33 manuscript are only tinted and would otherwise stand out from the rest of Codex Manesse miniatures. Comparing to contemporary Codex Manesse, I33 Fechtbuch is rather poorly drawn, and supposedly written in poor church Latin, but these two characters are too important for history of European fencing to leave them out of the fencers set.


