I.33

I.33

I.33, also known as "the tower manuscript" because of its long stay in the Tower of London, is the earliest known surviving European treatise on the use of sword and buckler. The manuscript now resides in the collection of the Royal Armouries at Leeds, England. It is referred to as British Museum No. 14 E iii, No. 20, D. vi.

The illustrated treatise shows a martial arts system of defensive and offensive techniques between a monk and a scholar, each armed with a sword and a buckler. The pictures are accompanied with descriptions in Latin.

The manuscript has been dated to the late 13th century and the scribe has been identified as a secretary to the bishop of W�rzburg.

References

Dieter Bachmann, 2003. I.33 (English). Retrieved Feb. 21, 2004 from http://freywild.ch/i33/i33en.html

AEMMA, 1999. Fechtbuch I.33 - c1280. http://www.aemma.org/onlineResources/i33/i33Home.htm