Fechtschule Historical Feder
Regular price $1,250.00
• A German Style 16th Century Tournament Sword
• Spatulated Tip with very thin cross section.
Based on a Pair of Originals: Dated 1575-1625, by Ulrich Diefstetter of Munich, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Overall Length: 50.75"
Blade Length: 41"
Schildt Width: 2.25"
Schildt Length: 4"
Grip Length: 7.5"
COG: 4"
This fencing longsword is a very close replica of two examples in the Metropolitan Museum in New York that are dated circa 1575 and attributed to the Munich blade smith Ulrich Diefstetter. Commonly referred to today as feders, these were specialty tournament and training swords utilized by the fencing guilds of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the summer of 2024 we had the opportunity to handle and measure the original swords in New York in order to reproduce them as closely as possible. We have not included the heavy etching that appears on the original swords as it is likely to have been added in the 19th century when the swords were acquired by Russian Prince Peter Soltykoff, from whose collection they eventually passed to the museum.
Students of the fighting arts of the period will find these swords very instructive as they perform differently than modern feders. First, the tips of these swords are essentially sharp. Whereas modern HEMA swords have a blunt tip that is used against modern protective equipment, these are less than half a millimeter thick (1/50th of an inch) and about 25mm wide (one inch).
Second, these swords do not flex in the same way that modern HEMA feders do. Most of the flex is in the last few inches of the blade where it is very thin. Repeated and violent thrusting with one of these blades is likely to induce breakage and failure in a dangerous way. The thickest part of the blade, just below the schilt or shield, is 1/4” thick, maintaining a robust forte before tapering dramatically to the tip. The spiral wrapped leather grip is of an inverted hock-bottle shape that swells slightly between the hands, providing exceptional control of the blade.
Third, the grip is shorter than most modern feders and very similar to sharp weapons of the time in which the hands were in contact when holding the weapon. In the hand it is graceful and wants to move in the showy sweeps and binds characteristic of the period. It is powerful in the bind and wants to rotate around a point about halfway between the tip and the quillions.
Sixteenth century German fencers seem to have played a very different training game than that commonly seen in modern HEMA. Rather than wear protective gear and fence at near full speed and contact, they were competing in tournaments referred to as Fechtschulen, where combatants were trying to make their opponent bleed from the scalp without injuring them in any other way as a display of skill, martial prowess, and daring. They do not appear to have worn any safety equipment, and thrusting appears to have been disallowed (indeed, even attempting to thrust at another German with a sword was seen as attempted murder).
We think that these swords are an indispensable tool for people interested in researching and understanding 16th century fencing treatises, such as Joachim Meyers 1560 “A thorough description of the art of fencing”, in which similar swords are clearly illustrated in use.
If you hit someone with the tip of this sword it will cut them. We have used the prototype of this weapon for teaching, controlled sparring, and drilling with modern protective equipment and recommend it for such purposes. Fencing with this weapon obviously poses different risks than doing so with modern feders that are optimized for safety — you have been warned.
We are offering this sword in a limited initial release of ten pieces. If there is sufficient demand we will make more.
Shipping Domestic US 80.00 (multiple sword shipping discounted)
International customers please contact us for a shipping quote. We feel your pain with the steep increases in international shipping over the past few years. We strive to find the most economical and reliable sources to ship to you.
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