I am Roland Warzecha, a professional illustrator – and a swordsman. Hence the name ‘Dimicator’ which is a Latin term meaning sword fighter. I present to you cutting-edge research into historical martial arts, and Viking & high medieval sword & shield fighting in particular. I am co-operating with museums, fellow martial artists and scholars worldwide. Renowned expert for historical arms, Dr Alfred Geibig, says: “The careful reconstruction of historical swordsmanship, impressively demonstrated by Mr. Warzecha, is a valuable supplement to archaeological insights, and clearly proves the efficiency of European swords and the sophistication of the associated historical fighting arts.” To get regular up-dates on the archaeology and history of sword & shield and how they were used, sign up for my newsletter! I would be delighted if you would join my quest.
Making Medieval Shields, plus Sword and Buckler Videos and Miniatures
Busy Days with Lots of ShieldsHello fellow sword and shield enthusiasts, Cornelius Berthold spent a few days at my place, during which he completed four training shields, each featuring a different set of hand straps, known as enarmes, along with a neck strap, or guige. The various strap arrangements are based on medieval miniatures—marginal manuscript illustrations—rather than surviving examples. The images are tiny, sometimes worn, and often stylised, so there is a fair amount of interpretation involved when attempting to base an actual shield on this kind of source material. As these shields are intended for training rather than being authentically crafted museum-quality pieces, this provides a perfect opportunity for some experimentation. We've already gained some enlightening insights, and we'll share them with you in due course. Online Couse in the WorksWe also did some additional filming for our next sword and buckler online course, which will cover I.33’s Second and Third Wards, along with the corresponding plays. Marginalised FightingIn the meantime, you can read Cornelius’ latest paper on medieval marginalia depicting sword and buckler fighters. This is time well spent.
Heavier than SteelThe bronze sword from Wodarg was likely used with a shield as well. I am still in the process of editing all the material I collected during my recent visit to Schwerin. For now, I’d like to share this image with you, showing the weapon’s weight of 697 grams at a length of 63.5 cm. There is a lot more to come ... So, that's it for today. Take care, and keep your blade well-honed. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please recommend it to your friends. They can sign up here or on my website. Or simply forward them this email. To learn to fight, consult our sword & buckler online course. If you wish to read more, find hundreds of related posts on my Patreon. Special thanks to all my loyal supporters on Patreon – you keep me going! And if you are not a patron yet, you are most welcome to join. If you feel like dropping a coin into my tip jar, you can do so here. Thank you for your time and your interest. Yours, Roland You are receiving this newsletter because you have signed up for it, or because you have previously expressed your interest in my work and events. If you prefer to not receive further emails, you can unsubscribe below. |
Dimicator
I am Roland Warzecha, a professional illustrator – and a swordsman. Hence the name ‘Dimicator’ which is a Latin term meaning sword fighter. I present to you cutting-edge research into historical martial arts, and Viking & high medieval sword & shield fighting in particular. I am co-operating with museums, fellow martial artists and scholars worldwide. Renowned expert for historical arms, Dr Alfred Geibig, says: “The careful reconstruction of historical swordsmanship, impressively demonstrated by Mr. Warzecha, is a valuable supplement to archaeological insights, and clearly proves the efficiency of European swords and the sophistication of the associated historical fighting arts.” To get regular up-dates on the archaeology and history of sword & shield and how they were used, sign up for my newsletter! I would be delighted if you would join my quest.
More Bronze Age Battling The Tollense Valley is a 3-hours drive from where I live Dear fellow martial artists and archaeology enthusiasts, In a recent newsletter, I told you about the 3,300-year-old bronze sword from the Tollense Valley, the site of a large-scale violent conflict that took place in the Late Bronze Age. Now, an extensive TV documentary tells the story of the discovery, excavations, and research results of what some archaeologists consider the world’s oldest known battlefield....
A Historical Fencing Master and AI? Ridolfo Capo Ferro da Cagli in 1610 Hello fellow sword enthusiasts, researchers, and history aficionados, I know the title of this newsletter might read like clickbait—what on earth is the connection between the Italian late Renaissance fencing master Ridolfo Capo Ferro and Artificial Intelligence? Dr. Marc Heimann, philosopher and swordsman, offers an intriguing approach to understanding AI in his recent paper, which I’ve linked below. But first, let me...
New Academic Paper on the Artwork in Europe’s Oldest Combat Treatise A simple animation to make a point! Hello medievalists and sword-and-buckler fighters, A new open-access paper relevant to the study of medieval swordsmanship has just been released. In their article, my fellow instructors and researchers, Cornelius Berthold and Ingo Petri, present our hypotheses on how to interpret perspective in MS I.33’s illustrations, based on a lecture they delivered at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. In...