Robert Brooks

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• The Peasant’s Other Hand: The Curious Case of Albrecht Dürer's Messer and Rondel

  Albrecht Dürer’s 1512 manuscript Hoplomachia sive Armorvm Tractandorvm Meditatio Alberti Dvreri ("Weapon Training, or Albrecht Dürer's Meditation on the Handling of Weapons", MS 26-232) shows three unique examples of the rondel dagger being used in conjunction with the messer.

  There is almost no supporting text to describe this combination of weapons, let alone any defined system of instruction. However, its importance cannot be understated – this is the earliest example of the combined use of sword and dagger recorded in any existing fightbook or fencing manuscript in Europe.

  After months of experimentation at the Hotspur School of Defence, together with an extensive exploration of the sources Dürer’s manuscript is based on, this workshop will now show how the rondel dagger works in conjunction with the messer and the significant advantages this combination provides.

  Skill level: Any

  Equipment: Messer or arming sword, training rondel or dagger, minimal protective gear (mask, glove)

• Biography

  For the last 28 years Rob Brooks has been a pioneer of Historical European Martial Arts.

  Beginning his studies in 1994, he has since taught and lectured in 30 countries across five continents, provided expert consultancy for TV and film and participated in ground-breaking research, most recently as part of the Bronze Age Combat Project with Newcastle University.

  Rob was a founding member of the British Federation for Historical Swordplay – the first national HEMA organisation in the world – serving as its Secretary from 1998 to 2004 and elected President in 2013.

  In 2003 he established the Hotspur School of Defence in his native North-East England, which has gone on to become an internationally-respected club, and ten years later became a professional full-time HEMA instructor and martial historian.

  Rob’s passion lies in the reconstruction and practice of 15th century fighting arts from the Holy Roman Empire, with a specialisation on German and Italian sources.

  He is the author of the eagerly-anticipated forthcoming book “At Your Mercy: The Training Guide for Early Messer Fighting”.

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