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Swordsmanship
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===Post-classical history=== {{further|German school of swordsmanship|Italian school of swordsmanship}} Little is known about early medieval fencing techniques save for what may be concluded from archaeological evidence and artistic depiction (see [[Viking Age arms and armour]]). What little has been found, however, shows the use of the sword was limited during the Viking age, especially among the Vikings themselves and other northern Germanic tribes. Here, the spear, axe, and shield were prominent weapons, with only wealthy individuals owning swords. These weapons, based on the early Germanic ''spatha'', were made very well. The technique of [[pattern welding]] of composite metals, invented in the Roman Empire around the end of the 2nd century A.D., provided some of these northern weapons superior properties in strength and resilience to the iron gladius of early Rome. [[File:Ms I33 fol 04v.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The [[I.33|MS I.33]] manuscript, dated to ca. 1290, shows fencing with the arming sword and the [[buckler]].]] As time passed, the ''spatha'' evolved into the [[arming sword]], a weapon with a notable cruciform [[hilt]] common among [[knight]]s in the Medieval Age. Some time after this evolution, the earliest known treatises ''([[Fechtbuch|Fechtbücher]]'') were written, dealing primarily with arming sword and [[buckler]] combat. Among these examples is the [[I.33]], the earliest known ''Fechtbuch''. The [[German school of swordsmanship]] can trace itself most closely to [[Johannes Liechtenauer]] and his students, who later became the German masters of the 15th century, including [[Sigmund Ringeck]], [[Hans Talhoffer]], [[Peter von Danzig (fencer)|Peter von Danzig]] and [[Paulus Kal]]. It is possible that the Italian fencing treatise [[Flos Duellatorum]], written by the Italian swordmaster [[Fiore dei Liberi]] around 1410, has ties to the German school.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} During this period of time, the [[longsword]] grew out of the arming sword, eventually resulting in a blade comfortably wielded in both hands at once. Armour technology also evolved, leading to the advent of [[plate armour]], and thus swordsmanship was further pressed to meet the demands of killing a very well protected enemy. For much of the early medieval period, the sword continued to remain a symbol of status. During later years, production techniques became more efficient, and so, while the sword remained a privilege, it was not so heavily confined to only the richest individuals, but rather to the richest classes.
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