A Arte da Esgrima de Joachim Meÿer

The Fundamental Description of the Free, Knightly, and Noble Art of Fencing (1570), by master Joachim Meyer, is widely recognized as the most influential historical fencing treatise in the world. Produced during a period of transition in the Holy Roman Empire, the work represents the masterful systematization of the Germanic combat tradition.

This encyclopedic compendium addresses with profound detail the use of the Longsword, the Dusack, the Rapier, the Dagger, Wrestling (Ringen), and Polearms (Halberd, Pike, and Quarterstaff). In the universe of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), the treatise is a cornerstone for modern reconstruction. However, the Portuguese-speaking community faced the barrier of indirect translations that diluted the rich terminology of Early New High German.

This historic edition definitively fills that gap. Translated with philological rigour and deep martial understanding by Rafael Campos Ferreira da Cruz, the work preserves the original mechanics and linguistic signs, keeping the technical terminology intact. Enriched with a vast critical apparatus, notes, and a glossary, this volume brings 16th-century steel back to life, inviting the reader to master essential concepts such as the Vor, the Nach, and the Indes through the pen of master Meyer himself.