How to handle spear, sword and dagger in a judicial duel – and the pollaxe just for fun

Weapon: Spear, sword, dagger and pollaxe – in armour

Source: Paulus Kal, Hans Talhoffer, Gladiatoria

Discover how heavily armed fighters in full armour would have fought each other in a judicial duel: we use spears, swords and daggers mercilessly – yet follow strict rules of fairness.
As a bonus, there is an excursion into the world of the pollaxe – a weapon even more chivalrous than the sword.

This unique workshop, which covers the entire spectrum of duelling (except for mounted combat), is heavily based on pictorial sources such as the fight books of Paulus Kal, Hans Talhoffer and the Gladiatoria group. It is presented by the two Hammaborg combatants Dierk Hagedorn and Björn Rüther in their armour, which are modelled on examples from the 1430s.

You don’t necessarily need armour for this workshop, but bring a sword, and – if you can – an axe, a spear and a dagger or similar simulators.

We are Hammaborg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

Skill level of Participants: Any skill level
Needed Equipment: A sword, plus a simulator for either spear or pollaxe or both, plus a dagger or a stick. Armour is helpful but not mandatory.

About the trainer – Björn Rüther

Björn Rüther is a trainer at Hammaborg – Historischer Schwertkampf e.V. and leads the Meyer Class training group in Hamburg.
He started training HEMA in 2011 and quickly found his passion for the works of Joachim Meyer, on the basis of which he founded a Meyer training group in 2014. Later on, he also began publishing videos on interpretations and insights about historical fencing in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. In 2019, he published a book about Joachim Meyer’s art of fencing (currently available via an app for Android and Apple called Navicartum). From 2020 to 2023, he was an active member of the German national fencing team for longsword, became vice champion in 2022, and German open-longsword champion in 2023. Since 2022, he has been actively involved on the board of the German umbrella organization for historical fencing as president and is committed to promoting historical martial arts and establishing them as a serious sport and field of research. Today, he is working as a Motion Capture Supervisor and History Consultant at Raw Power Games in Copenhagen, where his primary occupation is in the game industry.