This joke is reminiscent of the legend of Winkelried, a Swiss hero who impaled himself on enemy pikes to enable his compatriots to break through the lines. Christophe Vuilleumier and Frédéric Rossi chose this image for their collective book, shedding new light on 100 Swiss historical figures from the pen of thirty historians. Selected entries from the book published in 2016 are now available on the blog of the Swiss National Museum (in French and German), with delightful additional images.
Discover the martial figures by browsing this selection of entries:
Hans Waldmann (1435-1489), the Zurich Tyrant, by Christophe Vuilleumier
How the young peasant Hans Waldmann (1435-1489) rose from war hero to the hated mayor of Zurich.
Wilhelm Tell (14th c.), the brainless hero, by Laurent Flutsch
How a former 14th century mercenary needlessly endangers the life of his son and becomes an icon anyway.
Otho of Grandson (1340?-1397), the last knight poet, by Alain Corbellari
How Othon de Grandson, an important medieval poet, died in a duel.
Niklaus Manuel Deutsch (1484-1530), the macabre mercenary, by Christophe Vuilleumier
How Niklaus Manuel Deutsch lived through the most warlike periods of the Confederation and became a pioneer of the Reformation.
Joachim Meyer (1537-1571), knife maker, free fencer and master at arms, by Daniel Jaquet
How the craftmen Joachim Meyer from Basel published a fight book and held fencing schools in Strasbourg.
Stay tuned for more martial figures. This post will be updated as soon as they appear on the blog of the Swiss National Museum (status as at 14.11.2020).
Forthcoming are:
Arnold Winkelried (14th c.), from war hero to dragon slayer, by Daniel Jaquet
Ulrich von Hohensax (1462-1538), a captain of fury and blood, by Christophe Vuilleumiers
Joachim Meyer (1537-1571), knife maker, free fencer and master at arms, by Daniel Jaquet
Adrien de Bubenberg (1434-1479), Morat above all, by Frédéric Rossi
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Daniel Jaquet (November 22, 2020). Known and unknown Swiss martial figures. Who’s the bastard who pushed me? Martial Culture in Medieval Town. Retrieved October 5, 2024 from https://doi.org/10.58079/r90d