#bauernwehr

[gothamswords]

We are super excited to announce to the HEMA-sphere that our friends at the Haitian Machete Fencing Project have released a book!!!  

You can order this beautiful book over on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Haitian-Machete-Fencing-Family-Method/dp/1948529246 

Written by Michael Dylan Rogers & Reginald Turnier Photography by Charles Espey

“Explore the heart of Haiti's cultural heritage through Haitian Machete Fencing: The Avril Family Method-a unique blend of history, art, and combat technique, passed down through generations. Haiti is a country rich in culture, though economically poor. In the countryside, where time-honored traditions thrive, a legacy of African ancestry continues in music, dance, spirituality, folk medicine, and-perhaps most intriguingly-martial arts.”

“In case you couldn’t tell, we adore these folks here at Gotham.  As many of you know we hosted Michael and Reginald this past August for an intensive two-day workshop.  It was an absolute blast, and ultimately encouraged me to refine our Bauernwehr program in new and exciting ways.  I highly recommend picking up a copy of this amazing book and support this important project today!” — Peter Haas, Program Coordinator, Senior Instructor, Gotham Swords.

[bauernwehr]

Workout Challenge N°.1

"The best solo practice is exercise..." — Kat H., Sword Fitness Instructor

Welcome to the first Bauernwehr weekend workout challenge! Kat and Peter get a lot of requests regarding methods for individual solo-practice, and thus have dreamt up the Workout Challenge!

Initially designed to be a guide for weekends without classes, you can use these challenges to level-up your physical routine any day of the week!

WARM UP

Taiso

Jog in place, getting the knees as high as possible x 120 seconds

SET 1

Wall Sits x30 seconds

Bodyweight Squat x12

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat set two (2) more times.

SET 2

Bodyweight Forward Lunges x15 (for each leg!)

Plank x30 seconds

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat set two (2) more times.

SET 3

Pushup x 15

Bodyweight Backward Lunges x15 (for each leg!)

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat set two (2) more times.

SET 4

Full body crunch x15

Bodyweight Standing Calf Raise x 15

Rest 30 seconds

Repeat set two (2) more times.

COOL DOWN STRETCHES

We've created some instructional videos as well! If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to reach out to us on the Gotham Swords Discord server or directly via e-mail (bauernwehr@gmail)!

[cutest-silly-nb]

Bauernwehr, a medieval German farmer's utility knife

THIS IS SO COOL I LOVE MUNDANE KNIVES/gen PLWASE SEND ME MORE MUNDANE KNIVES

[everestforge]

Wakefield Hangers: Medieval British Swords

Wakefield Hanger sword with complex guard and short grip.

The Wakefield Hanger represents a fascinating and regionally distinct chapter in medieval British arms. Though not as well-known as the longsword or messer, its design offers deep insights into the evolution of practical swords used by both civilians and soldiers.

Its distinctive single-edged blade, compact grip, and early complex hilt suggest a purpose-built tool for speed, power, and control. Let’s explore what makes the Wakefield Hanger so significant in the world of European arms history.

Blade Design

Wakefield Hangers typically feature Type F5 single-edged blades, known for their aggressive distal taper and false edge near the tip. These design elements allow for powerful slashing while keeping the blade light and responsive in hand.

Hilt & Guard

Early complex hilts — such as those seen on Expanded Style 14a or 14b — are common across this group. Most include a knuckle-bow, and some examples like Royal Armouries IX.144 show side projections similar to nagels, indicating a concern for hand protection in close combat.

Pommel & Grip

Compact hammer-head pommels (Form BB) paired with short grips define the handling of these swords. The locked-in grip allows for efficient transfer of cutting force while maintaining a secure hold during use.

Comparison to the Messer

While German messers and bauernwehr knives served similar roles, the Wakefield Hanger represents a distinctly British evolution of the same function: a rugged, one-handed cutting sword with regional flair. These weapons likely filled the same niche — battlefield and practical carry — within a different cultural and manufacturing context.

Historical Context

Appearing between 1450–1520, all known examples originate from the British Isles. Their spread and uniformity suggest widespread adoption in both military and civilian applications, possibly replacing more traditional double-edged arming swords in certain regions.

Key Characteristics

Time Period: 1450–1520s

Blade Type: Single-edged (Type F5 or F3c)

Weight: Approx. 800g

Guard: Knuckle-bow with side projections

Pommel: Hammer-head (Form BB)

Origin: British Isles

Conclusion

The Wakefield Hanger is more than a regional oddity — it is a missing link in Britain’s martial heritage. Bridging the gap between practical utility and battlefield function, this type of sword showcases the ingenuity of local blacksmiths adapting to evolving needs. For collectors, historians, or anyone interested in the diversity of medieval weaponry, the Wakefield Hanger is a blade worth studying — and remembering.

Get Yours

[potterpasta]

new rpg character idea: the party chef, whose weapon of choice is a bauernwehr

[recoiloperated]

It's smaller, so it really locks in like a vice. I like that, you might not.

He also has some ruggers, bauernwehr, brueghel messers, Ect.

i should buy a sword or very nice knife

[josephbrassey]

Fun fact about these two pieces, they’re both weapons accurate to my period, the longsword being perfect for Liechtenauer work and the Bauernwehr being a standard tool that was carried by all German social classes.

BUT.

I also wear them together because they’re as close a historical approximation as I can get to the aesthetic of Aragorns longsword and elven knife from the Lord of the Rings movies.

And that is why HEMA people are nerds.

[gothamswords]

More practice during our Bauernwehr training sessions: Distance and Time, the Zoll Versatzung, and, of course, playing The Game.

We love to show off our hot-off-the-presses copy of the Haitian Fencing Manual!

[bauernwehr]

A short reflection on our practice of THE GAME: An essential component of our Bauernwehr training program, the Game comes to us through the Haitian tradition of Tire Machèt and the amazing folks at the @haitian_machete_fencing Project. In this exercise the Mentor, or leader of the practice, gives hits to a Scholar, who is (almost) exclusively focused on defending, replying to each attack with the correct protective action — always abiding the Core Principles.

The Game is infinitely adaptable and open to students of all experience levels. Mentors slowly adjust the intensity and anticipated responses for each individual Scholar, who, in turn, is able to experience their skills in action. Our major objective is to champion the spirit of a defensive-first mindset:

"Resistance isn’t about winning battles but about surviving. If you can survive as a committed antagonist, victory is inevitable." — Haitian Machete Fencing: The Avril Family Method (p.216).

Grab your copy of Haitian Machete Fencing, now available!

[short-swords]

Working review of a Tod Cutler Bauernwehr 

A few weeks ago I ordered a very reasonably priced Bauernwehr from Tod Cutler. I received it in what must be record time from the UK (faster than most US domestic packages), but only just had a chance to take it out for some work. The leather thong on the scabbard was a good match with the leather tab on the back of my Peg and Awl Hunter Satchel. The knife hangs easily behind the bag while walking, but remains accessible.

Bauernwehr (”farmer’s knife” or “farmer’s defense”) were common in Europe from the 14th-16th centuries. From Tod’s product page: 

This bauernwehr style of medieval hunting and working knife was popular from the late 14thC to the early to mid 16thC, especially in the German and Swiss lands and Bohemia, but certainly also with other nations.  

Very similar knives are found in quantity in museums, but also in artwork by Gaston Phoebus and Breughel.

They are always of stout construction and have the knuckle pin or nagel has a very characteristic feature, meaning that their intention was also for fighting.

I ordered the knife with a sharp edge, and then did some light honing. My first task today was processing a good-sized windfall oak branch, then spent most of the afternoon cutting and pulling up invasive ivy -- the knife handled both wonderfully. 

The nagel is undoubtedly meant as knuckle protection, but I also realized after a couple hours’ work that looping my index finger over the nagel allows for more control and power when using the knife as a chopping tool, something I’m sure medieval farmers also appreciated.

Overall, the knife performed extremely well as a working tool, although I haven’t had a chance to do any brawling with it, so can’t really say how it works as a weapon.

[I received no compensation for this review, neither from Tod Cutler, nor from Peg and Awl; I just like their stuff.]

[cutest-silly-nb]

Langmesser, the Bauernwehr's big warlike cousin

HOLY SHIT!!!! BIG KNIFE!!!!

[hunlarpfag]

Things I finally got in the last few days. A new bauernwehr with a totentanz motif sheat and a pair of dussacks, these are from Landsknecht Emporium. I wanted to put the leather on the dussacks myself, already finished with one, though it was a questionable decision in hindsight.

The book is the  “Landsknechts on Campaign” from Nadel und Faden Press which I preordered and arrived today. Only skimmed through it so far but I’m already sure it worth the price.

[petermorwood]

Hello Peter, I’ve been following you for like six years or something at this point and though I’m not on tumble much anymore, I still enjoy your content 😊 and today, I was glad I still remember you because I feel like you would be the perfect person to ask about these things I’ve seen in the park today. We were guessing that it’s some kind of like old timey weapons but they seem very impractical and honestly I don’t even have the words to google them. Could you help out a curious mind? 😊 best regards from Germany! Caroline

TL;DR - the answer to the original question ends with the first photo.

*****

Bestens Grüße aus Irland rechts zurück, und ich bin gerne behilflich sein!

They’re a practice weapon called a dusack (various spellings) for teaching how to use short cutting weapons. They were also used for exhibition combats fought to first blood between rival fencing schools, to show off who was best and attract more pupils. These combats were also about winning money, a bit like the prizefights of English swordsmen like James Figg.

The ones in your photo look like these, made by Purpleheart Armoury.

Dussacke were made of wood, leather or a combination of the two, but few (AFAIK no) historical examples have survived since a broken dussack went the same way as a broken bow, broken spear or axe: into the firewood-box. However there are any number of modern repros to take their place.

*****

Nobody’s quite sure of the dussack’s origins; it may have started as just a cheaper, safer training version of existing short cutty choppy sidearms - Messer, Bauernwehr, falchion and so on - but it (or at least its training version) may also have begun as an agricultural tool.

One candidate is a flax-scutching knife, used for processing hemp and linen all over Europe. Scutching involves beating away rotted outer stalks to free the eventually-cloth fibres inside and a metal knife was too severe, so scutching knives were made of wood.

Here’s one, with more at this Google Image link. There’s a definite dussack look to them.

Here are illustrations from ”Kunst des Fechtens”, a 1570 fight manual by Joachim Meyer which may (there were others) be what the two people in the park were working from.

And here’s a handsome photograph from a seminar hosted by Cork Blademasters a few years ago.

As I mentioned, the dussack was a safe practice version of a real weapon. Those ranged from simple barenaked bladies (cough) which might or might not have had a leather wrapping to cushion the grip...

...right through to elaborately hilted swords (German Düsagge, Bohemian tesak, Scandinavian tessack, Sinclair sabre, cutlass and so on) like these...

Hope this helps!

[gothamswords]

Forging beautiful relationships! Last week Peter Haas visited White Tiger Karate in Tilton, NH to led some Bauernwehr workshops. This was a truly wonderful opportunity to work with such an amazing and dedicated group of people!

Sensei Sharyl Geisert: Your students are incredibly talented, dedicated, and radiate joy. Thank you for for inviting Gotham Swords into your Dojo, we look forward to working with you again!

Shout outs to Steph, Dylan, and Will for all their help during the workshops!

[bauernwehr]

Haitian Machete Fencing Workshop 2025

Gotham Swords is excited to welcome back Michael Rogers of the Haitian Fencing Project for an intensive six-hour workshop this July!

In Haiti, the traditional art of machete fencing goes by many names, among them Tire Machèt (“Pulling Machetes”). Tire Machèt has roots in the Haitian Revolution, when the revolutionaries were often forced to fight with fewer guns than soldiers. Its combination of ancestral African combat systems proved highly effective both in battle and as a means of individual self-defense.

Tickets are $225, with all proceeds from this event benefiting the people of Haiti through the nonprofit organization Cultural Capital Haiti.  We hope that you can join us once again for this unique and amazing experience and help do some good in the world:

TIRE MACHÈT WORKSHOP WITH MICHAEL ROGERS Sunday, July 13th, 12pm-6pm 520 8th Ave., New York, NY Tickets Here Interested in Learning More about Haitian Machete Fencing?

Buy the official training manual! Haitian Machete Fencing Project • Gotham Swords • Bauernwehr

The Manual

Haitian Machete Fencing is a functional martial art with deep roots in Haiti’s struggle for freedom. Over the course of a ten-year apprenticeship with master fencer Alfred Avril in Haiti, we were privileged to document this art form in ways never seen by the wider world.

Now, in collaborating with his children and other committed students, this book provides a deeper and more technical exploration of Haitian Machete Fencing than anything available so far, while preserving the respect for tradition upon which our teacher always insisted.

Lush photography by Charles Espey captures thrilling and informative images of Haitian Machete Fencing in action, as well as lovingly rendered portraits. Oral histories and essays – including an extended interview with Professor Avril that has never-before been made public – provide essential insight into the spiritual and cultural significance of this art form.

All author royalties benefit the people of Haiti through our nonprofit organization Cultural Capital Haiti.

GET YOUR COPY TODAY

About

Michael Rogers (Fencing Instructor & Program Coordinator) Michael is an assistant professor of humanities at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. He first traveled to Haiti in 2002 and has spent over four years living and working there. He is the only non-Haitian known to have mastered the art of Haitian machete fencing, and is featured in the documentary short Papa Machete, which he worked on as a consultant from concept through post-production. He holds a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge.

Gotham Swords: The Gotham European Martial Arts Collective is NYC’s premiere historical fencing social club.  The centuries old Art of Swordsmanship offers countless challenges, rewards, and opportunities for personal growth. From general fitness to tournament training, Gotham Swords look forward to being a part of your journey! www.gemac.club

Gotham Bauernwehr — invites students to experience a unique fencing system of Ringen (wrestling), Messer (machete), and Stock (Stick) outside the context of the “noble” historical duel; favoring defensive approaches to an engagement.  Our program is greatly influenced by the Avril Family Method of Tiré Machét, a living tradition of Haitian martial arts which serves as the heart of our practice. https://www.gemac.club/bauernwehr

[arms-n-armor-inc]

Sword Pics for Shut Ins- a custom Bauernwehr with fruitwood grip set with tubes and a steel bolster and butt. Just the thing to have on your belt when in a carfuffle or on the hunt. (at Arms & Armor Inc.) https://www.instagram.com/p/CO0-qDtHRtt/?igshid=1t5syepaz2rba