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Frankfurt’s Masters of the Sword and Their Lost Emblem 🛡️ Part II

In 1541, Emperor Charles V granted the Frankfurt fencing guild of the Marxbrüder a coat of arms – their badge of imperial recognition. If you haven’t read it yet, I warmly invite you to start with my last article on its rediscovery, as it sets the stage for the below.

The story of the Marxbrüder coat of arms does not end here: More than a century later, in 1670, Emperor Leopold I bestowed an augmentation of honor – a visual enhancement of the arms reflecting both heightened imperial favor and the heraldic style of the Baroque. Today, we encounter the Marxbrüder arms exclusively in the form of monochrome copies of this 1670 augmentation (for example, on Wikipedia). Yet, these reproductions leave much to be desired: The overall fidelity is low, individual elements blur, and – most importantly – the tinctures (i.e., the colors) are entirely missing.

To address this, I present a colored reconstruction of these augmented arms with unprecedented fidelity. It is based on a rediscovered concept of the augmentation charter – preserving both a detailed blazon and a colored depiction – and corroborating evidence. The resulting vector graphic is freely available under CC BY-SA 4.0, ensuring anyone may reuse or adapt it with proper credit.

Decoding the Augmentation: Heraldic Methodology

Before turning to the reconstruction, let’s clarify what an augmentation of arms is. When a bearer of arms distinguished themselves and rose further in imperial favor, the Emperor could grant an augmentation of honor – enhancing the arms by partitioning the shield, adding charges, or enriching the crest.

As we shall see, this 1670 augmentation by Leopold I went remarkably far: the once-simple arms of 1541 were transformed into an opulent composition, reflecting both the high favor the Marxbrüder must have enjoyed and the heraldic fashion of the Baroque.

Although the charter proclaiming this augmentation remains lost, a rediscovered concept and multiple independent sources provide a robust basis for reconstructing the augmented Marxbrüder arms in full tincture. The below diagram illustrates the process:

The two monochrome copies of the 1670 augmentation (A) serve as the starting point. These contain heraldic hatchings – established line and dot patterns that encode most of the tincture. The rest can be inferred from the earlier 1541 arms I had found in Basel (B), and the personal arms of a Marxbruder (C). I validate the reconstruction thus obtained (D) by comparing it with an Aulic Council concept of the 1670 augmented arms I received from the Haus-, Hof, und Staatsarchiv (HHStA) Vienna. This concept preserves not only a detailed blazon but also a colored depiction of the arms.

Why not simply take this colored depiction from the concept as the final result? Because that would be less reliable. The concept represents a relatively final suggestion prepared before the official issuance of the augmentation, whereas the monochrome copies were most likely produced afterward and based on the original. By considering both together, we can interpolate with high confidence what the augmented arms must have looked like. For example, if both the concept and the monochrome copies agree on a tincture, it is highly unlikely that the arms diverged from both.

In other words, the concept with its colored depiction cannot stand alone as the final word. Only by weighing it against the monochrome copies, the 1541 charter, and comparative evidence can we move from a single preliminary trace to a historically robust reconstruction – yielding a reliable image of how the augmented Marxbrüder arms of 1670 most likely appeared.

From Hatchings to Hue: Reconstructing Tinctures

Before the actual image analysis, it’s worth taking a look at the origin of the monochrome copies: Copy 2 remains enigmatic, but copy 1 can now be clearly identified. It appears in a print of Marxbruder Martin Kaehl, first pointed out to me by Werner Ueberschär of Schwertbund Nürnberg – and later recalled by Kevin Maurer.

Martin Kaehl, a “Kuechen- und Loss-Beckh” (baker and confectioner) came from “Zilch aus der Marck” – most likely the former Züllichau in the Mark Brandenburg, today Sulechów in western Poland. As chief captain of the Marxbrüder, he not only held the guild’s highest office, but also had the authority to appoint sworn masters who passed their examination as masters of the sword. Of particular importance for us: Beneath his solemn portrait, he proudly displays the augmented Marxbrüder arms of 1670.

This suggests that this monochrome copy – notwithstanding its low fidelity and missing color – can be considered a dependable source for the reconstruction of the 1670 augmentation. Let’s have a closer look at what we see here:

Now, placing this beside the second known copy of the augmentation, which we briefly encountered in the introduction, we find that – stylistic choices aside – they match in nearly every respect. We’ll turn to the minor differences in a bit.

Although the low fidelity may obscure some details, you can still likely recognize the hatchings across the quartered shield, the mantling in copy 1, and the arms in copy 2. These line patterns encode tincture; the relevant ones for us are:

So, field 1 and 4 are Sable, and field 2 and 4 are Azure. Also, one color of the mantling is Sable (copy 1), and the sleeves of the arms in the center are Gules (copy 2).

The fact that the second copy so closely mirrors the first one – while even adding further detail later confirmed as accurate – suggests that it either derives from the original arms as well, or from a high-quality intermediate copy unknown to us. In either case, it appears to be a legitimate source for reconstructing the 1670 augmentation.

To reconstruct the missing tinctures, we can apply the heraldic “rule of tincture” which commands: 👉 “Do not place a metal on a metal, or a color on a color.”

“Metals” refer to the lighter tinctures – Or (gold/yellow) and Argent (silver/white) – while “colors” denote the darker ones, such as Sable (black), Azure (blue), and Gules (red). Though not an absolute law, this rule serves as a strong guideline to ensure visual clarity, offering a high degree of confidence when inferring uncertain tinctures.

Based on this, we can reasonably deduce that both the lion in field 1 and 4 and the lances in field 2 and 3 are either Or or Argent. In fact, the original arms of 1541 (Staatsarchiv BS PA 101 1) confirm that the lion of St. Mark, appearing both on the shield and the crest, is Or (see last article). Similarly, the mantling, assuming it remained unchanged during augmentation, should be Sable doubled Or, aligning with the hatching that indicates partial Sable.

Taken together, this already gives us a nearly complete picture of the tincture. Below, I overlay the tincture as currently established, supplemented by further plausible assumptions that I will elaborate on next.

Below follows a formal description indicating known, inferred, and unknown elements – you can find a full blazon to the end of this article:

• Quarterly; above the fess (horizontal) line, issuing from clouds on either side two arms vested Gules, clasping hands in handshake, together holding upright a winged sword.
• 1st and 4th quarters: Sable, upon a trimount Or, a Lion of St. Mark rampant (rearing on his hind legs) Or, fork-tailed, guardant (facing us), holding in his dexter paw a saber in copy 1 and a long sword in copy 2, and resting his sinister paw upon a scroll or pillar.
• 2nd and 3rd quarters: Azure, a sheaf of seven lances Or held together by a band, the central lance bearing a pennon. The callout states this is “inferred”, and I’ll explain more on how.
• Upon the shield an open helmet, adorned with a crown of rank Or. At this point, we assume the mantling to be Sable doubled Or.
• On the crest: a Lion of St. Mark rampant Or, fork-tailed, guardant (facing us) in copy 1 and regardant (facing away) in copy 2, holding in his dexter paw a long sword, uplifted in copy 1 and shouldered in copy 2, and resting his sinister paw upon a scroll or pillar.

We infer the tincture of the remaining details based on default conventions:

• The hands are depicted in Carnation (light skin color), and the winged sword held by them should have a hilt Or and a blade Argent. For the sword’s wings, I went with an angelic Argent, although Or is also plausible.
• The clouds from which the arms emerge should be Argent, resembling their natural color.
• The scroll or pillar on which the St. Mark Lions rest their left paw should also be Argent, resembling parchment or light stone.

Inferring Lance Tincture from an Imperial Bodyguard’s Arms

Why are the lances dominantly Or? Based on the rule of tincture, there are two options: Argent and Or. The personal arms of imperial bodyguard Onoferus Sokh reveal that it should be the latter.

A bit of context: Masters of the Longsword had the right to bear the Marxbrüder arms, usually in slightly derived form: The shield would be partitioned per fess (i.e., divided horizontally), with the upper part and crest showing the Lion of St. Mark and the lower part the personal arms of a Marxbruder.

I may write more on the several surviving examples in the future, but will now focus on the best preserved one, including known tincture: Onoferus Sokh’s arms as displayed at the wedding of Archduke Charles II. of Austria 1571. I was made aware of this by the excellent prior work of Jens-Peter Kleinau.

While the upper part with St. Mark’s lion is in the known tincture (Sable, a lion Or), the lower half features Or, a bar Azure. Upon this appears a wedge Azure, with an acorn Or.

Therefore, next to Sable and Or, Azure and Or were dominant Marxbrüder tinctures. This corresponds to the hatchings of the monochrome copies, in which fields 2 and 3 appear in Azure with initially unknown metal. Taken together, this strongly indicates that the prevailing metal for the lances in the Azure fields is Or. Following my naturalistic approach, I depicted the lanceheads in Argent. I likewise chose Argent for the band and pennon to better distinguish them.

A Colored Trace in the Archival Maze: Independent Validation via a Rediscovered 1670 Concept

Just as I had completed this reconstructive work, I received exciting news from Haus-, Hof, und Staatsarchiv (HHStA) Vienna.

I had sent an inquiry if any traces of the augmented armorial charter by Leopold I remained. My hopes were low, as this time, I couldn’t even find a signature in the archive information system. However, my work on the imperial privileges had deepened my understanding of the bureaucratic machinery of the court: Every privilege had to pass through the Aulic Council, one of the two supreme courts of the Holy Roman Empire, dealing with gratialia, or acts of grace. While the original grant charter was sent to the recipient – in this case, the Marxbrüder in Frankfurt – the Aulic Council would at least retain a regest: an abstract of the document’s contents, used for administrative recordkeeping and archival indexing.

In this case, I was extremely fortunate: a generous archivist at the HHStA confirmed that the Aulic Council had even preserved a concept of the charter – complete with both a blazon and colored depiction of the augmentation granted by Leopold I on 20 March 1670. Remarkably, this record has been stored in Vienna for over 350 years, where it still resides in a strikingly good condition. Although I had no signature to guide me, the archivist’s insight and responsiveness led me directly to the arms, nestled within a rich convolute of newly uncovered Marxbrüder records.

This discovery provides decisive evidence, enabling me to verify my reconstruction and to resolve uncertainties regarding tincture. The document can be found in a convolute of Marxbrüder charters located in the HHStA Vienna under signature RHR Grat Feud Conf. 48-3-1.

👉 To my knowledge, this convolute is the most comprehensive collection of Marxbrüder documents outside the Frankfurt holdings (ISG FFM, H.18.02 and ISG FFM, H.18.03).

The HHStA also houses a similar convolute for the rival Federfechter guild in Prague (RHR Grat Feud Conf. 48-4-1), and a third one for an enigmatic “Faber” fencing society (RHR Grat Feud Conf. 48), dating back to 1365. If this was indeed a separate guild with comparable privileges, it would predate even the Marxbrüder.

A thorough study – and ideally, a full digitization – of these convolutes would be of great value to future research. Any nearby colleague willing to aid in the preservation and broader accessibility of this material would be warmly welcomed.

Refinements of the Reconstruction and Source Critique

To my delight, my initial draft was largely correct. However, this new HHStA source allowed me to refine my reconstruction and to critically assess which of the concept’s features were ultimately adopted in the augmentation.

For ease of comparison, I attach the scan of the colored armorial depiction that I ordered. The appendix also contains a partial transcription of the text, plus the complete blazon for anyone keen on heraldic detail.

This allows us to refine the reconstruction in the following ways:

• Mantling
  Instead of only Sable doubled Or, the mantling is composed of both Sable doubled Or and Gules doubled Argent. What seemed to be cross-hatching for Sable in copy #1 was in fact just shading.
• Prominence of Gules
  Gules also plays a more prominent role on the shield: the pennon and band in fields 2 and 3 are of that color, too. Moreover, all sword grips are Gules. Taken together with sleeves and mantling, this adds visual cohesion.
• Central Sword
  The central sword is winged Or, rather than Argent. Of interest to sword aficionados: The blazon refers to it – and the sword of the lion in the crest – as “Schlachtschwert” (great sword), although in depiction it more closely resembles a long sword. That said, those are no disjunct categories and the terminology has varied over centuries and geographies. It also is of minor heraldic significance, as there is a certain latitude in how swords are represented.
• Pennons, Lances, and Cross Motif
  In the concept, all lances appear with pennons: the central one with a large pennon, the others with smaller ones. As the copies show only a single central pennon, I follow this reduced and thus clearer variant.
  The central polearm is designated as “lange Stange” (a kind of pike) in the concept blazon and is likewise rendered in copy #1. In both the colored depiction and copy #2, however, it is indistinguishable from the other lances. I have therefore once again chosen this simpler and more readily legible form.
  Furthermore, the pennon Gules is charged with a cross Or. The same motif recurs upon the lion’s forehead and, looking closely, is even visible in monochrome copy #2.
• Lions
  Somewhat redundantly, the lions are shown not only with halos, but also with laurel wreaths. This feature is absent from the copies, making it likely to be omitted in the final arms. I therefore also exclude it from my reconstruction.
  Curiously, the object beneath the lions’ left paw proves not to be a scroll, but a marble pillar. A close look at copy #2 reveals the characteristic veiny texture of the stone. While a scroll or book symbolizing the Gospel of Mark would accord with the usual iconography, both blazon and concept painting unmistakably depict the pillar.

My Reconstruction of the 1670 Augmented Marxbrüder Arms

Stylistic choices aside, I can state with high confidence that the augmented Marxbrüder arms appeared as follows.

This reconstruction rests on a solid foundation, most notably the colored concept preserved in the HHStA. Nonetheless, final confirmation must await the rediscovery of the original charter. It should be noted that the concept for an armorial charter could differ slightly from the final version, e.g., due to artistic differences between the concipist (the clerk responsible for the draft) and the court heraldic painter, or due to last-minute adjustments ordered by senior officials such as the Aulic Chancellor himself.

I created the reconstruction as a vector graphic, preserving every detail of the design with perfect clarity at any scale. Unlike raster images, vector graphics can be resized infinitely without loss of quality, ensuring crisp lines and vibrant colors whether displayed on a screen, printed on a banner or T-Shirt, or engraved on small items. The format also allows for easy editing, color adjustments, and reuse of individual heraldic elements in future projects or derivative works.

Should new evidence emerge – such as the rediscovery of the original charter or clarification of a specific tincture – the file’s modular structure allows for swift and precise updates. In this sense, the reconstruction is both a scholarly hypothesis and a practical tool: grounded in current evidence, open to refinement, and designed for clarity, adaptability, and reuse across digital and physical formats.

Description and Analysis of the Augmented Arms

Below follows a full blazon of the augmentation, rendered in the traditional language of heraldry that you should be at least vaguely familiar with by now:

• Quarterly; above the fess line, issuing from clouds on either side two arms vested Gules, cuffed Argent, clasping hands in handshake, and together supporting an upright long sword with grip Gules and wings Or.
• 1st and 4th quarters: Sable, upon a trimount Or, a Lion of St. Mark rampant Or, fork-tailed, guardant, with a cross upon his forehead, in his dexter paw an uplifted saber with grip Gules, and resting his sinister paw upon a marble pillar Argent.
• 2nd and 3rd quarters: Azure, a sheaf of seven lances Or headed Argent, held together by a band Gules, and bearing on the central lance a pennon of the same charged with a cross Or.
• Upon the shield an open helmet crowned Or, mantled Sable doubled Or and Gules doubled Argent.
• On the crest: a Lion of St. Mark rampant Or, fork-tailed, regardant, with a cross upon his forehead, in his dexter paw an uplifted long sword with grip Gules, and resting his sinister paw upon a marble pillar Argent.

This augmented coat of arms radiates Baroque bombast: the triple appearance of St. Mark’s lion – two smaller on the shield and a towering counterpart in the crest – pays homage to the guild’s patron. The pillar beneath his left paw symbolizes fortitude and constancy, while the bundle of seven lances crowned with a central pennon proclaims the guild’s strength in unity.

At the heart, the handshake emerging from clouds embodies fraternity, complemented by a winged sword evoking both divine sanction and referencing the guild’s principal weapon, the long sword.

Through scale, repetition, and layered symbolism, this augmentation transforms the Marxbrüder arms into a heightened proclamation of imperial favor – amplified by the aesthetic sensibilities of an age captivated by abundance as its guiding ideal.

Asset Sources and License of This Work

This coat of arms combines original elements with assets from Wikimedia Commons. The work as a whole is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, with attribution for components not created by me listed in the table below. You are free to use, modify, and share this coat of arms for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you give credit to the original authors – including me. If you distribute this design or any derivative work, you must do so under a license compatible with CC BY-SA 4.0.

Asset	Author	License
Lion’s body	User: SajoR	CC BY-SA 2.5
Lion’s head (crest)	User: SajoR	CC BY-SA 2.5
Lion’s right paw	User: Milenioscuro	CC BY-SA 3.0
Lion’s forked tail	User: MaxxL	CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Saber (field 1 & 4)	User: Madboy74	CC0 1.0
Lance (field 2 & 3)	User: Zigeuner	CC BY-SA 3.0
Band (field 2 & 3)	User: Celtus	CC BY-SA 3.0
Cross	Ariane Schmidt	Public domain
Clouds	Olga Salova	PD-RU exempt
Hands & cuffs	User: SajoR	CC BY-SA 2.5
Sleeves	User: MostEpic	CC BY-SA 4.0
Sword at center	User: Madboy74	CC BY-SA 4.0
Wings of sword	User: SajoR	CC BY-SA 2.5
Helmet	User: LowlyLiaison	CC BY 4.0
Mantling	User: Bastianow	CC BY-SA 3.0
Crown	User: Wereszcyński	CC BY-SA 4.0

Conclusion and Outlook

This reconstruction completes a long arc of inquiry: both the 1541 grant and the 1670 augmentation are now documented in full tincture and made publicly accessible. What began with a rediscovered charter culminates here in a validated, high-resolution rendering grounded in archival evidence.

For now, my work on the Marxbrüder arms pauses at this milestone – but I hope it serves as a foundation for future research, public engagement, and continued exploration of the Marxbrüder legacy. In my upcoming articles, we will change the setting from parchment to places – leaving the study chamber and stepping into early modern Frankfurt. We will explore where the Marxbrüder met and what traces they left in the city’s history.

Special Thanks

I would like to thank the following people who provided useful feedback on earlier iterations of this reconstruction:

• Johannes Schmidt
• Lukas Riedel
• Markus Theil
• Cathrin Rieger
• The users of the Heraldry Discord channel – in particular Fleig, RTF, and fritzorino

I am grateful to the HHStA Vienna, where an archivist helped me locate the concept containing the colored arms within a convolute that preserves a substantial body of Marxbrüder documents. They also kindly (and patiently) answered my follow-up questions and swiftly digitized the relevant materials.

I thank the Polytechnic Society Foundation for admitting me to the District Historian (Stadtteil-Historiker) 2025 cohort, and Oliver Ramonat for his mentoring on topic choice.

---

Appendix A: My translation of the 1670 concept for the Marxbrüder armorial augmentation (AT-OeSTA/HHStA RHR Grat Feud Conf. 48-3-1)

Created with support by GPT-5. The rest of the translation is in progress.

[…]

graciously renewed, confirmed and ratified, but such their noble coat of arms and crest also in the following manner augmented, adorned and improved, and to them and their descendants, male and female, [?] graciously permitted and granted henceforth to bear and to use forever in this way.

Namely, it is a quartered shield, whose hind lower and fore upper part or field is black, below with three yellow hills, wherein appears forward a yellow or gold‑colored flying lion, with protruding tongue, outspread wings, double tail, on the forehead marked with a cross, crowned with a green laurel wreath, and above the head a golden halo, standing with the two hind feet upon the two rear hills, and holding in the left forepaw beneath himself upon the third hill a white‑striped marble column, in the right forepaw upwards with the point, behind himself for battle, a bare saber with gilded cross and pommel.

The fore lower and hind upper quarter is sky‑blue mixed with ruby color, therein crosswise six jousting lances with their points upward, three of them to the right and three to the left side, in their middle upright upon a pike [original: “lange Stange”] a tapered blood-red banner, marked with a golden cross, all bound together in the middle with a red band whose ends fly downward.

In the middle of the quartered shield appear from both sides opposite one another out of a cloud two red‑clad men’s arms with white cuffs, which hold in the middle of the shield with two joined hands a bare greatsword [original: “Schlachtschwert”] upwards with the point up to the open noble tournament helm, with a red grip, golden cross and pommel, instead of the shield [original “Schild” a.k.a. Schilt] upon the sword on both sides with double yellow eagle’s wings, with their roots facing outward,

upon the shield a free open noble tournament helm to the left with red and white, to the right side yellow and black mantling, and above adorned with a yellow or gold‑colored royal crown,

upon which appears the below‑described entirely yellow or gold‑colored flying lion with protruding tongue, outspread wings, double tail, on the forehead marked with a golden cross, crowned with a green laurel wreath and above the head a golden halo, standing with the hind two feet upon the crown and holding in the left forepaw beneath himself and resting on the crown a white‑striped marble column, in the right foreclaw upwards behind himself for battle a bare greatsword [original: “Schlachtschwert”] with gilded cross and pommel and blood‑red grip.

Thus, such augmented, adorned and improved noble coat of arms and crest in this our imperial letter, written in booklet form, is painted on the front of the sixth leaf and duly colored.

[…]

Appendix B: My transcription of the 1670 concept for the Marxbrüder armorial augmentation (AT-OeSTA/HHStA RHR Grat Feud Conf. 48-3-1)

Created with support by Transkribus. The rest of the transcription is in progress.

[…]

genediglich eneuẅert, confirmiret und bestettiget, sondern solch ihr adeliches wappen und Cleinod auch nachfolgender massen vermehrt, geziert und verbessert, und ihnen und ihren nachkommen mannlich und weiblichen [?] geschlecht, solches hinführo eẅiglich also zu führen und zugebrauchen, genediglich erlaubt und gegönnet;

Dass mit nahmen ist ein quartierter Schildt, desßen hinder under, und vordere ober theil oder feldt schwartz, unden mit dreÿen gelben bergen, darin erscheinet fürwerths ein gelb: oder Goldtfarben fliegender Löw, mit außgeschlagener Zungen, außgebreiteten flüegeln, doppeltem schwanz, ahn der stirn mit einem Creütz bezeichnet, bekrönet mit einem grünen lorber Cranz, und oben des Kopfes einen gülden Schein herumb, stehend mit den zweÿen hindern füesßen auf den hindern Zweÿ bergen, und haltend in der linkh vordern under sich eine auff dem dritten berg stehende weiß gestreifte Marmelsteinere saüle, in der rechten vorderen auffwerths mit der spitzen, hinder sich zum streit, ein blosser Seebel mit vergüldtem Creüz und Knopff,

Vorder under und hindere ober Veldung himmelblau mit rubin farben vermischt, darinnen sechs Creüzweiß geschränckte Turniers Lantzen mit ihren spitzen über sich, dreÿ derselben zur rechten und dreÿ zur linckhen seithen, in deren mitte steckhet auffrechts an einer langen stangen ein rother zurgespitzter bluetfahn, mit einem gülden Creütz bezeichnet, alle in der mitte mit einem rothen bandt, maschen weiß, zusammen gebunden, dessen enden abwerts fliegen,

in der mitte des quartierten Schildts erscheinen von beeden Seithen gegen einander auß einer Wolkhen zweÿ roth angethane manns Armben, mit weisßen überstulpen, die halten in der mite des Schildts, mit zweÿ zusammen geschlosßenen händen ein bloses schlachtschwerd auffwerths mit der spitzen biß ahn den offenen Adelichen Turniers helmb, mit einem rothen schafft, geldenen Creütz und Knopff, an statt statt des Schildts an dem schwerdt an beeden seithen, mit doppelten gelben Aadlers flüegelen, deren schosßen außwerths,

auff dem Schild ein freÿer offener Adelicher Turnierhelmb zur linckh mit roth und weisser, rechter seithen gelb und schwarzer helmbdecken, und darob mit einer gelben oder goldtfarben königlich Cron geziert,

darauff erscheinet der unden im schild beschriebene ganz gelb: oder goldtfarber flüegender Löw mit außgeschlagener Zungen, außgebräiteten flüegeln, dobbeltem Schwanz, ahn der stirn mit einem gulden Creütz bezeichnet, gekrönet mit einem grüenen Lorber Crantz und oben umb den Kopff einen gelden schein, stehend mit den hindern zweÿ füsßen auff der Cron und haltend in der linkh Vordern eine under sich auf der Cron ruhende weiß gestreifte marmelsteinere Saüle, in der rechten vordern Clawen aber, auffwerts hinder sich zum streit ein blosßes schlachtschwerdt mit vergoldtem reüz und Knopff und blueth rothem schafft;

Alß dan solch vermehrt, gezirht und verbesßertes Adeliches Wappen und Cleinod in diesem unseren, libelsweiß geschriebenen, Käÿs: Brieff dies dem sechsten blath erster seithen gemahlet und mit farben eigentlicher außgestrichen ist.

[…]

This article is also available in German.

Frankfurt’s Masters of the Sword and Their Lost Emblem 🛡️ Part I

Half a millennium ago, the Imperial City of Frankfurt hosted a curious society known as Masters of the Long Sword, or Marxbrüder. This was the world’s first fencing guild. Its members followed a somewhat formalized curriculum in fencing with various weapons – most notably the long sword – and could earn the title Master of the (Long) Sword, allowing them to teach students for a fee and gain a highly respected qualification in martial arts.

This article assumes a basic familiarity with the Marxbrüder and will not revisit their general history in detail. Instead, it focuses on a particularly niche yet fascinating aspect of their story: their coat of arms, granted by the Emperor. Future articles will delve into their broader history and sites in Frankfurt that preserve their legacy.

For those unfamiliar, here’s a mini “lore dump” explaining what made the Marxbrüder remarkable and why they remain shrouded in myth in the historical fencing community:

• They were world’s first fencing guild, founded sometime in the 15^th century.
• Granted by the Emperor, they held a de jure monopoly on teaching fencing in the Holy Roman Empire for around a century, until the rival Federfechter guild in Prague received a similar privilege, creating a duopoly.
• For several centuries, they ran a decentralized civilian organization with a semi-democratic structure,spanning from today’s Kaliningrad to Basel, and meeting in Frankfurt twice a year during trade fairs – which often required several weeks of travel.
• Members who completed the curriculum were awarded a master’s certificate of the sword, a recognized honour conferring martial recognition and social standing for civilians.
• Several Marxbrüder rose to prominence, including possible early member Hans Talhoffer, renowned fencing master and author; Onophrius Sokh, imperial bodyguard; and Hans Keesebrod, master builder and politician (whose name somewhat amusingly translates to “cheese sandwich”).

The guild received its formal privileges from the Holy Roman Emperors, beginning with Frederick III. on 20 August 1487. These privileges were subsequently renewed and expanded by each emperor up to Leopold I in 1670. A full list of the eleven Imperial privileges can be found in Schaer (1901), p. 68 f.

A Coat of Arms Gone Missing

To this day, all Imperial privileges lie beneath the city of Frankfurt in the depth magazine of the city archive – except for two: Strangely enough, the centerpiece of the convolute is missing: the 1541 issuance of a coat of arms by Charles V in Regensburg, along with its 1670 augmentation by Leopold I in Vienna. These two documents are especially significant because they grant a civilian organization the right to bear a coat of arms. Moreover, they contain the long-lost Marxbrüder coat of arms, whose appearance remains uncertain to this day.

Hold on, but I saw it on Wikipedia? True, two versions of the arms circulate through the internet. However, there’s problems with them:

1. They are of unknown provenance, which is a convoluted way to say we don’t know their source or veracity.
2. More pressingly, they aren’t the Marxbrüder Coat of Arms. At least neither the original version issued by Charles V in 1541, nor the version augmented 1670 by Leopold I in correct tincture (color). They merely are monochrome copies of what appear to be the augmented arms, created by unknown artists. Version 2 features a monogram AC or AE, but we don’t know what name that stands for. And, most critically, the actual coats of arms along with their letters of privilege continue to be lost.

The Hunt Begins: Searching for the 1541 Imperial Privilege

An unsatisfying interim conclusion, to say the least. I have little patience for loose ends, so I set out on a treasure hunt, beginning with the original coat of arms issued by Charles V.

In the age of digital archives, how hard could it be? All I had to do was comb through the databases of Frankfurt, Regensburg, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Vienna, Breslau, Prague, … You get the idea. The decentralized nature of the Marxbrüder guild coupled with the fragmented nature of the Holy Roman Empire itself (further complicated by several major wars) made it entirely plausible that the charter could have ended up in any number of cities across what is now Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, or Poland.

Countless (and late) hours, I spammed central European archive information systems and conventional search machines with keywords I hoped would lead me to the letters (e.g., “Marxbrüder” and “Charles V” and “1541” etc.). I’m acquainted to falling into research rabbit holes, but this time, I found myself nursing a quiet grudge against the early modern culprit who dared to remove the privileges from their rightful place. They could’ve at least returned them after they were done showing off.
Ironically, the guild’s statutes from the late 15^th century are crystal clear: anyone borrowing a copy of the privileges was bound by oath to return them. Evidently, our anonymous eternal lender was unmoved by such formalities.

A Glimmer in Gießen

After yet another exhaustive search, I came across a curious document in the charter collection of the University of Gießen: a 1541 letter of privilege issued by Emperor Charles V in Regensburg to certain “Masters of the Sword”. Could this be the elusive privilege that first granted the Marxbrüder their coat of arms?

My heart leapt – this had to be it. Opening with a solemn intitulatio, rendered in the ornate chancery script typical for imperial charters, the letter certainly looked the part:

We, Charles the Fifth, by grace of God Roman Emperor, ever the augmenter of the Empire, and King in Germany, of Castile, Aragon, León, both Sicilies, Jerusalem, Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Navarre, Granada, Toledo, Valencia, Gaul, Ma[llorca] …

Although switching to a more prophane cursive, the scribe took the due time to enumerate five further lines of titles, culminating in:

Lord in Friesland, in the Windic March, at Pordenone, Biscaya, at Molin, at Salins, at Tripoli and Mechelen, etc.

Upong examining the facsimile more closely, however, my excitement slowly gave way to disbelief: The central space that should have contained the arms – was blank. Empty. Had certain Marxbrüder not only relocated the privilege from Frankfurt without returning it, but also dared to steal the coat of arms itself? If so, where had it gone? Into some private collection?

Having accepted the reality that the original arms may be lost forever, I turned to transcription. Perhaps, somewhere in the text, a blazon remained – a formal description of the heraldic figures and tinctures that once adorned the page.

For brevity, I’ll omit the full transcription here (though the Appendix contains more) and will instead highlight the relevant passage beginning at line 13:

[We grant the Masters] of the Sword and their descendants this coat of arms and crest: a black shield with three yellow mountains at the bottom; at the center of the shield a yellow lion with wings, above the head a halo, standing with his hindpaws on the mountains, and holding in his left forepaw a sword behind himself and upward. And upon the shield an open helmet with a golden crown; upon the crown a half lion with wings, above the head a halo, and holding in his left a sword behind himself and upward.

So, while the augmented arms as we know them seemed to feature a quartered shield depicting a similar lion in fields 1 and 4 and on their crest, the original arms focused on just the lion. We now also know the tincture: The shield was black and the lion was golden.

Amidst deciphering the scribe’s scrawl – made even more challenging by deep fold marks in the parchment and brownish spots from ink oxidation – I developed an egregious idea: What if this wasn’t the original letter of privilege at all, but merely a copy, sans the coat of arms? After all, we know that several such vidimi exist, including in Frankfurt. The hypothesis that this may be a verbatim copy of the original letter, gave me fresh ammunition: a wealth of new keywords for further archival research. Most importantly, I now knew that, in the letter, the guild was usually not called “Marxbrüder” (Brotherhood of St. Mark) or similar, but simply “Meister des Schwerts” or “Masters of the Sword”.

A Breakthrough in Basel?

Armed with this insight, I was able to pinpoint what I believed to be another copy of the privilege – this time in Basel. Unlike the Gießen letter, this one lacked even a digital facsimile. I had to rely on the metadata (“Charles V”, “1541”, and “Masters of the Sword”) to deduce that his might be the document I had been chasing for months.

I contacted the Basel City Archive and requested a digital high-resolution digital facsimile. Their reply was prompt and gracious: it could be provided for a small fee, though the 500-year-old letter would first need restoration, which might take some time.

Mindful of their time and effort, I asked if, by any chance, this letter contained a small depiction of a coat of arms in the center. If not, there would be no need to proceed further.

The archivist confirmed that this was the case. Delighted, I paid the fee and exercised patience for another couple of days (which, in the grander scheme of things, didn’t matter anymore).
And then, I received it: The original Marxbrüder coat of arms, issued by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V on 13 May 1541 in Regensburg. Below, I attach the high-resolution reproduction I received.

A Close Inspection of the 1541 Privilege

Different to the Gießen vidimus, which is penned mostly in a hasty cursive, this original privilege is rendered entirely in chancery script, lavishly illuminated with gold that has since weathered into verdigris. At its heart shines a candy-colored coat of arms, once again adorned with opulent golden diapering. Beyond the details provided in the blazon, we now discern that the mantling is black and gold (heraldically called Sable and Or), and that the shield is flanked by two supporters: golden lions with forked tails, standing upon a patch of naturalistic grass.

For the heraldically inclined, I’m attaching my attempt of a blazon. A blazon is the written specification of a coat of arms in heraldic terminology, enabling its reconstruction without ever seeing it. The syntax is somewhat unusual, while colors and directions are traditionally given in French.

• Shield: Sable, upon a trimount Or a lion of St. Mark rampant Or, holding in his sinister paw a longsword resting on his shoulder.
• Helmet: Open and crowned Or.
• Mantling: Sable doubled Or.
• Crest: A lion of St. Mark rampant Or, holding in his sinister paw a longsword resting on his shoulder.
• Supporters: Two lions with forked tails Or, upon a compartment of grass.

The text emphasizes the guild’s longstanding service, loyalty, and virtue in martial matters and its role within the Empire. Charles V elevated the guild’s civic status and allowed its members and descendants to enjoy legal and social privileges, including the right to bear and display the arms freely, exercise certain judicial rights, and participate in both martial and ceremonial functions with recognized honor. For further detail, a full transcript and translation of this privilege are provided in the Appendix.

The charter’s edges bear visible signs of age and repeated handling. Most conspicuous is the vacant space at the lower margin, where signature and seal once resided. A pronounced dark streak cuts across the center and through the arms, likely the result of water damage incurred during storage.

Yet despite these traces of centuries, the charter’s magnificence endures. Its artistry and heraldic detail continue to command attention, and the wear it carries does little to diminish its lasting grandeur.

Civic Identity and the Marxbrüder Legacy

This rediscovery offers more than aesthetic or archival value – it deepens our understanding of the civic identity of Frankfurt and the Holy Roman Empire.
The richly detailed coat of arms, now revealed in full tincture, sheds light on the Marxbrüder’s iconography while affirming their elevated status and imperial recognition. For heraldry, it presents a notably complete and imperially sanctioned guild armorial charter, rare in both its preservation and detail. And for Frankfurt’s cultural history, it evokes a moment when civic ambition, bolstered by martial skill and political sway, began appropriating the symbols and status once reserved for nobility. Such charters were not merely administrative, but performative declarations of prestige and belonging.

Looking Ahead: The Augmented Arms of 1670

I am thrilled to have rediscovered the lost Marxbrüder coat of arms from 1541 and will be sharing more in the coming weeks. The next article will focus on the 1670 augmented version by Leopold I. Stay tuned!

Special Thanks

I would like to thank the following people for their support:

• Cathrin Rieger, for providing valuable feedback on an earlier version of this article
• Johannes Theil, for pointing out refinements in my transcription and the rest of the article
• Eric Burkart, Jens-Peter Kleinau, and Werner Ueberschär for sharing this article within their networks

I am grateful to the Polytechnic Society Foundation for admitting me to the District Historian (Stadtteil-Historiker) 2025 cohort, as part of which I wrote this article. My special thanks go to Oliver Ramonat for his mentoring on topic selection.

This charter also came to light thanks to the exemplary support of the State Archive of the Canton of Basel-Stadt. From my initial inquiry to the delivery of the reproduction – including restoration and high‑resolution digitization – remarkably little time passed. The staff were not only exceptionally helpful, they also uploaded the high-resolution digital reproduction I had commissioned to their digital reading room, where it now is accessible for free to anyone: Wappenbrief Karl V. für die Meister des Schwerts

I warmly recommend viewing the document there, ideally on a large, high-resolution display.

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Appendix A: My translation of the 1541 privilege by Charles V in Regensburg (State Archive BS: PA 111 1)

Created with support from GPT-5.

We, Charles the Fifth, by the Grace of God Roman Emperor, ever the augmenter of the Empire, King of Germany, of Castile, Aragon, Leon, both Sicilies, Jerusalem, Hungary, Dalmatia, Croatia, Navarre, Granada, Toledo, Valencia, Galicia, Majorca, Seville, Sardinia, Córdoba, Corsica, Gibraltar, the Canary and the Indies, and of the mainland of the Ottoman Sea, Archduke of Austria, of Burgundy, of Lorraine, of Brabant, of Styria, Carinthia, Carniola, Limburg, Luxembourg, Guelders, Calabria, Athens, of Neopatras, and of Württemberg, Count of Habsburg, of Tyrol, of Flanders, Gorizia, Barcino, Artois, and of Brand, Count Palatine of the Rhine, of Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, Kyburg, Namur, Rassilien, of Cerdanya and Zutphen, Landgrave in Alsace, Margrave of Burgau, of Orist and of Gellany, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire in Swabia, Catalonia, Asturias, Lord in Friesland, on the Windic March, of Pordenone, Biscay, Sahinz, Mollinn, Tripaley, and Mechelen etc:

We publicly acknowledge with this letter and make known to all people that we have kindly considered and examined our loyal and faithful Masters of the Long Sword and the Brotherhood of Saint Mark, for such nobility, honesty, courage, good customs, virtue, and wisdom in battles and conflicts as they have so far shown to the Holy Empire and have proven before our Imperial Majesty, and especially the faithful voluntary service they have performed for the Holy Empire, and will continue to perform in the future.

Therefore, with well-considered courage, good counsel, and rightful will, we grant to the Masters of the Sword and their descendants the following coat of arms and crest: a black shield with three yellow mountains at the bottom; at the center of the shield a yellow lion with wings, above the head a halo, standing with his hindpaws on the mountains, and holding in his left forepaw a sword behind himself and upward. And upon the shield an open helmet with a golden crown; upon the crown a half lion with wings, above the head a halo, and holding in his left a sword behind himself and upward.

This coat of arms and crest, depicted in the middle of this present Imperial letter and newly painted and colored, are graciously granted and given. Henceforth, the aforementioned Masters of the Sword and their descendants may bear this coat of arms and crest for all time, and in all honorable and rightful matters and affairs, both in play and in earnest – whether in contests, combats, jousts, fencing, tournaments, encampments, proclamations, seals, insignia, crests, funerals, and in all other occasions according to their needs and wishes.

They shall also possess, use, and enjoy all honors, privileges, freedoms, judgments, rights, and justice, and may hold and exercise offices and fiefs, possess feudal courts and jurisdiction, render judgments and pronounce law, and be deemed fit, seemly, and worthy to do so, in both spiritual and worldly estates and matters, just as other people who enjoy the fiefs and arms of our Empire do.

They may use and enjoy their coat of arms and crest by right or custom, without hindrance from anyone. We command all our and the Empire’s electors – both spiritual and secular – together with prelates, counts, barons, knights, squires, captains, burgraves, provincial and deputy governors, bailiffs, stewards, administrators, officials, sheriffs, mayors, judges, councilors, as well as kings of arms, heralds, pursuivants, citizens and communities, and all other subjects of the Empire, to recognize this earnestly and steadfastly by Imperial authority, and not to obstruct or hinder the Masters of the Sword and their descendants in the exercise of the aforementioned arms and crest.

Anyone who opposes this shall incur the severe displeasure of our Imperial authority and a fine of ten marks of Lüttich gold, to be paid half to our Imperial chamber and half to the aforementioned Masters of the Sword and their descendants, without prejudice to those who lawfully bear similar arms and crest.

This letter is sealed with our Imperial seal, given in our and the Holy Empire’s city of Regensburg on the thirteenth day of the month of May, in the year of Christ 1541, in the 21st year of our Emperorship, and the 26th of our Empire.

Appendix B: My transcription of the 1541 privilege by Charles V in Regensburg (State Archive BS: PA 111 1)

Created with support from Transkribus and Johannes Theil.

Wir Carolus der Fünfte von Gottes Gnade-

Römischer Kaÿßer zu allen Zeitten Mehrer des Reichs König in German

ien zu Castilien, Aragonien, Leon, Beeder Sicillien, Hierusalem, Hungern, Dalmatien, Croatien, Nauarra, Granaten, Taläten, Valentz, Gallia, Mayarica, Hispalis, Sardiñe,

Corduba, Corsicasiren, Gibrolten, Der Canarischen vnnd Indianischen Inßel, vnd der Terrae ferrna des Ottoanischen Meers, Ertzhertzog zu Österreich, zu Burgundi, zu Lotterich, zu Braband,

zu Steuer, Krärnten, Crayn, Lymburg, Lützenburg, Geldtern, Calabrien, Athen, zu Neopatrien vnnd zu Würtenberg, Graue zu Habspurg, zu Tyrol, Flandern, Görtz, Barcinen, Artheis

vnnd zu brandt, Pfaltzgrave zu Henigen, zu Hollandt, Seelandt, pfierdt, Kyburg, Namur, Raßilien, zu Ceritania vnd zu Zutphen, Landgrave In Elßas, Marggrave zu Burggaw, zu Orist

ung vnnd zu Gelianÿ, deß Heÿligen Römischen Reichs Fürst zu Schwaben, Catalonien, Asturia, Herr In Frießlandt, auff der Windischen Marck, zu Horttenaw, Bißcaria, Sahinz, Mollinn,

Tripaleÿ vnd Mecheln: Bekennen öffentlich mit dießem Brieff vnd Thun Kundt Allermanigliche das wir gütlich angesehen vnd betracht unßer vnnd des Reichs getrewen Maister deß Langen Schwerdts

vnd der Brüderschafft Sanct Marx solcher Erbarkeitt, Redlicheitt, Manheitt, gutten Sietten, Tugent vnnd vernunfft in Kampffen vnnd Streittenn

sich bey dem Heÿligen Reich bißherer zeigt vnd bewiessen auch vor vnßerer Kaÿserlichen Maÿestatt berümht worden vnnd sonderlich die getrewen

Willigen dienst darzu sich gegen dem Heyligen Reiech bißher gethan unnd hinfüro in künftig zeitt wollthun mögen, unnd thun mögen unndt

sollen und haben darumb mit wolbedachtem Muth guttem Rath unndt rechtem wiellen den Meistern deß Schwerdts und ihren Nachkomen

dießes nachbeschriebene Wappen und Kleinnot mit Nahmmen einen schwartzen Schieldt unten mit dreyen gelben Bergen mitten des Schilts

ein gelber Löw mit Fliegeln oben des Kopffs ein Schein stehend mitt den hindern zweyen Füssen auff den Bergen, unnd haltendt in der linck

vorderen hinder sich auffwerts ein Schwerdt unnd auffm Schildt ein offener Helm, eine goltfarbe Cron, auff der Cron ein halber Löw mit Fliegelnn,

oben deß Kopffs ein Schein unnd haltendt in der Lincken hinder sich auffwerts ein Schwerdt als dann dießes Wappen unnd Kleinnot in mitten dies

gegenwertigen unßers Kayßerlichen brieffs gemahlet unnd mit farben eigentlich außgestrichen von Newem gnadiglichen verliehen und geben

Ihnen die auch also Newem auß Römischer Kaÿßerlicher machtvoll Kommenheit wiessentlich In Krafft dieß Brieffs vnnd setzen und wollen daß

nun hinfür die genandten Maeister des Schwerdts vnd deroselben Nachkommen für vnnd für ewiglich die jetzbestimbten Wappen vnd Kleinot haben

führen vnnd den in allen vnnd Iegelichen Ehrlichen vnnd Redlichen Sachen vnnd geschafften zu Schimpff vnnd Ernst, mit Streitten, Kampfen, Stechen,

Fechten, Vannieren, Gezelten, auffschlagen, Insiegelen, Petschafften, Kleinoten, Begräbnüßen vnnd sonst allen enden nach Ihrenn Nottürften, willen vnndt

wolgefallen, auch alle vnnd jede Ehrwürde, Gnad, Freyheitten, Vrthel, Recht vnnd Gerechtigkeit haben, gebrauchen vnnd geniessen sollen vnnd mögen mit Ämptern vnnd Lehn zu tragen zu habenn

Lehn gericht vnnd Recht zu besietzen, Vrthel zu schöpffen vnnd Recht zu sprechen vnnd darzu tauglich schicklich vnnd gut zu sein, in Geistlichen vnnd Weltlichen Ständten vnd sachen Als andern Unßer

vnnd deß Reichs Lehens vnnd Wappens genoß Leuthen so solches alles Haben vnnd sich deß auch Ihres Wappen und Cleinot gebrauchen vnnd geniessen von Recht oder gewohnheitt von aller maniglichen

unverhindert vnnd biettenn darauff allen vnnd Iegelichen vnßern vnnd des Reichs Churfürsten geistlichen vnnd weltlichen prelaten, Grauen, Freyherrn, Rittern, Knecht, Hauptleutten, Burggrauen, Landt

vögten, Vießthumben, Vögten, Pflegern, verweßern, Amptleuten, Schultheißen, Bürgermaistern, Richtern, Räthen, Königen der Wappen, Erholdten, Praesevaten, Bürgern vnnd Gemeinden, vnnd sonst

allen andern Unßern vnnd des Reichs unterthanen vnnd Getrewen In was würden, standts oder wesens die seindt Ernstlich, vnnd Vestigelich von Römischer Kayßerlicher Macht mit dießem brieff, vnnd wollen

das sie die genandten N. N. Meister deß Schwerdts vnnd Ihren nachKommen für vnnd für ewiglich an den obberurten Wappen vnnd Cleinot, unnd Freyheitten darmit wir sie begabet Haben nicht

Hindern noch Irren, sondern sie deren vorgeschriebener massen geruhigelich geniessen vnnd ganzlich darbeÿ lassen verbleiben vnnd dar wider nicht thun noch Iemandt andern zu thun gestattenn in keinerleÿ

weiße als Lieb einem Ieden seÿ vnßer vnnd des Reichs schwere ungnadt und darzu einer peen von lichen [?] zehen Marck Löttigs golts zu vermeiden die ein Ieder so offt er Freventlich darwider thete uns halb in

vnßer vnnd des Reichs Cammer unnd den andern Halben theill den Offt gemeldten Maistern des Schwerdts vnnd Irren nachkommen unnachlässig zu bezahlen verfallen sein soll doch vielleicht andern die den

obgeschriebenen Wappen und Cleinnoten Gleichführten an Ihren Wappen vnnd Rechten vnvergrifflich vnnd unschädlich. Mitt urkundt dießer Brieff versiegelt mit Vnßerm Kaÿßerlichen anhängendem Insiegel

Geben in Vnßer vnnd deß Heÿligen Reich Statt Regenspurg am Dreÿzehenden tag deß Monats Maÿ Nach Christi vnßers Lieben Herrn vnnd Seligmachers Geburt Fünffzehenhundert vnnd im ein vnndt

viertzigisten vnßers Kaÿßertumbs Im ein vnnd Zwensichsten vnnd Vnßers Reichs im sechs vnnd zwantzigsten.