The Tournament and its Role in the Court Culture of Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519)

 
 
83 
announced that he would prepare the field of competition, showing his keen interest in being 
personally involved in the preparations.
103
  
 
On that day, according the writings of Ludwig von Eyb (the existence of whose own 
tournament book makes his descriptions the most credible), barriers were erected to enclose 
the two fighters.
104
 Von Eyb built up a wonderful sense of suspense and anticipation as he 
described the two men preparing themselves in separate, lavish pavilions which they erected 
outside of the newly constructed stands. Noltz wrote that each hung their shield and helmet 
outside their separate tents. Both he and von Eyb listed numerous other knights who were in 
attendance, the names of which included some of the most prominent German nobles of 
Maximilian’s court; his closest allies and frequent participants in his tournaments.
105
 These men 
showed up to this particular contest armed and apparently ready to take part themselves at a 
moment’s notice. Next, a herald rode out from the emperor’s tent and demanded that the 
audience remain silent; that they not irritate the fighters or shout, wave, or point, but simply let 
them fight each other. Anyone who broke this rule, no matter who they were, it was declared, 
would have their head struck off without mercy.
106
  
 
De Vauldrey emerged from his tent first and entered the barriers with his lance resting 
across his saddle. Then came Maximilian, also with his lance and wearing his kempfharnisch, his 
tournament armour. As soon as the trumpeters sounded their horns the two men strichen sie mit 
dem Spieβen zusamen – ‘struck together with their lances’. Both competitors’ lances were broken 
– a skilful result – and die helden or ‘the heroes’, as von Eyb called them, took up their swords 
                                                 
103
Deutsche Reichstagakten unter Maximilian I., vol. 5, pp. 1803-10. 
104
 [A]lle mit gülden tüchern und köstlichen tapecerein behangen, von Eyb, Die Geschichten und Taten 
Wilwolts von Schaumburg, pp. 156-57.  
105
 von Eyb, Die Geschichten und Taten Wilwolts von Schaumburg, pp. 156-57. Monumenta Wormatensia: 
Annalen und Chroniken, pp. 396-97. Noltz also refers to Vauldrey as a Walen, or Walloon.    
106
 von Eyb, Die Geschichten und Taten Wilwolts von Schaumburg, p. 157. 

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84 
and continued the combat.
107
 The two exchanged numerous heroic blows. But here, at last, 
Maximilian proved too swift and powerful for his opponent, and the two were separated by 
the judges.
108
  
 
After the central combat between Maximilian and de Vauldrey, von Eyb describes a 
mass foot combat which ensued between all the other nobles there present, using, as different 
sources name, both swords, knives, and staff weapons. The swords are described as being 
sharpened on both sides, so not blunted for a more benign form of tourney.
109
 As von Eyb 
describes the event, it is hard to tell if this was planned, or if it was a spontaneous outbreak of 
tournament fervour.
110
 The whole thing was described by Noltz as schön und lustig […] zu sehen, 
or ‘beautiful and joyful […] to see’.
111
 When things started to get a bit too belligerent, this 
combat was broken up as well. After this, the entire group retired to the evening’s banquet and 
dancing, at which all hard feelings seem to have been forgotten.
112
  
 
However Maximilian’s much-publicised competition with de Vauldrey was not the only 
occurrence of a tournament at this diet – or, indeed, other diets which Maximilian attended, as 
seen later in this chapter. After Maximilian and de Vauldrey’s series of combats, there were 
other tournaments in the following days. Maximilian twice fought Elector Friedrich III of 
Saxony. This was again followed by the ‘struggles’ of many other lords, which could refer to 
individual jousts or group combats.
113
  
                                                 
107
 A suit of armour designed for tournament foot combat, and possibly the very one worn by de 
Vauldrey in this encounter, may be seen today in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (Inv.-Nr. B 
33). 
108
 von Eyb, Die Geschichten und Taten Wilwolts von Schaumburg, pp. 157-58. 
109
 von Eyb, Die Geschichten und Taten Wilwolts von Schaumburg, p. 157. Monumenta Wormatensia, p. 
397. Von Eyb refers to lange breite schwert zu beiden seiten schneident, while Noltz refers to messern und stangen. 
110
 von Eyb, Die Geschichten und Taten Wilwolts von Schaumburg, p. 157. 
111
 Monumenta Wormatensia, p. 397.  
112
 von Eyb, Die Geschichten und Taten Wilwolts von Schaumburg, p. 158. 
113
 Monumenta Wormatiensia, p. 397. 

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85 
 
The next year, in February 1496, a brief reference may be found to another tournament 
or tournaments held in Innsbruck. This was during Fastnacht, the carnival period leading up to 
Lent, which often proved a popular time for holding tournaments and other festive events (see 
Chapter 6). This tournament is only mentioned elliptically though, through a 23 February letter 
of the Tyrolean nobleman Sebastian von Mandach.
114
  
 
This trend continues with another brief reference to a tournament again held during 
the same period in Innsbruck in January of the following year, 1497. The ambassador of the 
duke of Ferrara, Pandolfo Collenuccio, wrote about a tournament and masked dance which 
happened on 8 January in which Maximilian was involved.
115
 
 
The next month, February, marked the occasion of yet more Fastnacht tournaments, 
which spanned several weeks. The same ambassador, Pandolfo Collenuccio, described 
Maximilian jousting on 6 February against Elector Friedrich III of Saxony (whom he also 
fought in Worms). This was described in the letter as being fought with lances with blunted 
tips (a frezi amolati) – presumably then a form of Gestech. He also wrote that Maximilian went 
masked to a dance that evening and that another masked dance or mummerei was taking place 
that day.
116
 Then on 14 February Collenuccio wrote that in recent days Maximilian had met 
Sigmund III von Welsperg in a tournament.
117
 This encounter was interestingly described by 
Collenuccio as an un-kingly game, or a game not worthy of a king (giogo veramente non da re).
118
  
                                                 
114
 Regesta Imperii, Österreich, Reich und Europa, RI XIV, 2 n. 6864. Original source: Innsbruck, 
Tiroler Landesarchiv, Maximiliana-Akten, IVa, fol. 175. 
115
 Regesta Imperii, Maximilian I., RI XIV, 2 n. 4618. Original source: Modena, Archivio di Stato; 
Dispacci degli ambasciatori della Germania, busta 1, Pandolfo Collenuccio an Hg Ercole d'Este (1497). 
116
 Regesta Imperii, Maximilian I., RI XIV, 2 n., 4667. Original source: Modena, Archivio di Stato; 
Dispacci degli ambasciatori della Germania, busta 1.  
117
 Sigmund von Welsperg (died c.1503) served Maximilian as chamberlain, councillor, and 
Oberstfeldhauptmann of Tyrol. He was also Obersthofmeister to Maximilian’s second wife, Bianca Maria 
Sforza.  
118
 Regesta Imperii, Maximilian I., RI XIV, 2 n., 4685. Original source: Modena, Archivio di Stato; 
Dispacci degli ambasciatori della Germania, busta 1. 

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