What were actual Medieval swordfights like?

by cokevanillazero

If they occurred at all, I mean.

Were duels more akin to a brawl with swords or were there actual techniques and skills involved?

In my mind I've always imagined them to be kind of like this, if you'll pardon the link to a scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Not flashy, and a lot of kicking and punching.

Sebatinsky

Here are some images from 14th and 15th century combat manuals. I selected images that hopefully show the sophistication of the techniques being used.

The manuals I pulled from:

dazwah