Ott Jud

Ott Jud ("Ott the Jew") was a 15th-century Austrian martial arts master who specialized in grappling (Ringen).

The version of his treatise in Codex Lew states that he was a Christian baptized Jew.^[1]

Paulus Kal describes him as the wrestling master to the rulers of Austria and names him as a member of the Society of Liechtenauer.

Ott's treatise on grappling is repeated throughout all of the early German treatise compilations and seems to have become the dominant work on the subject within the Liechtenauer tradition.

References

^ "Neuerdings hat Ginsburger ('Les Juifs et l'art militaire' in REJ 87 [1929]) nachgewiesen, daß der herzoglich österreichische Ringmeister 'Ott Jud' ein Judentäufling war. Aber ob das wirklich als 'preuve presque certaine' aufgefaßt werden darf, daß der von G. erwähnte Autor eines Buches über Fechtkunst namens Andreas Jude ebenfalls jüdischer Abkunft war, erscheint mir zweifelhaft." Zeitschrift für die Geschichte der Juden in Deutschland, vol. 3 (1931).

Lindholm, David and Svard, Peter. Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Arts of Combat. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1-58160-499-3
Tobler, Christian Henry. In Saint George's Name: An Anthology of Medieval German Fighting Arts. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9825911-1-6
Tobler, Christian Henry. Secrets of German Medieval Swordsmanship. Union City, Calif.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2001. ISBN 1-891448-07-2