Italian school of swordsmanship

The term Italian school of swordsmanship is used to describe the Italian style of fencing and edged-weapon combat from the time of the first extant Italian swordsmanship treatise (1409) to the days of Classical Fencing (up to 1900).

Italian School of Swordsmanship
The sette spade Diagram from the Pisani facsimile of the Flos Duellatorum (fol. 17A). The four animals symbolize prudence (lynx), celerity (tiger), audacity (lion), and fortitude (elephant).
Also known asLa Scuola Della Spada Italiana
FocusWeaponry
Country of originItaly
CreatorHistorical
Famous practitionersFiore dei Liberi, Filippo Vadi, Achille Marozzo, Antonio Manciolino, Angelo Viggiani,
Descendant artsModern Fencing
Olympic sportNo

Although the weapons and the reason for their use changed dramatically throughout these five centuries, a few fundamental traits have remained constant in the Italian school. Some of these are the preference for certain guards, the preoccupation with time (or "tempo") in fencing as well as many of the defensive actions.

Of especial influence was the Dardi school of fencing with the spada da lato in the 16th to early 17th centuries, which gave rise to the classical early modern style of fencing with the rapier, including Elizabethan Fencing in England and the French school of fencing in the 18th century (which in turn developed into modern sport fencing).

Renaissance to Baroque period

One of the earliest known Italian treatises on swordsmanship and other martial arts is the Flos Duellatorum (Fior Di Battaglia/The Flower of Battle) written by Fiore dei Liberi around 1409. Fiore's treatise describes an advanced martial arts system of grappling, dagger, short sword, longsword, pollaxe, and spear. Another important treatise, De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi, was written by Filippo Vadi sometime between 1482 and 1487. Although different, Vadi's work appears to be based upon Fiore's earlier work. It has been suggested that Vadi's style of swordsmanship represents a transitional phase between that of Fiore and the later Bolognese masters.[1]

A general survey of the 16th-century Italian manuals shows instruction for the following weapon or weapon combinations in at least one published manual:

  • Sword alone
  • Sword and Dagger
  • Sword and Small Buckler
  • Sword and Broad Buckler
  • Sword and Targa
  • Sword and Rotella
  • Sword and Cape
  • Sword and Gauntlet
  • Two Swords
  • Sword for Two Hands (also referred to as the Spadone by some masters)
  • Dagger
  • Dagger and Cape
  • Halberd
  • Spetum
  • Ronca (weapon)
  • Partisan (weapon)
  • Partisan and Shield
  • Lance
  • Pike
  • Unarmed against Dagger

The most significant group of authors from this time were those from the Bolognese school and it included such masters as Achille Marozzo, Antonio Manciolino, Angelo Viggiani and Giovanni dall'Agocchie. However, there were other Italian authors not directly associated with the Bolognese school including Camillo Agrippa (who has the distinction of codifying the four guards—prima, seconda, terza and quarta—that survive to this day), Giacomo di Grassi who wrote a manual in 1570 which was translated into English in the 1590s.

With the 17th century came the popularity of the rapier and a new century of masters, including Salvator Fabris, Ridolfo Capoferro, and Francesco Antonio Marcelli. Unlike the manuals of the previous century, those written for in the 17th century were generally restricted to covering only the rapier being used alone or with a companion arm (such as the dagger, cloak or rotella). By the end of the 17th century, the manuals begin to take on a more classical character in both the terminology and the presentation of the techniques.

Classical

Although there is a considerable gap in extant Italian treatises, between 1696 and 1800, we can see from the earliest 19th century treatises that the style had changed very little during that period. The only changes were the addition of certain techniques suitable for the somewhat lighter blades of the dueling swords typically used in 1800 as compared to the rapiers typical for the end of the 17th century (compare the techniques presented by Bondì di Mazo in his 1696 manual with those in the 1803 manual of Giuseppe Rosaroll-Scorza and Pietro Grisetti). Even at the beginning of 19th century techniques for coming to grips were still being taught and the use of the dagger as an accompanying weapon was still discussed (although not as a prominent and popular choice).

By the end of the 19th century, the immediate ancestor of modern fencing had developed with its familiar pedagogy and collection of techniques and theory. At this time, the two predominant schools within the Italian tradition are the Radaellian (after Maestro G. Radaelli) and the Neapolitan. In 1883 the Italian Ministry of War selected the treatise by Neapolitan Masaniello Parise to be the official syllabus of the newly founded Scuola Magistrale of fencing (now called Classical Italian Fencing). Parise's teachings survive to this day almost unchanged, although many of Radaelli's saber teachings were incorporated.

Contemporary practice

In Italy, the National Academy (Accademia Nazionale) certifies masters in both historical fencing and modern fencing based on careful adherence to the principles of Italian swordsmanship. Abroad, the Italian style is cultivated by professional institutions such as the San Jose State fencing program (California, United States), where Maestro William Gaugler ran a program largely based on the Classical style of Parise.

The Historical European martial arts (HEMA) and the Western Martial Arts (WMA) communities in Europe and the United States have practitioners of Italian masters such as Fiore dei Liberi, Filippo Vadi, Achille Marozzo, Salvator Fabris, Ridolfo Capo Ferro, Francesco Alfieri, etc. Practitioners include Brian R. Price of the Schola Saint George, Bob Charron of St. Martin's Academy (both studying Fiore dei Liberi), Gregory Mele of the Chicago Swordplay Guild (studying Fiore and Vadi), Matt Easton of London's Schola Gladiatoria, Ken Harding of the St Louis School of Arms, and Guy Windsor, of Finland's School of European Swordsmanship.

Treatises

Some treatises by Italian masters:

Medieval/Early Renaissance
Renaissance/Baroque
  • Antonio Manciolino, Dardi school, Opera Nova per Imparare a Combattere, & Schermire d'ogni sorte Armi - 1531
  • Achille Marozzo, Dardi school, Opera Nova Chiamata Duello, O Vero Fiore dell'Armi de Singulari Abattimenti Offensivi, & Diffensivi - 1536
  • Anonimo Bolognese, Dardi school, L'Arte della Spada (M-345/M-346 Manuscripts) - (early or mid 16th century[2])
  • Francesco Altoni, Monomachia: Trattato dell'Arte di Scherma - c. 1550
  • Camillo Agrippa, Trattato di Scientia d'Arme con un Dialogo di Filosofia - 1553
  • Giacomo di Grassi, Ragion di Adoprar Sicuramente l'Arme si da Offesa, come da Difesa - 1570
  • Giovanni dall'Agocchie, Dardi school, Dell'Arte di Scrimia - 1572
  • Angelo Viggiani dal Montone, Dardi school, Trattato dello Schermo - 1575
  • Giovanni Antonio Lovino, Prattica e theorica del bene adoperare tutte le sorti di arme c. 1580
  • Vincentio Saviolo, His Practise-1595
  • Marco Docciolini, Trattato in Materia di Scherma - 1601
  • Salvator Fabris, De lo Schermo ovvero Scienza d'Armi - 1606
  • Nicoletto Giganti, Scola overo Teatro - 1606
  • Ridolfo Capoferro, Gran Simulacro dell'Arte e dell'Uso della Scherma - 1610
  • Francesco Alfieri, La Scherma di Francesco Alfieri - 1640
  • Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini, La Scherma Illustrata - 1670
  • Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini, La seconda parte della Scherma Illustrata - 1673
  • Francesco Antonio Marcelli, Regole della Scherma - 1686
  • Bondì di Mazo, La Spada Maestra - 1696
Classical
  • Giuseppe Rosaroll-Scorza and Pietro Grisetti, La Scienza della Scherma - 1803 - 1871 3rd ed.
  • Giuseppe Radaelli, La Scherma di Sciabola e di Spada - 1876
  • Masaniello Parise, Trattato della Scherma di Spada e Sciabola - 1883 1st ed. - 1904 5th ed.
  • Masiello, Ferdinando, Trato teorico-pratico della scherma di spada e sciabola - 1884
  • Masiello, Ferdinando, and Ciullini The Broadsword - 1889
  • Masiello, Ferdinando, La Scherma di Fioretto. 2nd ed. - 1902
  • Masiello, Ferdinando, La Scherma di Sciabola. 3rd ed. - 1902
  • Pecoraro, Salvatoree Pessina, Carlo. La Sciabola - 1910
  • William M. Gaugler "The Science of Fencing. Revised ed." - 2004 ISBN 1-884528-05-8
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See also

References
  1. Guy Windsor, Vadi Guards (PDF)
  2. Rubboli and Cesari (2005) date this work to 1500-1525. Leoni and Reich of the Order of the Seven Hearts date it to "about 1550" (2006 class handout Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine){}

Literature
  • Battistini, A., J. Venni and M. Rubboli, eds. Monomachia - Trattato dell'Arte della Scherma di Sandro Altoni Francesco. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2007. Print. ISBN 88-8474-147-5
  • Butera, Matteo, Francesco Lanza, Jherek Swanger, and Reinier van Noort The Spada Maestra of Bondì di Mazo. Nordkisa, Norway: Van Noort, Reinier, 2016. ISBN 978-82-690382-0-0
  • William M. Gaugler, Lance C. Lobo The History of Fencing: Foundations of Modern European Swordplay. 1997. ISBN 978-18-845281-6-3
  • Leoni, Tomasso. The Art of Dueling: Salvator Fabris' Fencing Treatise of 1606. Union City, Calif.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2004. Print. ISBN 978-1-891448-23-2
  • Leoni, Tomasso, tr. The Complete Renaissance Swordsman: A Guide to the Use of All Manner of Weapons ~ Antonio Manciolino’s Opera Nova (1531). Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. Print. ISBN 978-0-9825911-3-0
  • Leoni, Tomasso, tr. Venetian Rapier: The School, or Salle ~ Nicoletto Giganti's 1606 Rapier Fencing Curriculum. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. Print. ISBN 978-0-9825911-2-3
  • Mele, Gregory D., ed. In the Service of Mars: Proceedings from the Western Martial Arts Workshop 1999–2009, Volume I. Freelance Academy Press, 2010. Print. ISBN 978-0-9825911-5-4
  • Porzio, Luca, tr., and Gregory D. Mele. Arte Gladitoria: 15th Century Swordsmanship of Master Filippo Vadi. Union City, Calif.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002. Print. ISBN 1-891448-16-1
  • Rubboli, Marco, and Luca Cesari, eds. L'Arte Cavalleresca del Combattimento - De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi di Filippo Vadi. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2001. Print. ISBN 88-8474-023-1
  • Rubboli, Marco, and Luca Cesari, eds. Flos Duellatorum - Manuale di Arte del Combattimento del XV secolo di Fiore dei Liberi. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2002. Print. ISBN 88-8474-079-7
  • Rubboli, Marco, and Luca Cesari, eds. Anonimo Bolognese - L'Arte della Spada, Trattato di scherma dell'inizio del XVI secolo. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2005. Print. ISBN 88-8474-093-2.
  • Rubboli, Marco and A. Battistini, eds. Opera Nova di Antonio Manciolino. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2008. Print. ISBN 88-8474-176-9
  • Windsor, Guy. The Swordsman's Companion: A Modern Training Manual for Medieval Longsword. Union City, Calif.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2004. Print. ISBN 1-891448-41-2
  • Windsor, Guy. The Duellist's Companion: a Training Manual for 17th Century Italian Rapier. Highland Village, TX.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2006. Print. ISBN 1-891448-32-3

(Wayback Machine copy)

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