Salvator Fabris

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Salvator Fabris (1544-1618) was an Italian fencing master from Padua. During his life he taught in various European countries, most notably in Denmark where he was the fencing instructor of King Christian IV. It was during his time in Copenhagen that he published his treatise on rapier fencing, Lo Schermo, overo Scienza d’Arme, in 1606. The treatise became a fencing bestseller around Europe and was reprinted until 1713 and translated into several languages, notably into German, and again in 2005, into English. It is also regarded as one of the finest example of baroque printing, with its numerous copperplate engravings by Ian Halbeeck and other artists. This book is also important because it is the first Danish book to feature copperplate engravings.

In his treatise, Fabris deals with sword alone, sword and dagger, sword and cape as well as bare-handed fighting against a man armed with a dagger. Also, he is unique in the fact that he includes a whole "Book II" for advanced techniques. His writing style is concise and effective, even by modern standards, and he shows a loving respect for the reader and for all who may study his system.

Among the reasons why his treatise achieved such cult-status are its uncommon thoroughness and the extreme detail of its 260+ page instruction. Throughout the 17th century, other masters such as Francesco Alfieri (1640), Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini (1670) and Francesco Antonio Marcelli (1686) commented on Fabris being an extraordinary teacher of the sword and "a man of the greatest name in our profession." Even non-Italian 17th-century sword masters such as the Flemish Thibault saw themselves compelled to add a chapter to their book commenting on the excellence of Fabris' students and suggesting ways to defeat them. But it is the German author Hynitzsch who in 1677 gives us the fullest idea of the sheer fame that Fabris had achieved in Europe: his book was plagiarized by other fencing masters his style was adopted by several official fencing institutions such as the University of Jena.

Fabris was born in 1544 in or around Padua, and his youth coincided with the flowering of the Italian school of swordsmanship, with early Italian masters like Achille Marozzo, Angelo Viggiani and Giacomo di Grassi still teaching.

He worked as a fencing master in Italy as well as in Northern Europe. The French master Henry de Sainct-Didier in 1573 mentions a meeting with a "Fabrice" in Paris, in about 1570. Fabris was in the service in Johan Frederik of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, archbishop of Bremen, in the 1590s.

Salvator entered the service of the king of Denmark, Christian IV from 1601, who sponsored the treatise and put his court painter, Jan Halbeeck at Fabris' disposal for his treatise.

After his travels accoss Europe, Salvator returned to Italy, teaching at the University of Padua. His renown at its peak, young noblemen from all over Europe came to Padua to be taught by him. He died in 1618 after fighting against malignant fever for about 10 days. He was 74. On his deathbed, he bestowed his salle to senior student Herman, a German, who was later assassinated by a jealous colleague by the name of Heinrich.

The legendary stature achieved by Fabris in his lifetime accounts for the many anecdotes about him still circulating today.

According to Italian fencing master and historian Luigi Barbasetti, Fabris was summoned to England to help Shakespeare choreograph the sword actions in the premier of Hamlet.

There is also an interesting, yet uncorroborated story about a Salvator Fabritz (sic) coming to Sweden in 1594 as an assassin hired by king Sigismund III Vasa, according to the Exegesis historica, written by Duke Charles and his Chancellor Nicolaus Chesnecopherus and printed in Stockholm in 1610 based on a Swedish version published in 1609. According to this account, Sigismund intended to assassinate his uncle Charles, during a banquet at Uppsala on February 12, following the royal funeral of John III on 1 February. After the meal a number of costumed Italians, including an actor and playwright by the name of Salvator Fabritz, took part in a stage-performance with drawn swords. Fabritz was supposed to kill Charles during the performance, but Charles had been warned by a certain Hieronymus Strozzi and stayed away from the banquet. However, given that Fabris is a very common Italian surname (akin to Smith in English), it seems highly unlikely that these are both the same person. Also, there is no record of the Master ever being in Sweden.

Today, Fabris' style is one of the most studied in the revival of historical European martial arts.

This master's name and last name are found (historically) in different spellings such as Salvator, Salvatore, Salvador and Fabris, Fabbri plus other non-Italian spellings.

[edit] Editions

1606 De lo schermo overo scienza d’arme di Salvator Fabris Capo dell’ordine dei sette cori
1615, German translation, New Künstlich Fechtbuch: darinnen etliche vorneme Kunststück dess weitberümbten Fecht: und Lehrmeisters Sig. Salvator Fabri da Padoa
1615, German translation, Neu künstlich Fechtbuch Darinen 500 Stück im ainfachen Rapier, wie auch ettliche im Rapier und Dolch dess witberümberten Fecht und Lehrmeisters Sig. Salvator Fabri da Padoa
1617, German translation, Neu künstliches Fechtbuch darinen etliche hunder Stück im einfachen wie auch in Dolchen und Rappier auß dem Fundament der Fechtkunst
1619, German translation, Des Kunstreichen Italiänische Fechtkunst. Das ist: gründeliche und außfürliche Unterrichtung von dem Fechten
1624 Della vera pratica et scienza d’armi, libri due, pera di Salvatore Fabris
1677 Sienza e pratica d’arme
1713, German translation, Scienza e practica d'armed'arme di Salvatore Fabris. Das ist: Herrn Salvatore Fabris Italiänische Fecht Kunst, zu welchen noch kommen ist das dritte Buch welches einen Tractat vom Ringen, dessgleichen, wie man sich mit blossen Fäusten wider einen beschirmen solle, in sich hält, in das Teutsche übersetzet und heraus gegeben von Johann Joachim Hynitzschen
2005, Tommaso Leoni (trans.), Art of Dueling: Salvator Fabris' Rapier Fencing Treatise of 1606, Chivalry Bookshelf (2005), ISBN 1-891448-23-4. [1]