| Fiore dei Liberi | |
|---|---|
The sette spade (seven swords) diagram from the Pisani-Dossi MS (folio 16r). |
|
| Born | ca. 1350s Cividale del Friuli |
| Died | ca. 1410s |
| Style | Italian school of swordsmanship L'Arte dell'Armizare |
| Teacher(s) | Johane dicto Suueno |
| Rank | Master at arms |
| Notable students | Nicolò Borialino, Galeazzo da Mantova, Piero del Verde, Azzone Francesco di Castelbarco |
Fiore Furlano de Civida d'Austria delli Liberi da Premariacco (ca. 1350s - 1410s) was a Medieval master of arms and the earliest Italian master from whom we have an extant[update] martial arts manual. His Flower of Battle is also the third oldest fighting manual yet discovered (after the MS I.33 and the HS 3227a), and the most extensive from the Medieval period.
Contents |
Fiore dei Liberi records in his book that he was the son of Benedetto delli Liberi of Premariacco, from the Friuli region of modern-day Italy, and was born in Cividale del Friuli Patriarchal State of Aquileia.[1] There are few records of his life beyond his own brief autobiographical account, but in 1383 a "Master Fiore" was recorded at Udine, where he was listed as a commander in the civil war on the side of the alliance of towns.[2][3][4] In 1395 he can be placed at a duel fought in Padua, and in 1399 he was recorded in Pavia.[2][3][4] At some point thereafter, he became associated with Niccolò III d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara, Modena, and Parma,[1][5] though the nature of this association is unclear.
Fiore dei Liberi wrote that he had a natural inclination to the martial arts and began at a young age. Later he studied under many masters of arms from both Italy and Germany. He named only one of these, a Master Johannes "called Suueno" (possibly 'the Swebian' or 'of Swabia'),[2][3] who was himself a scholar of Master Nicholai of Toblem.[5] Though he tells us little of his own career as a commander and master at arms, he offers an extensive list of his more famous students, including Piero del Verde, Nicolò Borialino, Galeazzo di Mantua, and Azzone Francesco di Castelbarco, and details their martial exploits. He also mentions that on five separate occasions he was forced to fight lethal duels for his honor against other masters, whom he described as envious because he refused to teach them, and survived each without taking any wounds.[5]
He states that he began writing Flos Duellatorum (the Pisani-Dossi MS) on February 10, 1410,[5] and noted in its prologue that he had studied the arts of combat for more than 50 years. Based on the customary age of martial arts instruction for the nobility, it is estimated that Fiore was born around 1350.[2][3] His death date is also an estimate as there are no known records of his life after he completed his book.
Fiore's teachings greatly influenced many of the Italian masters who came after him, most notably Filippo Vadi, as well as certain of the later German masters including Ludwig von Eyb. There is some evidence leading researchers to speculate that Johannes ditto Suueno may have been the German grand master Johannes Liechtenauer.[2][6][7]
Four copies of the illuminated manuscript are currently known to exist, and there are records of two others whose current locations are unknown. The MS Ludwig XV 13 and the Pisani-Dossi MS are both dedicated to Niccolò III d'Este and state that they were written at his request and according to his design. The MS M.383, on the other hand, lacks a dedication and claims to have been laid out according to his own intelligence. The MSS Latin 11269 lost any dedication it might have had along with its prologue. Each of the extant copies of the Flower of Battle follows a distinct order, though both of these pairs contain strong similarities to each other in order of presentation.
The major sections of the work include: abrazare, unarmed plays (usually translated as wrestling but more literally grappling); daga, including both unarmed defenses against the dagger and plays of dagger against dagger; spada a un mano, the use of the longsword in one hand (also called "the sword without the buckler"); spada a dui mani, the use of the longsword in two hands; spada en arme, the use of the longsword in armor (primarily techniques from the halfsword); azza, plays of the poleaxe in armor; lancia, spear and staff plays; and mounted combat (including the spear, the longsword, and mounted grappling). Brief bridging sections serve to connect each of these, covering such topics as bastoncello, or plays of a small stick or baton against unarmed and dagger-wielding opponents; plays of longsword vs. dagger; plays of staff and dagger and of two clubs and a dagger; and the use of the chiavarina against a man on horseback.
The format of instruction is largely consistent across all of the copies of the manual. Each section begins with a Master Remedy, a figure in a golden crown who demonstrates a counter technique against a basic attack. He is followed by various Scholars, figures wearing golden garters on their legs who demonstrate iterations and variations on this counter. After the Scholars there is a Master Contrario, a figure wearing both a crown and a garter, who demonstrates how to counter the Master Remedy's technique (and those of the Scholars). Some sections feature multiple Masters Remedy or Masters Contrario, while some have only one. There are also many cases in which an image in one copy will only feature a scholar's garter where the corresponding image in another copy also features a master's crown. Depending on the instance, this may be intentional or may be an error in the art.
The MS M.383, titled Fior di Battaglia, is in the holdings of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. Novati described it as a small, thin, vellum folio, pen and ink with gold highlights, and illustrations of sword and lance combat on foot and horseback.[8] This is the briefest copy of Fiore's work currently known, with only 19 folios; it has a prologue in Italian and four illustrated figures per page in the main body. The figures are accompanied by text that is often identical to that of the MS Ludwig XV 13 (excepting differences in spelling), but at times includes additional explanation. The MS M.383 was almost certainly longer when it was first written; its text makes reference to sections on poleaxe, dagger, and grappling which are not present in the book's current state. It also refers to a certain play of the sword in one hand which is likewise missing from that section. This manuscript is typically referred to as the 'Pierpont Morgan' or simply the 'Morgan'.
The known provenance of the MS M.383 is:[2][3]
The contents of the MS M.383 are as follows:
The MS Ludwig XV 13, also titled Fior di Battaglia, is currently in the holdings of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Its prologue, format, illustrations, and text are all very similar to the MS M.383. The text takes the form of descriptive paragraphs set in poor Italian verse,[9] which are nevertheless fairly clear and informative. Despite its shared characteristics with the MS M.383, there are important differences, not the least of which is the vastly different order of the information. This is the longest and most complete of the four manuscripts of Fior di Battaglia. This manuscript is typically referred to as the 'Getty'.
The known provenance of the MS Ludwig XV 13 is:[2][3]
The contents of the MS Ludwig XV 13 are as follows:
The Pisani-Dossi MS, titled Flos Duellatorum, was published in facsimile by Francesco Novati in 1902, making it the only copy of Fiore's manual whose images are considered public domain.[10] Francesco Novati described this manuscript as an unbound collection of leaves, covered with a cardboard folder with a marbled paper cover. It was in the Pisani-Dossi collection when Novati published it, but the manuscript disappeared some time after that and was thought lost; in 2005, it resurfaced in a private collection in Italy.[2][4] The Pisani-Dossi MS is the only manuscript in the series that includes a date, claiming to be completed on February 10, 1409 after six months of effort. It consists of 35 folios and possesses two different prologues, one in Latin and one in Italian. The body of the text consists of four to six illustrations per page, each with only a brief couplet or quatrain to explain it. This manuscript is typically referred to as either the 'Novati' or the 'Pisani-Dossi'.
The contents of the Pisani-Dossi MS are as follows:
The MSS Latin 11269, titled Florius de Arte Luctandi in a 17th-century script, was discovered in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in early 2008.[4][11] It appears to have been produced some years after the others, and is the only copy of the manual which is fully painted and includes illustrations of floors under the fighters. It consists of 44 folios with two pairings per page. The only copy that is written entirely in Latin, it lacks any sort of prologue and its descriptions are cast in couplets and quatrains, similar to the Pisani-Dossi MS. This manuscript is referred to as either the 'Florius' or the 'Paris'.
The known provenance of the MSS Latin 11269 is:[4][11]
The contents of the MSS Latin 11269 are as follows:
The Codex LXXXIV (or MS 84) is mentioned in the 1436 and 1508 catalogs of the Biblioteca Estense in Ferrara, but disappeared some time in the sixteenth century.[12] It consisted of 58 folios bound in leather with a clasp, with a white eagle and two helmets on the first page.[4]
The Codex CX (or MS 110) is also mentioned in the 1436 and 1508 catalogs of the Biblioteca Estense, but not in later inventories.[12] It consisted of 15 small-format folios on unbound parchment, and was written in two columns.[4]
The contents and current whereabouts of these copies of the Flower of Battle are unknown. It is possible that these listings refer to two of the manuals listed above, though none possess the correct number of folios or match the physical descriptions.