Gladiatoria

Gladiatoria is the name given to an anonymously authored mid-15th century German Fechtbuch, formerly housed at the Preussische Königliche Staatsbibliothek in Berlin and once believed to have been destroyed in World War II, but discovered in 1985 by Dr. Hans Peter Hils at the Biblioteka Jagiellońska in Kraków, Poland, where it remains.[1][2][3] Consisting of 58 parchment folia with colored drawings of 118 plays and German commentary, it mostly displays armoured foot combat with various arms, with depictions of some unarmoured combat on 49v–55v (Stechschild (dueling shield), sword and buckler, Messer, staff). Nearly one-third of the plays depicted, both armoured and unarmoured, involve the dagger.[4] The techniques depicted have some peculiarities not known from other Fechtbücher, and it is considered as not directly influenced by the mainstream German school based on the teachings of Liechtenauer.

References

  1. ^ Hils, Hans Peter. "Gladiatoria: Über drei Fechthandschriften aus der ersten Hälfte des 15. Jahrhunderts." Codici Manuscripti 13. Verlag Brüder Hollinek, 1987. pp. 1-54. Print.
  2. ^ Schulze, André, and Sandra Fortner. Mittelalterliche Kampfesweisen: Talhoffers Fechtbuch anno domini 1467, Volume 1. Philipp von Zabern, 2006. p. 37. Print. ISBN 9783805336529
  3. ^ Bellinghausen, Jörg. "The Dagger Plays of Gladiatoria". In the Service of Mars: Proceedings from the Western Martial Arts Workshop 1999–2009, Volume I. Ed. Gregory D. Mele. 1st ed. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. pp. 3-11. Print. ISBN 978-0982591154
  4. ^ Bellinghausen, Jörg. "The Dagger Plays of Gladiatoria". In the Service of Mars: Proceedings from the Western Martial Arts Workshop 1999–2009, Volume I. Ed. Gregory D. Mele. 1st ed. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. pp. 3-11. Print. ISBN 978-0982591154

External links