The term Italian school of

swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

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). 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 The ''spada da lato'' (Italian) or ''side-sword'' is a type of sword popular during the late 16th century. It is a continuation of the medieval knightly sword, and the immediate predecessor (or early form) of the rapier A rapier () or is a ...

'' in the 16th to early 17th centuries, which gave rise to the classical early modern style of fencing with the

rapier A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Impor ...

, including Elizabethan Fencing in England and the

French school of fencing The known history of fencing in France begins in the 16th century, with the adoption of Italian styles of fencing. There are medieval predecessors, such as the Burgundian '' Le jeu de la hache'' ("The Play of the Axe") of ca. 1400, but the hist ...

in the 18th century (which in turn developed into modern

sport fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the Foil (fencing), foil, the épée, and the Sabre (fencing), sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an ...

Renaissance to Baroque period

One of the earliest known Italian treatises on swordsmanship and other martial arts is the ''

Flos Duellatorum The Flos Duellatorum is the name given to one of the manuscript versions of Fiore dei Liberi's illuminated manuscript fight book, written in 1410 (dated to 1409 in the old reckoning). There are five other surviving recensions, under the title ...

'' (Fior Di Battaglia/The Flower of Battle) written by

Fiore dei Liberi Fiore Furlano de Cividale d'Austria, delli Liberi da Premariacco (Fiore dei Liberi, Fiore Furlano, Fiore de Cividale d'Austria; born ca. 1350; died after 1409) was a late 14th century knight, diplomat, and itinerant fencing master. He is the ear ...

around 1409. Fiore's treatise describes an advanced martial arts system of

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

short sword The English language terminology used in the classification of swords is imprecise and has varied widely over time. There is no historical dictionary for the universal names, classification or terminology of swords; a sword was simply a double ...

longsword A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximatel ...

pollaxe The poleaxe (also pollaxe, pole-axe, pole axe, poleax, polax) is a European polearm that was widely used by medieval infantry. Etymology Most etymological authorities consider the ''poll''- prefix historically unrelated to "pole", instead mea ...

, and

spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

. Another important treatise, ''

De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi ''De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi'' was written by Italian fencing master Filippo Vadi between 1482 and 1487. It consists of an opening prologue describing the art of fencing followed by colored plates illustrating specific techniques for the longsw ...

'', 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. A general survey of the 16th-century Italian manuals shows instruction for the following weapon or weapon combinations in at least one published manual: *Dagger *Dagger and cape *

Halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

Lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...

Partisan (weapon) A partisan (also known as a partizan) is a type of polearm that was used in Europe during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. It consisted of a spearhead mounted on a long wooden shaft, with protrusions on the sides which aided in parrying sword t ...

*Partisan and shield *

Pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

*Ronca (weapon) *

Spetum A spetum is a pole weapon A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range and striking p ...

*Sword alone *Sword and broad buckler *Sword and

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

*Sword and

*Sword and gauntlet *Sword and rotella *Sword and small

buckler A buckler (French ''bouclier'' 'shield', from Old French ''bocle, boucle'' 'boss') is a small shield, up to 45 cm (up to 18 in) in diameter, gripped in the fist with a central handle behind the boss. While being used in Europe since an ...

*Sword and

targa Targa or TARGA may refer to: Car racing events * Targa Adelaide, in Australia * Targa Canada West, in British Columbia *Targa Florio, in Sicily, Italy, 1906–1977 * Targa Florio Rally, in Sicily, Italy, from 1978 * Targa High Country, in Victori ...

*Sword for two hands (also referred to as the spadone by some masters) *Two swords *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 Achille Marozzo (1484–1553) was an Italian fencing master, one of the most important teachers in the Dardi or Bolognese tradition.Castle, Egerton (1885), ''Schools and Masters of Fenc'', Londra, G. Bell, rist. (2003) ''Schools and Masters of Fen ...

Antonio Manciolino Bolognese Swordsmanship, also sometimes known as the Dardi school, is a tradition within the Italian school of swordsmanship which is based on the surviving fencing treatises published by several 16th century fencing masters of Bologna, As early as ...

Angelo Viggiani Bolognese Swordsmanship, also sometimes known as the Dardi school, is a tradition within the Italian school of swordsmanship which is based on the surviving fencing treatises published by several 16th century fencing masters of Bologna, As early as ...

and

Giovanni dall'Agocchie Giovanni Dall'Agocchie was an Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian langua ...

. 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—, , , and —that survive to this day),

Giacomo di Grassi Giacomo is an Italian name. It is the Italian version of the Hebrew name Jacob. People * Giacomo (name), including a list of people with the name Other uses * Giacomo (horse) Giacomo (foaled February 16, 2002 in Kentucky) is a champion America ...

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 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 ...

, Ridolfo Capoferro, and Francesco Antonio Marcelli. Unlike the manuals of the previous century, those written 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 the 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 Historical European martial arts (HEMA) are martial arts of European origin, particularly using arts formerly practised, but having since died out or evolved into very different forms. While there is limited surviving documentation of the martia ...

(HEMA) and the

Western Martial Arts Historical European martial arts (HEMA) are martial arts of European origin, particularly using arts formerly practised, but having since died out or evolved into very different forms. While there is limited surviving documentation of the martia ...

(WMA) communities in Europe and the United States have practitioners of Italian masters such as

, Filippo Vadi,

Ridolfo Capo Ferro Ridolfo Capo Ferro da Cagli (Ridolfo Capoferro, Rodulphus Capoferrus) was an Italian fencing master in the city of Siena, best known for his rapier fencing treatise published in 1610. He seems to have been born in the town of Cagli in the Provin ...

Francesco Alfieri Francesco Ferdinando Alfieri was a master of fencing of the 17th century. He was a representative of the Venetian school of fencing and “Maestro D’Arme” to the Accademia Delia in Padua in 1640. Alfieri was originally from Padua, which at t ...

, etc. Practitioners include Brian R. Price of the Schola Saint George, Bob Charron of St. Martin's Academy (both studying

), Gregory Mele of the

Chicago Swordplay Guild The Chicago Swordplay Guild is a modern school of swordsmanship and Western martial arts, and non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It provides organized instruction in the study and practice of historical European s ...

(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 A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions."Treat ...

by Italian masters: ;Medieval/Early Renaissance * Filippo Vadi, ''

'' - 1482-1487 *

, '' Flos Duellatorum in armis, sine armis, equester et pedester'' - 1409 * Pietro Monte, ''Exercitiorum Atque Artis Militaris Collectanea in Tris Libros Distincta'' - 1509 ;Renaissance/Baroque *

, Dardi school, ''Opera Nova Chiamata Duello, O Vero Fiore dell'Armi de Singulari Abattimenti Offensivi, & Diffensivi'' - 1536 *

dal Montone, Dardi school, ''Trattato dello Schermo'' - 1575 *

Anonimo Bolognese Bolognese Swordsmanship, also sometimes known as the Dardi school, is a tradition within the Italian school of swordsmanship which is based on the surviving fencing treatises published by several 16th century fencing masters of Bologna, As early a ...

, Dardi school, L'Arte della Spada (M-345/M-346 Manuscripts) - (early or mid 16th century) *

, Dardi school, ''Opera Nova per Imparare a Combattere, & Schermire d'ogni sorte Armi'' - 1531 * Bondì di Mazo, ''La Spada Maestra'' - 1696 * Camillo Agrippa, ''Trattato di Scientia d'Arme con un Dialogo di Filosofia'' - 1553 *

, ''La Scherma di Francesco Alfieri'' - 1640 * Francesco Altoni, ''Monomachia: Trattato dell'Arte di Scherma'' - c. 1550 * Francesco Antonio Marcelli, ''Regole della Scherma'' - 1686 *

, ''Ragion di Adoprar Sicuramente l'Arme si da Offesa, come da Difesa'' - 1570 * Giovanni Antonio Lovino, ''Prattica e theorica del bene adoperare tutte le sorti di arme'' c. 1580 *

, Dardi school, ''Dell'Arte di Scrimia'' - 1572 * Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini, ''La Scherma Illustrata'' - 1670 * Giuseppe Morsicato Pallavicini, ''La seconda parte della Scherma Illustrata'' - 1673 * Marco Docciolini, ''Trattato in Materia di Scherma'' - 1601 *

Nicoletto Giganti Nicoletto Giganti was a 17th-century Italian rapier fencing master. The frontispiece of his 1606 work names him as “Nicoletto Giganti, Venetian”, although evidence suggests he or his family, moved to Venice from the town of Fossombrone, in Le ...

, ''Scola overo Teatro'' - 1606 * Ridolfo Capoferro, ''Gran Simulacro dell'Arte e dell'Uso della Scherma'' - 1610 *

, ''De lo Schermo ovvero Scienza d'Armi'' - 1606 *

Vincentio Saviolo Fencing master Vincentio Saviolo (d. 1598/9), though Italian born and raised, authored one of the first books on fencing to be available in the English language. Saviolo was born in Padua. He arrived in London at an unknown date and is first ...

, ''His Practise''-1595 ;Classical *

Giuseppe Radaelli Giuseppe Radaelli (1833 - 1882) was a 19th-century Milanese fencing master and soldier. Often regarded as "the father of modern sabre fencing", his sabre fencing principles were popularised throughout Europe via his students such as Luigi Barbasetti ...

, ''La Scherma di Sciabola e di Spada'' - 1876 * Giuseppe Rosaroll-Scorza and Pietro Grisetti, ''La Scienza della Scherma'' - 1803 - 1871 3rd ed. * Masaniello Parise, ''Trattato della Scherma di Spada e Sciabola'' - 1883 1st ed. - 1904 5th ed. * 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 * Masiello, Ferdinando, ''Trato teorico-pratico della scherma di spada e sciabola'' - 1884 * Pecoraro, Salvatoree Pessina, Carlo. ''La Sciabola'' - 1910 * William M. Gaugler "The Science of Fencing. Revised ed." - 2004

References

Literature

* Battistini, A., J. Venni and M. Rubboli, eds. ''Monomachia - Trattato dell'Arte della Scherma di Sandro Altoni Francesco''. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2007. Print. * Butera, Matteo, Francesco Lanza, Jherek Swanger, and Reinier van Noort ''The Spada Maestra of Bondì di Mazo''. Nordkisa, Norway: Van Noort, Reinier, 2016. * 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. * Leoni, Tomasso, tr. ''Venetian Rapier: The School, or Salle ~ Nicoletto Giganti's 1606 Rapier Fencing Curriculum''. Wheaton, IL: Freelance Academy Press, 2010. Print. * Leoni, Tomasso. ''The Art of Dueling: Salvator Fabris' Fencing Treatise of 1606''. Union City, Calif.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2004. Print. * 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. * Porzio, Luca, tr., and Gregory D. Mele. ''Arte Gladitoria: 15th Century Swordsmanship of Master Filippo Vadi''. Union City, Calif.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2002. Print. * Rubboli, Marco and A. Battistini, eds. ''Opera Nova di Antonio Manciolino''. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2008. Print. * 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. . * 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. * Rubboli, Marco, and Luca Cesari, eds. ''L'Arte Cavalleresca del Combattimento - De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi di Filippo Vadi''. Rimini: Il Cerchio, 2001. Print. * William M. Gaugler, Lance C. Lobo ''The History of Fencing: Foundations of Modern European Swordplay.'' 1997. * Windsor, Guy. ''The Swordsman's Companion: A Modern Training Manual for Medieval Longsword''. Union City, Calif.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2004. Print. * Windsor, Guy. ''The Duellist's Companion: a Training Manual for 17th Century Italian Rapier''. Highland Village, TX.: The Chivalry Bookshelf, 2006. Print.

External links

Bolognese Swordsmanship: The Dardi School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Italian School Of Swordsmanship Historical European martial arts Historical fencing Swordsmanship