Konrad Kyeser (26 August 1366 – after 1405) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

military engineer Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics ...

and the author of ''

Bellifortis ''Bellifortis'' ("Strong in War", "War Fortifications") is the first fully illustrated manual of military technology written by Konrad Kyeser and dating from the start of the 15th century. It summarises material from classical writers on milit ...

'' (c. 1405), a book on military technology that was popular throughout the 15th century. Originally conceived for King Wenceslaus, Kyeser dedicated the finished work to

Rupert of Germany Rupert of the Palatinate (german: Ruprecht von der Pfalz; 5 May 1352 – 18 May 1410), sometimes known as Robert of the Palatinate, a member of the House of Wittelsbach, was Elector Palatine from 1398 (as Rupert III) and King of Germany from ...

. A native of

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese ...

, Kyeser was trained as a physician and lived at the court in

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

before he joined the crusade against the Turks which ended in disaster at the

Battle of Nicopolis The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied crusader army of Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German, and assorted troops (assisted by the Venetian navy) at t ...

in 1396. Kyeser lived in exile in a mountain village in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

during the reign of Sigismund in 1402 to 1403.

Bellifortis

During his time in exile, Kyeser began to write his book on the military arts. The book is the most prominent illustrated treatise on military engineering of the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...

. There are at least twelve surviving 15th-century manuscripts which copy, excerpt, or amplify the work. One of these is the ''Thott''

Fechtbuch Martial arts manuals are instructions, with or without illustrations, specifically designed to be learnt from a book. Many books detailing specific techniques of martial arts are often erroneously called manuals but were written as treatises. Pros ...

Hans Talhoffer Hans Talhoffer (Dalhover, Talhouer, Thalhoffer, Talhofer; – after 1482) was a German fencing master. His martial lineage is unknown, but his writings make it clear that he had some connection to the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer, the ...

(1459). The book is divided into ten chapters, though there are also issues with the full content divided into 7 chapters. The topics of the chapters include cars,

siege engine A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while oth ...

s, hydraulic engines, elevators, firearms, defensive arms, "wondrous secrets",

fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

for warfare, fireworks for pleasure, and auxiliary tools. The

diving suit A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit may also incorporate a breathing gas supply (such as for a standard diving dress or atmospheric diving suit). but in most cases the te ...

presented in the book has precedents reaching back to the 12th century and to

Roger Bacon Roger Bacon (; la, Rogerus or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through emp ...

. The book also has the earliest known depiction of a

chastity belt A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse or masturbation. Such belts were historically designed for women, ostensibly for the purpose of chastity, to protect women from rape or to dissuade women and the ...

. Kyeser counts the '' artes magicae'' among the mechanical arts, and his work contains various applications of magic in warfare.

Editions

The original codex is kept in the

Göttingen University Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...

library (Cod. Ms. philos. 63). Other editions include the following: *Götz Quarg (ed.), facsimile of the Göttinger MS Philos. 63, VDI-Verlag, Düsseldorf (1967) *Udo Friedrich (introduction), Fidel Rädle (trans.), ''Bellifortis'', Codices figurati - libri picturati, Lengenfelder, Munich (1995), . (facsimile of Cod. Ms. philos. 64 und 64a Cim.) *electronic edition (CD ROM), facsimile of Cod. Pal. lat. 1994, Palatina manuscripts of the 12th-15th centuries, Belser, Wildberg (2001)

In popular culture

Kyeser appears as an NPC in the 2018 video game '' Kingdom Come: Deliverance'', and is voiced by

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed (; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor, presenter, writer and mountaineer. Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars'', Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of '' I, Claudius'', King Richard I ...

Literature

*L. White, ''Kyeser's "Bellifortis": The First Technological Treatise of the Fifteenth Century'', Technology and Culture (1969). *Brian R. Price, ''Bellifortis: Conrad Kyeser and his war-book'' in ''THEME: The Knights Templar'' vol. 6, 2006, pp. 48–51.

External links

Bellifortis - complete digitized version

history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyeser, Konrad 1366 births 15th-century deaths German military engineers 15th-century German writers Medieval military writers People from Eichstätt Engineers from Bavaria 15th-century German engineers Christians of the Battle of Nicopolis

Bellifortis

Editions

In popular culture

See also

Literature

Further reading

External links