Don Luis Pacheco de Narváez (1570–1640) was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

writer on ''

destreza is the conventional term for the Spanish tradition of fencing of the early modern period. The word literally translates to 'dexterity' or 'skill, ability', and thus to 'the true skill' or 'the true art'. While is primarily a system of sword ...

'', the Spanish art of

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

. He was a follower of Don

Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza Don Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza, ( es, link=no, Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza), Jerónimo de Carranza, pt, Hieronimo de Carança; c. 1539 – c. 1600 or 1608) was a Spanish nobleman, humanist, scientist, one of the most famous fencers, and ...

. Some of his earlier works were compendia of Carranza's work while his later works were less derivative. He served as fencing master to King

Philip IV of Spain Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered f ...

. Nevertheless, it is not known exactly when Pacheco met his teacher, the greatest master of Spanish fencing, Jerónimo Sanchez de Carranza.

Biography

Until recently, there has been no information on the exact date of birth of Pacheco de Narváez. Born in the city of Baeza, his life was devoted to working with

weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

and becoming a

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, namely on the island of

Fuerteventura Fuerteventura () is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, part of the North Africa region, and politically part of Spain. It is located away from the northwestern coast of Africa. The island was declared a biosphere reserve by UNES ...

and

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...

. According to documents from the legacy of Pacheco de Narváez in the Canary Islands, it is known that he was the son of Rodrigo Marin de Narváez and Magdalena Pacheco Cameras. He married Beatriz Fernandez de Cordoba, the daughter of Michael Jerome Fernandez de Cordova, clerk of the chamber and secretary of the

Royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

of the Canary Islands and Lucia Sayago. In 1608, he fought a fencing match with

Francisco de Quevedo Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas, Knight of the Order of Santiago (; 14 September 1580 – 8 September 1645) was a Spanish nobleman, politician and writer of the Baroque era. Along with his lifelong rival, Luis de Góngora, ...

as a result of Quevedo criticizing one of his works. Quevedo took off Pacheco's hat in the first encounter. In Quevedo's

picaresque novel The picaresque novel (Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for " rogue" or "rascal") is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish, but "appealing hero", usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrup ...

El Buscón ''El Buscón'' (full title ''Historia de la vida del Buscón, llamado Don Pablos, ejemplo de vagamundos y espejo de tacaños'' (literally: History of the life of the Swindler, called Don Pablos, model for hobos and mirror of misers); translated as ...

'', this duel was parodied with a fencer relying on mathematical calculations having to run away from a duel with an experienced soldier.

The life of a swordsman

Despite the lack of accurate data on the life of Pacheco de Narváez, as well as numerous other masters of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

, there are often occasional references, from which it is clear that the profession of the

fencing master Masters of Defence or Masters of Fencing is a widespread guild of teachers specializing in close combat military techniques with weapons, civilian fighting skills, and unarmed combat. The title was coined during the Medieval period, and referred to ...

in Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries required serious preparation, extreme physical strength, and organization; thus, there existed a monopoly on teaching and awarding the title of master of the art of fencing.

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

, a master of fencing and founder of the Spanish school of fencing, ''

'', became famous for his written treatise ('The philosophy of arms and their skill, and of Christian aggression and defense', published in 1582) and became a mentor and fencing teacher for Pacheco de Narváez. Pacheco de Narváez was a military man who served on both land and sea as a soldier,

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

, ensign,

, and later governor.

''Libro de las grandezas de la espada''

Libro de las grandezas de la espada (lit. ''Book of the Greatness of the Sword'') is a 16th-century Spanish treatise on fencing written by Don Luis Pacheco de Narváez, who is considered one of the founding fathers of Spanish fencing (''destreza'') and the disciple of Jerónimo Sán ...

'' ('Book of the Greatness of the sword') by Pacheco de Narváez formed the basis of all 17th-century Spanish fencing literature. The first edition includes all the principles that Narváez handed to Carranza. This book describes a number of secrets, principles and prescriptions, with the help of which anyone can learn and teach others without resorting to the instructions of other masters. was written in the city of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

and is dedicated to Philip III, the "king of all Spain and the greater part of the world". As a pupil of Carranza, Pacheco de Narváez reproduces in detail the inventor's characteristic methods and explains the curious schemes, with drawn circles and positions of the blades relative to each other – in the form of conditional swords, intersecting at different angles depending on the type of movement, the cutting or piercing stroke. After extensive and detailed arguments on the need for defense, as required by human and divine laws, as well as arguments on the elevation of self-perfection through the art of possession of arms, the author consecrates his wisdom and practice in the art of fencing. In the middle of the 16th century, the stance according to the school of Spanish fencing was a popular stance in which the trunk is straightened, but so that the heart is not directly opposite the opponent's sword; right arm is straight, legs are not widely spaced. These foundations give three advantages: the point of the sword is directed as close as possible to the enemy, the swordsman holds the sword with more force, and thus eliminates the risk of injuring the elbow. It is not a question of crossing the swords with the enemy. Fencers need to take a stand outside the distance in order to systematize the general concept of the right distance, Carranza and his follower Narváez represent a circle drawn on the ground – "" an 'imaginary circumference around the opposing bodies', which further outlines the actions. Carranza paid the most attention to cutting strokes, although he was very free to use stabbing blows in the fight. He presents the exact definition of the first strike, but does not explain the second one in any way. Narváez, however, touched on his work in thrusting strikes, but did not give any detailed explanation as to how he performed it.

''Modo fácil y nuevo para examinarse los maestros en la destreza de las armas''

('A simple way of examining teachers in the art of fencing with weapons') is another of Pacheco de Narváez's most famous works (a dialogue between a pupil and an exam teacher on the philosophy and art of fencing). The seal of this work and any publishing house by other persons were prohibited without the appropriate permission. The book at that time was published by the Cabinet of Lazaro de los Ríos, Secretary of the

King of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

, dated 26 February 1625 in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Antiguos tratados de esgrima (siglo XVII)

This

treatise 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 ...

contains a dialogue between the student and his teacher-examiner on the art of fencing and philosophy for obtaining the degree of

maestro Maestro (; from the Italian ''wikt:maestro#Italian, maestro'' , meaning "wikt:master, master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music ...

. In this form of writing, Pacheco de Narváez presented one hundred conclusions or forms of cognition. Pacheco de Narváez received gratitude from the king and was appointed examiner for all fencing teachers; however, instead of passing the exams, apparently, his comrades decided to unite against him. This can be concluded by analyzing the index – a list of people who have been enrolled. The index is in the archives of the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. It says the following: The protective pillars described in the treatise meet the requirements, correspond to the laws of justice and peace in the Republic. Each valiant

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

was given a crown as a sign of wisdom and skill. Dialogue is based on these two principles. In the text, training with weapons is described. Also in this part, a thorough assessment of the most talented students is conducted. It is said that they are allocated a scholarship for the time devoted to studies. Such a person should be greeted favorably – the other, who from greed desires to receive the honor of receiving a scientific award – should not be despised or avoided working with. The involuntary ignoring of a person is not a significant mistake, but ignorance of what is necessary is disrespect to oneself. And above all, absurd talent and a lack of courage lead to a loss of hope to achieve what is possible, says Pacheco de Narváez.A simple way of examining teachers in the art of fencing with weapons
Don Luis Pacheco de Narvaez, ranslation from Spanish—Dnepr: Serednjak T. К., 2017, — 112 с This treatise is useful in studying the history of the art of possession of weapons, so intellectuals consider it valuable. This book contributed to the re-creation of the art and describes the image of the art of fencing from the date of publication of this was addressed only thanks to various masters of fencing.

Bibliography

* , Luis Pacheco de Narváez. Orbigo, 1600 * , Luis Pacheco de Narváez por Luis Sanchez, 1612 * ' Luis Pacheco de Narváez. Claudius Bornat, 1643 * , Luis Pacheco de Narváez, M. Sanchez, 1672 * , Luis Pacheco de Narváez por los herederos de Pedro Lanaja, 1658 * , Luis Pacheco de Narváez, 1642 * , Luis Pacheco de Narváez, Luis Imprenta del Reino (Madrid) 1635

References

External links

Facsimile of ''Libro de las grandezas de la Espada''

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20071231112014/http://www.amigosdelforo.es/Pacheco.htm Luis Pacheco de Narváez y Quevedo.
Paper on the life and works of Luis Pacheco de Narváez by Juan I. Laguna Fdez., «Luis Pacheco de Narváez: Unos comentarios a la vida y escritos del campeón de la corte literaria barroca de Felipe III y Felipe IV, y su supuesta relación con el “Tribunal de la justa venganza” contra Francisco de Quevedo», LEMIR, 20, 2016, pp. 191–324.

''Libro de las grandezas de la espada'' Luis Pacheco de Narváez
Biblioteca Digital Hispánica
''Antiguos tratados de esgrima''
Luis Pacheco de Narvaez, Biblioteca Digital Hispánica {{DEFAULTSORT:Pacheco de Narvaez, Luis 1570 births 1640 deaths Spanish male fencers Historical fencing People from Baeza Historical European martial arts