Morgan M. 383 Table of Contents

Drawing on the manuscript scans, transcriptions, and translations hosted by Wiktenauer, this book offers the first ever compilation of the four known copies of the treatise of Fiore de’i Liberi, including a previously unpublished translation of the Florius manuscript. Each page contains a single play—of grappling, baton, dagger, sword, axe, spear, or mounted dueling—carefully laid out with the relevant translations and high-resolution scans from the Morgan Ms. M.303, the Getty Ms. Ludwig XV 13, the BnF Ms. Latin 11269, and Novati's 1902 facsimile of the Pisani Dossi Ms. In this way, it offers the most complete version possible of Fiore's teachings.

History of the Italian school of fencing

Handout / Preliminary research for the 2003 38th Annual International Congress of Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, 2003. This was a longish (90-minute) presentation, and it discusses the sources and techniques of use for the medieval poleaxe, touching also on the chivalric context for its use. A later set of practicum notes also survives from 2005, and this is the foundation for an in-progress book-length work on my queue looking at the weapon, armored combat, and its social and martial context.

2014

Class notes for a seminar given at the 2014 Schola Saint George Swordsmanship Symposium, Dallas, TX. Examines the hanging guard for the sword in one hand through the lens of Fiore dei Liberi's 1409 treatise, Fior di Battaglia, both as a practical training tool for teaching swordmanship and as an exercise in using Fiore's principles to analyze aspects not presented in the text. Second half of the presentation analyzes Fiore's use of the sword in one hand as preserved in the treatise.

The Italian masters-at-arms of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance recognized that the judgment and management of distance was paramount to a martial artist. The control of distance was critical to how Fiore dei Liberi conceptualized his techniques, or "plays", which he divided into two categories, one meant to maximize range, and one meant to collapse it. These two distinctions are: Zogho Stretto (close or narrow 1 play) is the measure at which dei Liberi describes all abrazare (grappling) and dagger combat occurring. When fighting with longer weapons, it is the range at which one uses those same techniques: hilt/shaft strikes, grabs of the opponent's sword arm, body, or head and includes bodyto-body contact such as throws.

2016

Study of technical, normative, and narrative medieval literature and of archaeological pieces allows the motor skills of armoured members of the aristocracy to be outlined but not quantified. The authors present novel data on the impact of wearing armour on both the freedom of movement and the energy cost of locomotion, and confront the results to systematic analysis of medieval written sources. An accurate harness replica realized in an informed archaeological experimental way, close to medieval material and manufacturing conditions, was used for the experiments. Measurements of the energy cost of locomotion in and out of armour were taken during walking and running on a treadmill. Gait analysis and range of motion of joints were performed with 3-D kinematics. The results indicated an increase in the energy cost of locomotion in slight excess to the added weight and for most movements studied reductions in the range of motion over the joint, potentially to the advantage of the wearer during combat. This proof of concept appears promising for further study in this field of scholarly endeavor.

2004

Delivered at the 39 th International Congress on Medieval Studies Kalamazoo, MI, 7 th May, 2004 " Young knight, learn to love God and revere women; thus your honor will grow. Practice knighthood and learn the Art that dignifies you, and brings you honor in wars. Be a good grappler in wrestling; lance, spear, sword and falchion handle manfully, and foil them in your opponent's hands. Cut in and hasten forth; rush to, let it hit, or go by. Those with wisdom loath the one forced to defend. This you should grasp: All arts have length and measure. " 1 These are the words not of Ramon Lull, the famed articulator of chivalry both practical and ideal, but are attributed to the 14 th century Master-at-Arms Johannes Liectenauer, a chivalric " invocation " at the start of his merkeverse that encrypted his art for generations of students who followed. " When charity, loyalty, truth, justice and verity fell in the world, then began cruelty, injury, disloyalty and falseness. And therefore there was error and trouble in the world in which God had created man, with the intention that man be known and loved, doubted, served and honored. In the beginning, when to the world came wickedness, justice returned by dread in the honor in which she was wont to be, and therefore all of the people were divided by the thousands. Of each thousand was chosen a man most loyal, most strong, and of noble courage; better educated and mannered than all the others. He was inquired and searched for, he who was best and was covenably most fair, most courageous, and most able to sustain trials, and the most able to serve mankind. " 2 " God in Glory chose the knights because by force of arms they vanquished the miscreants who labored daily to destroy the holy church and such knights as God holds as friends, honored in this world, when they keep and maintain the faith by which we intend to be saved. " Such is the origin of Ramon Lull's knight, as recorded by the venerable knight-cum-priest in the 2 nd half of the 13 th century.

Initial 3: Review of Medieval Studies , 2015

Proposes a multi-layered approach to validation and assessment of differing reconstructions of Historical European Martial Arts drawn from surviving fighting treatises from the thirteenth - sixteenth centuries. Layers of linguistic, pedagogical and competitive evaluation are offered to harness academic and practical expertise.

Drawing on the manuscript scans, transcriptions, and translations hosted by Wiktenauer, this book offers the first ever compilation of the 15th century glosses of Johannes Liechtenauer's famous Recital. Each page contains a single play of the long sword or short sword, carefully laid out with the relevant glosses of Sigmund ain Ringeck, Peter von Danzig, Pseudo-Peter von Danzig, and Pseudo-Hans Döbringer side by side, and where applicable illustrated with gorgeous full-color scans from the Goliath Fechtbuch, the Glasgow Fechtbuch, and the treatises of Paulus Kal and Hans Talhoffer. In this way, it offers the most complete perspective possible on the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer as it was recorded in the mid 15th century.