Scholastic Clues in Two Latin Fencing Manuals

Intellectual historians have rarely attended to the genre of fighting manuals, but these provide a new window on long-debated questions such as relationship between Scholasticism and Humanism. This article offers close comparison first known fencing manual, 14-th century Liber de Arte Dimicatoria (Leeds, Royal Armouries FECHT 1, previously better MS I.33), corpus manuals which underwent remarkable expansion during 15th 16th centuries. While former clearly shows its origins in scholastic background, latter is mainly viewed reflecting humanist context. To this historiographical division corresponds linguistic one: I.33 Latin text, while rest written German Italian. However, exceptions arise, amongst which, Heinrich von Gunterrodt’s Sciomachia et Hoplomachia: sive Veris Principiis Artis Dimicatoriae (1579), text explicitly refers I.33. will compare two texts, order interrogate their common relation Scholasticism, namely traditional frame knowledge within medieval early modern universities. The intent show that (at least some) Renaissance fight books include references qualification nature references. general hypothesis large part texts―and products culture―of been read, until recently, exclusively intellectual background can valuably be interpreted context still vivid period question.