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{{Infobox writer
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{{infobox writer
| name                 = Salvator Fabris
+
| name                   = Pseudo Ibn Akḥī Ḥizām
| image               = File:Salvator Fabris.png
+
| image                   =  
| imagesize           = 200px
+
| imagesize               =  
| caption             =  
+
| caption                 =  
 
+
| birthdate              = 10th AH/15th CE century
| pseudonym            =  
+
| birthplace              = Egypt? Syria?
| birthname            =  
+
| occupation              = Mamluk scribe?
| birthdate            = 1544
+
| nationality            = Circassian Period (“Burjī”) Mamluk
| birthplace          = Padua, Italy
+
| influences              = {{plainlist
| deathdate            = 11 Nov 1618 (aged 74)
+
  | Mamluk Martial Arts Literature
| deathplace          = Padua, Italy
+
  | Lāchin b. ʿAbdallāh al-Ṭarablūsī
| resting_place        =
+
  | Ibn Akhī Ḥizām
| occupation          = {{plainlist
 
| Assassin (?)
 
| [[Fencing master]]
 
 
}}
 
}}
| language            = [[Italian]]
+
| genre                   = Military manual
| nationality          = [[Italian]]
+
| language                = Arabic, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic
| ethnicity            =
+
| notableworks           =  
| citizenship          =
+
| manuscript(s)           = [[Kitāb al-maḫzūn ğāmi' al-funūn (MS Arabe 2824)|MS Arabe 2824]] (1470)
| education            =
 
| alma_mater          = University of Padua (?)
 
| patron              = {{plainlist
 
| Christianus Ⅳ of Denmark
 
| Johan Frederik of Schleswig-<br/>Holstein-Gottorp
 
}}
 
 
 
| period              =
 
| genre               = [[Fencing manual]]
 
| subject              =
 
| movement            =  
 
| notableworks         = ''[[Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris)|Scienza d’Arme]]'' (1601-06)
 
| manuscript(s)       = {{collapsible list
 
| [[Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040)|GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040]] (1601)
 
| [[La Scientia della Spada (MS KB.73.J.38)|MS KB.73.J.38]] (1600-09)
 
| [[Figures nues, positions d'escrime à l'épée (MS 17)|MS 17]] (1600-20)
 
| [[Fechtkunst aus dem Italienischen (MS Dresd.C.94a)|MS Dresd.C.94a]] (ca. 1635)
 
}}
 
| principal manuscript(s)=
 
| first printed edition=
 
 
| wiktenauer compilation by=
 
| wiktenauer compilation by=
 
| spouse              =
 
| partner              =
 
| children            =
 
| relatives            =
 
| influences          =
 
| influenced          = {{plainlist
 
| [[Sebastian Heußler]]
 
| [[Hans Wilhelm Schöffer von Dietz]]
 
}}
 
| awards              = ''Supremus Eques'' of the Order of the Seven Hearts
 
| signature            =
 
| website              =
 
| translations        = {{collapsible list
 
| {{Czech translation|http://jentak.sandbox.cz/doku.php/knihy/fabris|1}}
 
| {{Hungarian translation|http://www.middleages.hu/magyar/harcmuveszet/vivokonyvek/fabris.php|1}}
 
 
}}
 
}}
| below                =
+
'''''Kitāb al-makhzūn: Jāmiʿ al-funūn''''' ("The Treasure: A Work that Gathers Together Combative Arts"; colophon dated 875 AH/1470-1CE) is an Arabic language work in the classical style of Mamluk furūsīya literature. The work is attributed to the famous «father» of Islamicate martial arts literature Ibn Akhī Ḥizām (c. 250 AH/ 864 CE; given as Ibn Akhī Khuzām), yet is clearly the work of a Mamluk author. Agnès Carayon suggests that a grandee of the Circassian Mamluk (''Burjī'') court commissioned the work, potentially for Sultan Qāʾitbay (r. 1468-1496). Composite in nature, the work is most likely a summary of other, more voluminous works—such as ''Nihāyat al-suʾl wa-l-amnīya fī taʿlīm aʿmāl al-furūsīya'' ("The End of Questioning: A Trustworthy Work concerning Instruction in the Deeds of Furūsīya") by Al-Aqsarāʾī (c. 9th cent. AH/14th cent CE). Certain sections begin and then trail off, while others remain incomplete, suggesting that this work is composite in nature and was most likely a summary or copy of other works both extant and lost. The author does not cite other authors within the body of the text itself.
}}
 
'''Salvator Fabris''' (Salvador Fabbri, Salvator Fabriz, Fabrice; 1544-1618) was a 16th – 17th century [[Italian]] knight and [[fencing master]]. He was born in or around Padua, Italy in 1544, and although little is known about his early years, he seems to have studied fencing from a young age and possibly attended the prestigious University of Padua.{{cn}} The French master [[Henry de Sainct Didier]] recounts a meeting with an Italian fencer named "Fabrice" during the course of preparing his treatise (completed in 1573) in which they debated fencing theory, potentially placing Fabris in France in the early 1570s.<ref>[[Henry de Sainct Didier|Didier, Henry de Sainct]]. ''[[Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule (Henry de Sainct Didier)|Les secrets du premier livre sur l'espée seule]]''. Paris, 1573. pp 5-8.</ref> In the 1580s, Fabris corresponded with Christian Barnekow, a Danish nobleman with ties to the royal court as well as an alumnus of the university.<ref name="Leoni">[[Salvator Fabris|Fabris, Salvator]] and Leoni, Tom. ''Art of Dueling: Salvator Fabris' Rapier Fencing Treatise of 1606''. Highland Village, TX: [[Chivalry Bookshelf]], 2005. pp XVIII-XIX.</ref> It seems likely that Fabris traveled a great deal during the 1570s and 80s, spending time in France, Germany, Spain, and possibly other regions before returning to teach at his alma mater.{{cn}}
 
 
 
It is unclear if Fabris himself was of noble birth, but at some point he seems to have earned a knighthood. In fact, he is described in his treatise as ''Supremus Eques'' ("Supreme Knight") of the Order of the Seven Hearts. In Johann Joachim Hynitzsch's introduction to the 1676 edition, he identifies Fabris as a Colonel of the Order.<ref>[[Salvator Fabris|Fabris, Salvator]] and Leoni, Tom. ''Art of Dueling: Salvator Fabris' Rapier Fencing Treatise of 1606''. Highland Village, TX: [[Chivalry Bookshelf]], 2005. p XXIX.</ref> It seems therefore that he was not only a knight of the Order of the Seven Hearts, but rose to a high rank and perhaps even overall leadership.
 
 
 
Fabris' whereabouts in the 1590s are uncertain, but there are rumors. In 1594, he may have been hired by King Sigismund of Poland to assassinate his uncle Karl, a Swedish duke and competitor for the Swedish crown. According to the story, Fabris participated in a sword dance (or possibly a dramatic play) with a sharp sword and was to slay Karl during the performance when the audience was distracted. (The duke was warned and avoided the event, saving his life.)<ref>Andersson, Henrik. ''[http://www.thearma.org/essays/Fabris_the_Assassin.htm Salvator Fabris as a Hired Assassin in Sweden].'' [[Association for Renaissance Martial Arts]]. Retrieved 2011-12-18.</ref> In ca. 1599, Fabris may have been invited to England by noted playwright William Shakespeare to choreograph the fight scenes in his premier of ''Hamlet''.<ref>[[Barbasetti]], Luigi. ''Fencing Through the Ages''.{{incomplete citation}}</ref><ref name="Leoni"/> He also presumably spent considerable time in the 1590s developing the [[fencing manual]] that would guarantee his lasting fame.
 
 
 
What is certain is that by 1598, Fabris had left his position at the University of Padua and was attached to the court of Johan Frederik, the young duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. He continued in the duke's service until 1601, and as a parting gift prepared a lavishly-illustrated, three-volume manuscript of his treatise entitled ''Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme'' ([[Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040)|GI.kgl.Saml.1868 4040]]).<ref name="Leoni"/>
 
  
In 1601, Fabris was hired as chief [[rapier]] instructor to the court of Christianus Ⅳ, King of Denmark and Duke Johan Frederik's cousin. He ultimately served in the royal court for five years; toward the end of his tenure and at the king's insistence, he published his opus under the title ''Sienza e Pratica d’Arme'' ("Science and Practice of Arms") or ''De lo Schermo, overo Scienza d’Arme'' ("On Defense, or the Science of Arms"). Christianus funded this first edition and placed his court artist, [[Jan van Halbeeck]], at Fabris' disposal to illustrate it; it was ultimately published in Copenhagen on 25 September 1606.<ref name="Leoni"/>
+
The text of ''Jāmiʿ al-funūn'' is by and large more classical in nature with a great deal of dialectal, Egyptian Arabic of the period. This pertains both to vocabulary (ex: ''bāṭ'' for ''ibāṭ'' "armpit" throughout; ''jawwān'' as a preposition) as well as to grammar (verbs not in gender alignment, plurality disagreements, grammatical inconsistencies of adverbial phrases etc.). An introductory phrase in Ottoman Turkish in the beginning of the text has it that on «The seventh night of Muharram, 975 AH (1567CE)” a certain “Ṣilāhdār Aǧa” Dervish (unknown) petitioned God to be among those counted as Muhammad’s companions. Likewise, the intricate title page has “The owner of this work is Derviş Ağa” crossed out in black ink. Whether or not this was a higher ranking “Arms-Bearer” of the Sultan cannot be confirmed. The version from which the following translation stems is Bibliothèque Nationale MS 2824 (another version can be found in the same collection: MS 2826). Scholars have yet to produce a critical edition of this work.
  
Soon after the text was published, and perhaps feeling his 62 years, Fabris asked to be released from his six-year contract with the king so that he might return home. He traveled through northern Germany and was in Paris, France, in 1608. Ultimately, he received a position at the University of Padua and there passed his final years. He died of a fever on 11 November 1618 at the age of 74, and the town of Padua declared an official day of mourning in his honor. In 1676, the town of Padua erected a statue of the master in the Chiesa del Santo.
+
Despite its brevity in comparison to other works of the Mamluk furūsīya tradition, Jāmiʿ al-funūn provides a great deal of insight into the ways in which the Mamluks trained their troops. The illustrations featured in the work are some of the best examples of the medium. Distinct from other works in the genre with lengthy introductions, Jāmiʿ al-funūn begins with only minor benedictions, then jumps straight into a description of how to establish the training area for cavalry exercises – the nāwārd. From there, the author displays 72 bunūd or paired lance exercises – most likely inspired by al-Ṭarāblūsī’s famous 72 forms (c . 738 AH / 1337-8 CE). Following this, the author then treats issues deemed relevant to the development of a cavalier, without a particular logic to the ordering of the sections.
  
The importance of Fabris' work can hardly be overstated. Versions of his treatise were reprinted for over a hundred years, and translated into German at least four times as well as French and Latin. He is almost universally praised by later masters and fencing historians, and through the influence of his students and their students (most notably [[Hans Wilhelm Schöffer]]), he became the dominant figure in German fencing throughout the 17th century and into the 18th.
+
Unlike other works of furūsīya, ''Jāmiʿ al-funūn'' contains several sections detailing the ways in which soldiers can train for combat on foot. Most notably, the author presents a system for training swordsmanship. The work begins with instruction on the ways in which one can execute paired exercises with cane fighting, dagger fighting, and cane and shield fighting on foot. The author details the proper ways to feint and hit, the ways in which one can parry and riposte (and disarm), and where to target with a sword. In the author’s system, training with the cane was a safe means to perfect one’s technique before moving on to using sharp swords in battle. After training with the cane, the author recommends perfecting test cutting on clay mounds as a way to develop arm strength and ensure proper edge alignment. Following  both of these methods of training, a potential cavalier would be ready to pursue test cutting on horseback.
  
([[Salvator Fabris|Read more]]…)
+
([[Pseudo-Ibn Akḥī Ḥizām|Read more]]…)
  
 
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Latest revision as of 02:46, 11 March 2025

Pseudo Ibn Akḥī Ḥizām
Born 10th AH/15th CE century
Egypt? Syria?
Occupation Mamluk scribe?
Nationality Circassian Period (“Burjī”) Mamluk
Influences
  • Mamluk Martial Arts Literature
  • Lāchin b. ʿAbdallāh al-Ṭarablūsī
  • Ibn Akhī Ḥizām
Genres Military manual
Language Arabic, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic
Manuscript(s) MS Arabe 2824 (1470)

Kitāb al-makhzūn: Jāmiʿ al-funūn ("The Treasure: A Work that Gathers Together Combative Arts"; colophon dated 875 AH/1470-1CE) is an Arabic language work in the classical style of Mamluk furūsīya literature. The work is attributed to the famous «father» of Islamicate martial arts literature Ibn Akhī Ḥizām (c. 250 AH/ 864 CE; given as Ibn Akhī Khuzām), yet is clearly the work of a Mamluk author. Agnès Carayon suggests that a grandee of the Circassian Mamluk (Burjī) court commissioned the work, potentially for Sultan Qāʾitbay (r. 1468-1496). Composite in nature, the work is most likely a summary of other, more voluminous works—such as Nihāyat al-suʾl wa-l-amnīya fī taʿlīm aʿmāl al-furūsīya ("The End of Questioning: A Trustworthy Work concerning Instruction in the Deeds of Furūsīya") by Al-Aqsarāʾī (c. 9th cent. AH/14th cent CE). Certain sections begin and then trail off, while others remain incomplete, suggesting that this work is composite in nature and was most likely a summary or copy of other works both extant and lost. The author does not cite other authors within the body of the text itself.

The text of Jāmiʿ al-funūn is by and large more classical in nature with a great deal of dialectal, Egyptian Arabic of the period. This pertains both to vocabulary (ex: bāṭ for ibāṭ "armpit" throughout; jawwān as a preposition) as well as to grammar (verbs not in gender alignment, plurality disagreements, grammatical inconsistencies of adverbial phrases etc.). An introductory phrase in Ottoman Turkish in the beginning of the text has it that on «The seventh night of Muharram, 975 AH (1567CE)” a certain “Ṣilāhdār Aǧa” Dervish (unknown) petitioned God to be among those counted as Muhammad’s companions. Likewise, the intricate title page has “The owner of this work is Derviş Ağa” crossed out in black ink. Whether or not this was a higher ranking “Arms-Bearer” of the Sultan cannot be confirmed. The version from which the following translation stems is Bibliothèque Nationale MS 2824 (another version can be found in the same collection: MS 2826). Scholars have yet to produce a critical edition of this work.

Despite its brevity in comparison to other works of the Mamluk furūsīya tradition, Jāmiʿ al-funūn provides a great deal of insight into the ways in which the Mamluks trained their troops. The illustrations featured in the work are some of the best examples of the medium. Distinct from other works in the genre with lengthy introductions, Jāmiʿ al-funūn begins with only minor benedictions, then jumps straight into a description of how to establish the training area for cavalry exercises – the nāwārd. From there, the author displays 72 bunūd or paired lance exercises – most likely inspired by al-Ṭarāblūsī’s famous 72 forms (c . 738 AH / 1337-8 CE). Following this, the author then treats issues deemed relevant to the development of a cavalier, without a particular logic to the ordering of the sections.

Unlike other works of furūsīya, Jāmiʿ al-funūn contains several sections detailing the ways in which soldiers can train for combat on foot. Most notably, the author presents a system for training swordsmanship. The work begins with instruction on the ways in which one can execute paired exercises with cane fighting, dagger fighting, and cane and shield fighting on foot. The author details the proper ways to feint and hit, the ways in which one can parry and riposte (and disarm), and where to target with a sword. In the author’s system, training with the cane was a safe means to perfect one’s technique before moving on to using sharp swords in battle. After training with the cane, the author recommends perfecting test cutting on clay mounds as a way to develop arm strength and ensure proper edge alignment. Following both of these methods of training, a potential cavalier would be ready to pursue test cutting on horseback.

(Read more…)

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