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{{infobox writer
 
{{infobox writer
| name                 = Martin Syber
+
| name                   = Pseudo Ibn Akḥī Ḥizām
| image               =  
+
| image                   =  
| imagesize           =  
+
| imagesize               =  
| caption             =
+
| caption                 =  
 
+
| birthdate               = 10th AH/15th CE century
| pseudonym            =
+
| birthplace             = Egypt? Syria?
| birthname            =  
+
| occupation             = Mamluk scribe?
| birthdate           = 15th century (?)
+
| nationality             = Circassian Period (“Burjī”) Mamluk
| birthplace           =  
+
| influences              = {{plainlist
| deathdate            = 15th century (?)
+
  | Mamluk Martial Arts Literature
| deathplace          =
+
  | Lāchin b. ʿAbdallāh al-Ṭarablūsī
| resting_place        =
+
  | Ibn Akhī Ḥizām
| occupation           = [[Fencing master]]
+
}}
| language             = Early New High German
+
| genre                   = Military manual
| nationality          =  
+
| language                = Arabic, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic
| ethnicity            =
+
| notableworks           =  
| citizenship          =
+
| manuscript(s)           = [[Kitāb al-maḫzūn ğāmi' al-funūn (MS Arabe 2824)|MS Arabe 2824]] (1470)
| education            =
+
| wiktenauer compilation by=
| alma_mater          =
 
| patron              =
 
 
 
| period              =
 
| genre               = [[Fencing manual]]
 
| subject              =
 
| movement            =  
 
| notableworks         = ''New Zettel''
 
| manuscript(s)       = {{plainlist
 
| [[Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29)|MS M.I.29]] (1491)
 
| [[Glasgow Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.341)|MS E.1939.65.341]] (1508)
 
| [[Fechtbuch zu Ross und zu Fuss (MS Var.82)|MS Varia 82]] (1570)
 
 
}}
 
}}
| principal manuscript(s)=
+
'''''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.
| first printed edition=
 
| wiktenauer compilation by=[[Michael Chidester]]
 
  
| spouse              =
+
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.
| partner              =
 
| children            =
 
| relatives            =
 
| influences          = [[Johannes Liechtenauer]] (?)
 
| influenced          =
 
| awards              =
 
| signature            =
 
| website              =
 
| translations        =
 
| below                =
 
}}
 
'''Martin Syber''' (Mertin Siber, Martein Syber) was a 15th century German [[fencing master]]. Hardly anything is known of Syber beyond his ''New Zettel'' ("New [[Zettel|Recital]]"). His surname signifies that he came from a family of sieve makers, but gives us no indication of his birthplace. According to Syber's own account, he learned the art from a variety of masters from across Europe, including men from Bohemia, Brabant (or possibly Provence), England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Prussia, Russia, and Swabia. The inclusion of his Recital in [[Codex Speyer (MS M.I.29)|Codex Speyer]] and the [[Glasgow Fechtbuch (MS E.1939.65.341)|Glasgow Fechtbuch]] suggests a connection to the tradition of [[Johannes Liechtenauer]], and his mention of an "earlier ''Zettel''" is likely a reference to that of Liechtenauer; however, Syber does not appear on the roll of the [[Fellowship of Liechtenauer]] recorded by [[Paulus Kal]] in ca. 1470, so the extent of his relationship is unclear.
 
  
Syber's Recital comes in the form a cryptic poem describing six ''Gänge'', set sequences of strikes and parries. Unfortunately, no [[gloss]] is currently known to exist for Syber's verse, so its meaning is difficult to decipher. Conversely, it is worth noting that the 16th century [[Freifechter]] [[Joachim Meÿer]] not only had access to Syber's verse (which is included in [[Fechtbuch zu Ross und zu Fuss (MS Var.82)|his final manuscript]]), but also employed much of the master's unique terminology in his own teachings. Meÿer may thus hold the key to interpreting Syber's techniques.
+
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 Salzburg version of Syber's text is followed by an [[Anonymous 15th Century Poem|additional page of verse]]. This poem shares some common terminology with Syber's writings and has been attributed to Syber by some authors in the past, but its omission from the other two versions of his text call this attribution into question. In addition, another version of the poem was included in one of [[Hans Talhoffer]]'s manuscripts almost fifty years earlier, which indicates that if Syber were indeed the author, his career must have been much earlier than currently believed.
+
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.
  
([[Martin Syber|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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