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(Created page with "<blockquote>"Hence Hans Wilhelm Schaffer, once of Marburg and later Fencing Master on Sora, did quite well in making the Salvatorian Art of Fence known in print to his country...")
 
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<blockquote>"Hence Hans Wilhelm Schaffer, once of Marburg and later Fencing Master on Sora, did quite well in making the Salvatorian Art of Fence known in print to his countrymen, the Germans and other Scholars, and intended it to be quite faithful; but as he himself had not been instructed directly by Hernn Salvator as a Scholar, but only had to learn at Hernn Salvators's fencing sale as a ''Prevost'' through studious pair practice, he did not author his book according to rules into a fencing instruction, and not alone paid no attention to the order of such instruction, but simply wrote up a pile of lessons out of the whole Art of Fencing, and sometimes turned the foremost hindmost, which the noble Herr von und zum Velde, my former and never adequately praised Master, has proven in a special publication and the fencing book in itself: That hence, the Herrn Salvator's fame may have been augmented, but was not adorned with suitable splendor...
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According to his dedicated acolyte Johann Joachim Hynitzsch, Heinrich von und zum Velde was born in 1585 on the Island of Rügen. He died on April 16, 1662 at the age of “''77 weniger 6 Wochen''” at Leipzig. (This would place his birth around the 28th of May 1585.) He is the younger brother of the later Stralsund City Council Member (''Rat[h]sherr'') Jürgen zum Velde.
  
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"...With much more vigorous reason and with much better right did propagate above-mentioned Herrn Salvator Fabris' Art of Fencing a Signor Herman, who despite being a German, was alone out of all his proteges considered worthy enough by Herrn Salvator to bequeath to him on his deathbed his ''salle'' and entrust him with all present students; which he willingly accepted and lived up to his instruction, despite fickle luck only wishing to grant such honor for but a few months to the Germans in Guelf-land, as above-mentioned Signor Herman, shortly after the demise of his Master, was forced to follow him into the grave because of a cowardly assassin. But despite the fact that the murderer was a lover of the Art, and indeed only a short time before was Signor Herman's ''mantenitore'', or, in German: ''Vorfechter'', at his ''salle'', there is no doubt that he committed this murder out of envy against his comrade; after committing the deed, he happily escaped, and since then nobody has heard where he might reside; But I understand from talking to a number of old Cavaliers, that in their youth they were taught in nearly such way by one calling himself Signor Heinrich, and I think this might be the same person, as my calculations of the time coincides, and because the murderer's name, too, was Heinrich, who by the way was related rather closely to Herrn Salvator on his mother's side.
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While the “von und zu[m]” in his name would indicate that his family was of ancient nobility (''Uradel''), he was not a nobleman by birth, but a member of a patrician family—''Patricii'', as indicated in the Rostock matriculation register, which lists both Heinrich and Georg (Jürgen) a Velde for the spring semester of 1601 (April 22 to September 29, 1601).
  
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"This Murder, and the loss of two such valiant fencing masters, was mourned by all cavaliers present, and especially by the noble Herr Heinrich von und zum Felde, who even with time passing never could praise or mourn the redoubtable Signor Herman enough in his discourses, especially he used to quote in his instruction, both in writing and orally, the teachings of Herrn Salvator and Herrn Herman. And it is this Herr Heinrich von und zum Velde, to whose memory I and all Germans have reason to thank that such Art is continued pure and unadulterated, to the amazement of today' s Italian fencing masters, as those Cavaliers trained in such manner say and attest to who have traveled there and returned." ~ [[Johann Joachim Hynitzsch]], 1677</blockquote>
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In May of 1603, a “Henricus Velt” enrolled at the University of Wittenberg. While his city of origin is mentioned as "''Seindensis''", this is clearly a clerical error, as he is a "''Sundensis''"—"one from Stralsund". On May 29, 1609, "Henricus a Velde ''auss Pommern'' [from Pomerania]" enrolled at the still brand-new university of Giessen. (On April 2, 1610, "M. Joachimus Köppe, Marburgensis Saxo." enrols at the same institution.) At the time, the Paduan fencing master Giovanni Maria Magagnini was teaching at Giessen on the invitation of Landgrave Philipp.
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On July 4, 1616, “Henricus a Velde Pomeranus 30J.", now 30 years old, enrolls at the University of Leyden. Shortly after, “Henricus vom Velde Pomeranus” signs up with the ''Natio Germanica'' in Padua on Dec. 7, 1617. He registers with the ''legisti''—the law students. A year later, in 1618, "Henricus a Velde" appears in the ''Germanica''‘s membership rolls in Siena. It bears pointing out that, in 1616, he is still a patrician "zum Velde", not a "von und zum Velde". He returned to Germany in 1619, with a detour to Styria.
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It remains unclear if he first met Savator Fabris during the master's sojourn in Denmark or later, during his 1617 stay in Padua.
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In 1621, zum Velde, now aged 36, is an unambiguous “von” as he arrives at the Collegiatsstift St. Peter und Paul (also known as Petri-Pauli) in Magdeburg-Neustadt. He continues to be referenced as H[err] Heinrich von Velde in the annals of the Stift. At Petri-Pauli, zum Velde takes on the role as ''Kanoniker'' (canon), one of eight unordained, secular but decidedly Protestant cleric-administrators.
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In 1631, during the siege and complete destruction of Magdeburg, Velde saved one of the seven registers of the Stift. He is absent from what remained of the city until 1637, when “''Herr von Velde [ist] wieder beym Stiffte gekommen''.“ The saved Register helped to establish the Stift’s pre-cataclysm sources of income (''Einkünffte''), probably by documenting ownership interests in the Stift’s not inconsiderable land holdings. The annals then again note zum Velde as one of the eight ''Canonici'' in 1642 and as the Senior of Petri-Pauli. The Senior of the Collegiatsstifft, “Heinrich von Velde”, is named as the defendant in a drawn-out civil law suit brought by ''Canonicus residens'' Mauritius Cüstermann against the Stift, which lasted from 1642 to 1650. On February 22, 1652, zum Velde is mentioned as Godfather to a child, alongside with Magdeburg’s famous scientist and diplomat Otto G[u]ericke, “''Consul Magdeburgienis''“, in the oldest ''Taufbuch'' or baptismal register of Magdeburg-Neustadt. He is “Henricus von Velde, ''Senior des Stiffts allhier''” and judging from the company he associated with, a local dignitary.
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At the beginning of the summer semester of 1660, zum Velde appears as "Heinrich von und zum Feld," in the Matrikel of the university of Leipzig in Saxony, with the annotation ''dns. eq. Pomer. 1 [Rtl] 16 gr. I S 1660 S 16, ao. aetatis 75. obedientiam promisit''.” (Herr (Dominus) Edler of Pomerania, paid 1 Rtlr and 16 Groschen; aged 75 years, he promised obedience.”) His Leipzig stay is contemporaneous with that of Gottfried Kreussler. Velde’s name is found in a catalog of memorial inscriptions, located on his wife's headstone in the ''Alte GottesAcker'' (i.e, the Alte Johannisfriedhof in Leipzig). Here, he is listed as the second husband of Catharina, originally from Frankfurt an der Oder: “''Der[r] WohlEd[le] Heinrich von und zum Felde[] / Thumherr[] und Senior zu Magdeburg / welcher starb 1662''." Hynitzsch provides his exact date of death as April 16, 1662. In his ''disputatio'' of 1672, Christian Böhm calls him "''Nobilissimus Eques Dn. Heinricus a Velden, e Fionia Danus & per 30 annos Capituli P. Pauli Magdeburgensis Canonicus, elim ipsius Salvatoris Discipulus''.
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Velde's direct instruction by Fabris, as well as his familiarity with Fabris' assistant "Signor Hermann"'s notes is then attested in the foreword to Hynitzsch's Fabris translation.
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Böhm indicates that ''Kanonikus'' zum Velde’s teaching was not motivated by necessity, nor did he shill as a ''Fechtmeister'': ''Non ipse utilitatis allectus, erat enim satisbonarum facultatum, sed ut in decrepita aetate (vixit enim 77 annis) haberet idem exercitium ad sanitatem tuendam, quod habuerat in juventute''—"he was not attracted by the idea of utility, for he was of satisfactory means, but engaged in the same Exercitia well into his advanced age (for he lived 77 years), to preserve his health as he had in his youth."
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In the brief time between Hynitzsch's ''relegatio'' from the University of Jena (January 1662) and Velde's death in April of that year, Velde greatly inspired Hynitzsch. Hynitzsch inherited (or later came by) Velde's notes on Fabris' method, enabling him to carry on his patron's legacy in his 1677 Italian-German translation of Fabris' 1606 original, which is as much a monument to Fabris as it is to Velde, whose portrait Hynitzsch had engraved at not inconsiderable cost to include in his book.
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It remains unclear how Velde acquired the noble "von" between 1616 and 1621, why Böhm (knowing his birthplace was Rügen) calls him ''e Fionia Danus'' ("a Dane from Fyn"), or why he was placed into a coveted position of influence at Petri-Pauli at a time when Christian IV. of Denmark was actively expanding his expansionist influence in Northern Germany.
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However, like his Wittenberg and Giessen contemporary Joachim Köppe, he is not a professional fencing master, nor did he ever consider himself as such. He is a an academic by nature, by avocation a jurist, an able "in-house counsel" and administrator of a large portfolio of frequently contested agricultural properties. He pursued fencing out of dedication to Fabris and as an ''exercitium corporis''. —JCA
  
  
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* [[Eigentliche Beschreibung des Stoßfechtens (MS Dresd.C.13)]]
 
* [[Eigentliche Beschreibung des Stoßfechtens (MS Dresd.C.13)]]
 
* [[Three treatises on the art of fencing (Add MS 17533)]]
 
* [[Three treatises on the art of fencing (Add MS 17533)]]
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* [[Veldens Fecht-Buch (HDW FAB 1677)]]
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'''Biographical Information on Velde:''' https://fencingclassics.wordpress.com/2023/03/12/the-hidden-fabris-the-disciple-heinrich-von-und-zum-velde/
  
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Amberger, J. Christoph: ''Lives of the Masters 1: Heinrich von und zum Velde''. Baltimore: Secret Archives Press, 2025.
  
 
{{bibliography}}
 
{{bibliography}}
 
[[category:masters]]
 
[[category:masters]]
 
[[category:not Started]]
 
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Latest revision as of 15:06, 20 June 2025

According to his dedicated acolyte Johann Joachim Hynitzsch, Heinrich von und zum Velde was born in 1585 on the Island of Rügen. He died on April 16, 1662 at the age of “77 weniger 6 Wochen” at Leipzig. (This would place his birth around the 28th of May 1585.) He is the younger brother of the later Stralsund City Council Member (Rat[h]sherr) Jürgen zum Velde.

While the “von und zu[m]” in his name would indicate that his family was of ancient nobility (Uradel), he was not a nobleman by birth, but a member of a patrician family—Patricii, as indicated in the Rostock matriculation register, which lists both Heinrich and Georg (Jürgen) a Velde for the spring semester of 1601 (April 22 to September 29, 1601).

In May of 1603, a “Henricus Velt” enrolled at the University of Wittenberg. While his city of origin is mentioned as "Seindensis", this is clearly a clerical error, as he is a "Sundensis"—"one from Stralsund". On May 29, 1609, "Henricus a Velde auss Pommern [from Pomerania]" enrolled at the still brand-new university of Giessen. (On April 2, 1610, "M. Joachimus Köppe, Marburgensis Saxo." enrols at the same institution.) At the time, the Paduan fencing master Giovanni Maria Magagnini was teaching at Giessen on the invitation of Landgrave Philipp.

On July 4, 1616, “Henricus a Velde Pomeranus 30J.", now 30 years old, enrolls at the University of Leyden. Shortly after, “Henricus vom Velde Pomeranus” signs up with the Natio Germanica in Padua on Dec. 7, 1617. He registers with the legisti—the law students. A year later, in 1618, "Henricus a Velde" appears in the Germanica‘s membership rolls in Siena. It bears pointing out that, in 1616, he is still a patrician "zum Velde", not a "von und zum Velde". He returned to Germany in 1619, with a detour to Styria.

It remains unclear if he first met Savator Fabris during the master's sojourn in Denmark or later, during his 1617 stay in Padua.

In 1621, zum Velde, now aged 36, is an unambiguous “von” as he arrives at the Collegiatsstift St. Peter und Paul (also known as Petri-Pauli) in Magdeburg-Neustadt. He continues to be referenced as H[err] Heinrich von Velde in the annals of the Stift. At Petri-Pauli, zum Velde takes on the role as Kanoniker (canon), one of eight unordained, secular but decidedly Protestant cleric-administrators.

In 1631, during the siege and complete destruction of Magdeburg, Velde saved one of the seven registers of the Stift. He is absent from what remained of the city until 1637, when “Herr von Velde [ist] wieder beym Stiffte gekommen.“ The saved Register helped to establish the Stift’s pre-cataclysm sources of income (Einkünffte), probably by documenting ownership interests in the Stift’s not inconsiderable land holdings. The annals then again note zum Velde as one of the eight Canonici in 1642 and as the Senior of Petri-Pauli. The Senior of the Collegiatsstifft, “Heinrich von Velde”, is named as the defendant in a drawn-out civil law suit brought by Canonicus residens Mauritius Cüstermann against the Stift, which lasted from 1642 to 1650. On February 22, 1652, zum Velde is mentioned as Godfather to a child, alongside with Magdeburg’s famous scientist and diplomat Otto G[u]ericke, “Consul Magdeburgienis“, in the oldest Taufbuch or baptismal register of Magdeburg-Neustadt. He is “Henricus von Velde, Senior des Stiffts allhier” and judging from the company he associated with, a local dignitary.

At the beginning of the summer semester of 1660, zum Velde appears as "Heinrich von und zum Feld," in the Matrikel of the university of Leipzig in Saxony, with the annotation dns. eq. Pomer. 1 [Rtl] 16 gr. I S 1660 S 16, ao. aetatis 75. obedientiam promisit.” (Herr (Dominus) Edler of Pomerania, paid 1 Rtlr and 16 Groschen; aged 75 years, he promised obedience.”) His Leipzig stay is contemporaneous with that of Gottfried Kreussler. Velde’s name is found in a catalog of memorial inscriptions, located on his wife's headstone in the Alte GottesAcker (i.e, the Alte Johannisfriedhof in Leipzig). Here, he is listed as the second husband of Catharina, originally from Frankfurt an der Oder: “Der[r] WohlEd[le] Heinrich von und zum Felde[] / Thumherr[] und Senior zu Magdeburg / welcher starb 1662." Hynitzsch provides his exact date of death as April 16, 1662. In his disputatio of 1672, Christian Böhm calls him "Nobilissimus Eques Dn. Heinricus a Velden, e Fionia Danus & per 30 annos Capituli P. Pauli Magdeburgensis Canonicus, elim ipsius Salvatoris Discipulus.

Velde's direct instruction by Fabris, as well as his familiarity with Fabris' assistant "Signor Hermann"'s notes is then attested in the foreword to Hynitzsch's Fabris translation.

Böhm indicates that Kanonikus zum Velde’s teaching was not motivated by necessity, nor did he shill as a Fechtmeister: Non ipse utilitatis allectus, erat enim satisbonarum facultatum, sed ut in decrepita aetate (vixit enim 77 annis) haberet idem exercitium ad sanitatem tuendam, quod habuerat in juventute—"he was not attracted by the idea of utility, for he was of satisfactory means, but engaged in the same Exercitia well into his advanced age (for he lived 77 years), to preserve his health as he had in his youth."

In the brief time between Hynitzsch's relegatio from the University of Jena (January 1662) and Velde's death in April of that year, Velde greatly inspired Hynitzsch. Hynitzsch inherited (or later came by) Velde's notes on Fabris' method, enabling him to carry on his patron's legacy in his 1677 Italian-German translation of Fabris' 1606 original, which is as much a monument to Fabris as it is to Velde, whose portrait Hynitzsch had engraved at not inconsiderable cost to include in his book.

It remains unclear how Velde acquired the noble "von" between 1616 and 1621, why Böhm (knowing his birthplace was Rügen) calls him e Fionia Danus ("a Dane from Fyn"), or why he was placed into a coveted position of influence at Petri-Pauli at a time when Christian IV. of Denmark was actively expanding his expansionist influence in Northern Germany.

However, like his Wittenberg and Giessen contemporary Joachim Köppe, he is not a professional fencing master, nor did he ever consider himself as such. He is a an academic by nature, by avocation a jurist, an able "in-house counsel" and administrator of a large portfolio of frequently contested agricultural properties. He pursued fencing out of dedication to Fabris and as an exercitium corporis. —JCA


Biographical Information on Velde: https://fencingclassics.wordpress.com/2023/03/12/the-hidden-fabris-the-disciple-heinrich-von-und-zum-velde/

Amberger, J. Christoph: Lives of the Masters 1: Heinrich von und zum Velde. Baltimore: Secret Archives Press, 2025.

The following is a list of publications containing scans, transcriptions, and translations relevant to this article, as well as published peer-reviewed research.

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