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{{Infobox writer
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{{infobox writer
| name                 = Nicoletto Giganti
+
| name                   = Pseudo Ibn Akḥī Ḥizām
| image               = File:Nicoletto Giganti portrait.png
+
| image                   =  
| imagesize           =  
+
| imagesize               =  
| caption             =
+
| caption                 =  
 
+
| birthdate               = 10th AH/15th CE century
| pseudonym            =
+
| birthplace             = Egypt? Syria?
| birthname            =  
+
| occupation             = Mamluk scribe?
| birthdate           = 1550s-60s
+
| nationality             = Circassian Period (“Burjī”) Mamluk
| birthplace           = Fossombrone, Italy
+
| influences              = {{plainlist
| deathdate            = unknown
+
  | Mamluk Martial Arts Literature
| deathplace          =
+
  | Lāchin b. ʿAbdallāh al-Ṭarablūsī
| resting_place        =  
+
  | Ibn Akhī Ḥizām
| occupation           = {{plainlist
 
| [[Fencing master]]
 
| [[occupation::Soldier]]
 
}}
 
| language             = [[Italian]]
 
| nationality          =
 
| ethnicity            =
 
| citizenship          = Republic of Venice
 
| education            =
 
| alma_mater          =
 
| patron              = {{plainlist
 
| Cosimo II de' Medici
 
| Christofano Chigi
 
}}
 
| period              =
 
| genre                = [[Fencing manual]]
 
| subject              =
 
| movement            =
 
| notableworks        = {{plainlist
 
| ''[[Scola, overo teatro (Nicoletto Giganti)|Scola, overo teatro]]'' (1606)
 
| ''[[Libro secondo (Nicoletto Giganti)|Libro secondo]]'' (1608)
 
 
}}
 
}}
| manuscript(s)        =  
+
| genre                  = Military manual
| principal manuscript(s)=
+
| language                = Arabic, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic
| first printed edition= Leoni, 2010
+
| notableworks           =  
| wiktenauer compilation by=[[Michael Chidester]]
+
| manuscript(s)           = [[Kitāb al-maḫzūn ğāmi' al-funūn (MS Arabe 2824)|MS Arabe 2824]] (1470)
 
+
| wiktenauer compilation by=
| spouse              =
 
| partner              =
 
| children            =
 
| relatives           =  
 
| influences          =
 
| influenced           = [[Bondì di Mazo]] (?)
 
| awards              =
 
| signature            =
 
| website              =
 
| translations        =
 
| below                =  
 
 
}}
 
}}
'''Nicoletto Giganti''' (Niccoletto, Nicolat) was an [[Italian]] soldier and [[fencing master]] around the turn of the [[17th century]]. He was likely born to a noble family in Fossombrone in central Italy, and only later became a citizen of Venice. Little is known of Giganti’s life, but in the dedication to his 1606 treatise he claims 27 years of professional experience, meaning that his career began in 1579 (possibly referring to service in the Venetian military, a long tradition of the Giganti family). Additionally, the preface to his 1608 treatise describes him as a Master of Arms to the Order of Santo Stefano in Pisa, a powerful military order founded by Cosimo I de' Medici, giving some further clues to his career.
+
'''''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.
  
In 1606, Giganti published a treatise on the use of the rapier (both single and with the dagger) titled ''[[Scola, overo teatro (Nicoletto Giganti)|Scola, overo teatro]]'' ("School or Theater"). It is dedicated to Cosimo II de' Medici. This treatise is structured as a series of progressively more complex lessons, and Tom Leoni opines that this treatise is the best pedagogical work on rapier fencing of the early 17th century. It is also the first treatise to fully articulate the principle of the lunge.
+
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.
  
In 1608, Giganti made good on the promise in his first book that he would publish a second volume. Titled ''[[Libro secondo (Nicoletto Giganti)|Libro secondo di Niccoletto Giganti]]'' ("Second Book of Niccoletto Giganti"), it is dedicated to Christofano Chigi, a Knight of Malta, and covers the same weapons as the first as well as rapier and buckler, rapier and cloak, rapier and shield, single dagger, and mixed weapon encounters. This text in turn promises additional writings on the dagger and on cutting with the rapier, but there is no record of further books by Giganti ever being published.
+
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.
  
While Giganti's second book quickly disappeared from history, his first seems to have been quite popular: reprints, mostly unauthorized, sprang up many times over the subsequent decades, both in the original Italian and, beginning in 1619, in French and German translations. This unauthorized dual-language edition also included book 2 of [[Salvator Fabris]]' 1606 treatise ''[[Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris)|Lo Schermo, overo Scienza d’Arme]]'' which, coupled with the loss of Giganti's true second book, is probably what has lead many later bibliographers to accuse Giganti himself of plagiarism.
+
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.
  
([[Nicoletto Giganti|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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