The title of this article contains the character º. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Gladiatoria (Cod.Guelf.78.2 Aug.2o).
The Codex Guelf 78.2 August 2º is a German fencing manual probably created between 1465 and 1480.[1] The original currently rests in the holdings of the Herzog-August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel, Germany. This manuscript is a compilation work, and contains copies of Johannes Liechtenauer's Zedel, the Gladiatoria Fechtbuch, and Konrad Kyeser's famous treatise on siege warfare Bellifortis. The Gladiatoria section is especially interesting in that it includes vastly more material than any other manual in the complex, particularly in the dagger section. Unfortunately, although blank space is left below each image for the inclusion of text, the manuscript was apparently never completed and so we have no explanation for these unique plays. The current confused sequence of plays (as compared to the three earlier versions) is probably the result of errors during a rebinding.
Provenance
Contents
| Folio
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Section
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| Irv
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Front matter
| English translation
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Transcription
by Dierk Hagedorn
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[Inside cover] [19th century script?]
Enthält 6+158=164 Bll.
[Contemporary script]
viij [?]
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[Ir] Dÿeß Ist HH Ifg von furstlychen Braunschweÿgyschen zeuckmeyster vereret worden anno 55 den 17 junij Curtte mentten Alß Eyn allte antiquÿttet tÿscheß Vechte Kampe [?]uchte Rynge Buche Vererredt worden
[diverse hands]
Hinrich
Auch Hinrichs
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[Iv] [Blank]
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| IIrv
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Bloßfechten by Johannes Liechtenauer
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| 1r, 29r - 31v, 40v
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Illustrations of staff and spear without armor
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1v - 28v,
70r - 71r
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Illustrations of longsword without armor
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32r - 37r,
79v - 80r
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Illustrations of spear in armor from the Gladiatoria group
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| 41r - 69v
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Illustrations of longsword in armor from the Gladiatoria group
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| 73r - 74v
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Illustrations of wrestling in armor from the Gladiatoria group
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| 80v - 111r
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Illustrations of dagger in armor from the Gladiatoria group
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| 79r, 112r - 123r
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Illustrations of grappling without armor
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| 113r - 117r
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Illustrations of sword and buckler without armor
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| 124r - 157v
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Bellifortis by Konrad Kyeser
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Gallery
Color Images
Black and White Images
Additional Resources
- Hils, Hans-Peter. "Gladiatoria: Über drei Fechthandschriften aus der ersten Hälfte des 15. Jahrhunderts." Codices manuscripti. Issue 13, 1987.
References
