 |
You are not currently logged in. Are you accessing the unsecure (http) portal? Click here to switch to the secure portal. |
Pedro Monte
| Pedro Monte | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1457 |
| Died | 1509 |
| Occupation | Fencing master Mercenary |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Patron | Galeazzo da Sanseverino |
| Genres | Fencing manual Wrestling manual |
| Language | Spanish New Latin |
| Notable work(s) | De Dignoscendis Hominibus (1492) Exercitiorum Atque Artis Militaris Collectanea (1509) |
| Manuscript(s) | Cod.Estense.T.VII.25 (1492) (?) Escorial MS A.IV.23 (1509) |
Pedro Monte (Pietro Monti, Pietro del Monte, Petrus Montius; 1457-1509) was a 15th century fencing master, historian, and philosopher. His nationality is unclear, and researchers are divided on whether he was Spanish[1] or Italian[2] by birth. Regardless, he made his career in Italy, probably attached to the court at Milan, and published his treatises in Latin. Monte is mentioned in various period texts, most notably Baldassarre Castiglione's famous treatise Libro del Cortegiano ("The Book of the Courtier"). Castiglione described him as "the true and only master of every form of trained strength and agility", and also mentioned that he instructed Galeazzo da Sanseverino "in wrestling, vaulting, and handling various types of weapon".[3] That he was well known as a master at arms is further attested by a note Leonardo da Vinci wrote to himself to consult Monte over his attempts to calculate the trajectory of a dart thrown from a sling.[1] It is speculated that Monte died in the Battle of Agnadello in 1509.[citation needed]
Monte seems to have written at least three treatises in the 1480s,[citation needed] but while his De Dignoscendis Hominibus ("On the Dignity of Man") was printed in 1492 (potentially the first book ever published on martial arts),[4] the rest don't seem to have been published until his death in 1509. These include De Singulari Certamine Sive Dissentione ("On Single Combat or Dissension"), and the extensive Exercitiorum Atque Artis Militaris Collectanea ("Collected Martial Arts and Exercises"). Two manuscripts of some of Monte's work also exists, the Spanish Escorial MS A.IV.23 and the Italian Codex Estense T.VII.25, but their relationship to the Latin texts (as drafts or later translations) is unclear. Unfortunately, despite his prestige and the extent of his writings, Monte's teachings don't seem to have had any noticeable impact on the Italian martial traditions.
Treatises
[Pending transcription]
Additional Resources
- Bascetta, Carlo. Sport E Giuochi : Trattati E Scritti Dal XV Al XVIII Secolo. Milan: Il Polifilo, 1978. ISBN 978-8870501223
- Fontaine, Marie-Madeleine (in French). Le condottiere Pietro del Monte, philosophe et écrivain de la Renaissance, 1457-1509. Geneva-Paris: Slatkine, 1991. ISBN 978-2051011839
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Anglo, Sydney. The man who taught Leonardo darts. Pietro Monte and his lost fencing book. Antiquaries Journal LXIX, 1989. p 261-78.
- ↑ Fontaine, Marie-Madeleine. Le condottiere Pietro del Monte, philosophe et écrivain de la Renaissance, 1457-1509. Geneva-Paris: Slatkine, 1991.
- ↑ Castiglione, Baldassarre, and Opdyke, Leonard Eckstein. The Book of the Courtier. New York City: Scribner's, 1903.
- ↑ Anglo, Sydney. The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2000. p 194.
