Bem cavalgar (MS Portugais 5)

Livro da enssynança de bem cavalgar toda sela
MS Portugais 5, Bibliothèque Nationale de France Paris, France
Beginning of Ben cavalgar, folio 99r
Hagedorn Leng —
Wierschin — Hils —
Type	Fencing manual
Date	ca. 1438
Language(s)	Old Portuguese
Author(s)	Duarte I de Portugal
Scribe(s)	Unknown
Material	Parchment, with a pasteboard leather cover
Size	128 folia
Format	Double-sided
Script	Cursive
External data	Library catalog entry
Treatise scans	Digital scans (3000x4500)

Livro da ensinança de bem cavalgar toda sela ("Book of Teachings on Riding Well in Every Saddle"; MS Portugais 5) is a Portuguese fencing manual by Duarte I de Portugal, left unfinished at his death in 1438. The original currently rests in the holdings of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, France. The oldest known fencing treatise in the Portuguese language, it covers both horsemanship and advice on mounted fencing. The manuscript also includes a treatise on morality and good government called Leal Consselheiro ("Loyal Counselor").

Provenance

The known provenance of the MS Portugais 5 is:

• Left unfinished in 1438, at the time of Duarte's death; dedicated to his wife Eleonora d'Aragona, who carried it to Naples.
• 1438 - 1495 – held by the royal library of Naples by Eleonora d'Aragona (looted by French army)
• 1495 - present – held by the Bibliothèque du Roi/Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Contents

Folio	Section
1r - 2v	Contents
3r - 96r	Leal Consselheiro ("Loyal Counselor") by Duarte I de Portugal
99r - 128r	Mounted fencing by Duarte I de Portugal

Gallery

Images hosted by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, available for import.

Additional Resources

• Duarte. The Royal Book of Jousting, Horsemanship and Knightly Combat. Trans. Antonio Franco Preto. Highland Village, TX: Chivalry Bookshelf, 2005. ISBN 978-1891448119
• Dom Duarte, King of Portugal. Livro da ensinança de bem cavalgar toda sela que fez elrey dom Eduarte de Portugal e do Algarve e senhor de Ceuta. Ed. Joseph M. Piel. Lisboa: Livraria Bertrand, 1944.
• Preto, António Franco; Preto, Luis. The Art of Riding on Every Saddle: Livro da Ensinança de Bem Cavalgar Toda Sela. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011. ISBN 978-1461106616