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Fencing: A Renaissance Treatise
Camillo Agrippa's widely influential Treatise was a turning point in the history of fencing. The author - an engineer, not a professional master of arms - was able to radically re-imagine the art of fencing. His treatise is the fundamental text of Western swordsmanship and also a microcosm of 16th-century thought. It examines the art, reduces it to its very principles, and reconstructs it according to a way of thinking that incorporated new concepts of art, science and philosophy. Every other treatise had to deal explicitly or implicitly with Agrippa's startling transformation of the art and science of self-defense with the sword. All of the fundamental ideas used today - distance, time, line, blade opposition, counterattacks and countertime - are expressed in this paradigm-shifting treatise. This book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in the history, practice or teaching of fencing. 234 pages, 65 illustrations, introduction, bibliography, glossary, appendix, index.
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1553
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 10, 2010
This book was an interesting look at the history of fencing and Renaissance Italy.
The book is divided between a long introduction that talks about the historical times in which Agrippa lived and wrote, and then Agrippa's treatise. Let me get a couple of quibbles out of the way to start. First, some of the information gets very detailed and seems to require some background knowledge of Renaissance Italy on the part of the reader. I have studied some of it, but not a ton. So, there were a few parts where I felt a little lost. In the translation, there are a few terms that are left in their original Italian, and so, I ended up flipping to the glossary a lot to try to make sure I got what the word meant in context.
Those quibbles aside, I think that anyone interested in the history of fencing or even the development of though in the Renaissance would find things to enjoy in their book.
Agrippa is one of the first to write a fencing manual that was designed for everyone to learn from, and he focuses more on the point than the edge of the blade. He explicitly bases his fencing geometric principles, which Mondschein tells us is something of a break from at least the rhetoric of fencing books prior to his.
Agrippa's treatise covers fencing with the sword and has short sections on other weapons and grappling when one closes with an opponent.
There is also a dialogue about geometry and astronomy at the end of Agrippa's book. Agrippa is trying to be scientific about his fencing and breaking with tradition. This was an interesting addition to a fencing manual because it is included as a way of showing something about the scientific approach to the subject and to talk about science in general.
I read this book mostly on the train, so it is not like I was able to walk through the descriptions and diagrams, but at some point, I would like to do so.
Overall, this was a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in fencing and the relation of physical activities to intellectual thought.
The book is divided between a long introduction that talks about the historical times in which Agrippa lived and wrote, and then Agrippa's treatise. Let me get a couple of quibbles out of the way to start. First, some of the information gets very detailed and seems to require some background knowledge of Renaissance Italy on the part of the reader. I have studied some of it, but not a ton. So, there were a few parts where I felt a little lost. In the translation, there are a few terms that are left in their original Italian, and so, I ended up flipping to the glossary a lot to try to make sure I got what the word meant in context.
Those quibbles aside, I think that anyone interested in the history of fencing or even the development of though in the Renaissance would find things to enjoy in their book.
Agrippa is one of the first to write a fencing manual that was designed for everyone to learn from, and he focuses more on the point than the edge of the blade. He explicitly bases his fencing geometric principles, which Mondschein tells us is something of a break from at least the rhetoric of fencing books prior to his.
Agrippa's treatise covers fencing with the sword and has short sections on other weapons and grappling when one closes with an opponent.
There is also a dialogue about geometry and astronomy at the end of Agrippa's book. Agrippa is trying to be scientific about his fencing and breaking with tradition. This was an interesting addition to a fencing manual because it is included as a way of showing something about the scientific approach to the subject and to talk about science in general.
I read this book mostly on the train, so it is not like I was able to walk through the descriptions and diagrams, but at some point, I would like to do so.
Overall, this was a good read, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in fencing and the relation of physical activities to intellectual thought.
January 6, 2020
A book, with illustrations, written by a master Swordsman in the 16th century. An invaluable resource for understanding the root of the fencing techniques that we use today. Also, a fascinating look into the time, martial etiquette and the mind of a survivor of countless battles.
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September 2, 2023What a trip he is!
April 13, 2013
A fascinating look at the art of fencing in the Italian Renaissance. It can be a bit hard to follow, but the preface is very well done, giving a short biography of Agrippa as well as explaining his principles. It was worth reading all by itself. To really make sense of this book I recommend reading Egerton Castle's "Schools and Masters of Fencing : From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century" concurrently.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews