The Internal Organization of Fiore Dei Liberi’s Fior di Battaglia (ca 1409):

Manual of Arms as Exemplary Educational Document

Fiore Dei Liberi became the instructor at arms to the knightly household of Niccolo III d’Este in 1400, and some nine or ten years later, was convinced by his patron to record his knowledge of arms for posterity in his treatise: Fior di Bataglia.  Material is included in this treatise for combat on horseback and on foot, armored and unarmored, and includes wrestling, dagger, one and two handed sword, spear and pollaxe.  This presentation will make use of the Getty-Ludwig copy of the manuscript.

Fior di Bataglia has been characterized by some as “cryptic” or “not well organized” when nothing could be further from the truth.  His treatise is a coherent, systematic and internally referenced document that lends itself to easy instruction, understanding and retention.  The treatise provides its readers with a consistent system of self-defense with principles that can be used unarmed, or with any weapon that may be at hand.

There will be a very brief discussion of the court of Fiore’s patron and the intellectual and artistic company that Fiore was invited to join.

The majority of this paper will discuss the organization of the treatise’s text and illustrations, with each new section building upon previous material, including transitional material between sections.  The coding of the artwork, essential to understand the sequencing and categories of technique, will be explained.  Internal textual references to earlier techniques in the treatise which tie the whole together will be demonstrated.

The paper will end with a brief discussion of Fiore’s segno page, revealing the several layers of meaning contained in this page, and revealing the philosophical and moral approach of Fiore’s combat system.