Francesco Alfieri, "L'Arte di ben Maneggiare La Spada", 1653

About L'Arte di ben Maneggiare La Spada

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Francesco Ferdinando Alfieri of Padova was a 17th century master of the Italian school of swordsmanship; according to the title page of La Scherma, he was "Maestro D'Arme" to the Accademia Delia in Padua in 1640. Alfieri's manuscript, written in 1653, describes the basic guards as it pertains to the two-handed sword (from the illustrations, they appear at least 2m long). The manuscript includes textual description of the guards, along with detailed coverage of rapier, rapier & dagger, rapier & cloak.

Alfieri was the first Italian swordsmanship author to quote, reference and comment on earlier masters. For instance, he was an admirer of earlier Paduan sword master Salvator Fabris, whom he calls "a man of the greatest name in our profession." On the other hand, he sharply criticises Achille Marozzo and Ridolfo Capoferro and strongly disagrees with some of their positions.

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* * * Sample images from the Corble CD * * *
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Other References or Sources:

  1. Wikipedia. Francesco Alfieri. Last accessed November 4, 2009.
  2. William Wilson. "L'Arte di ben Maneggiare La Spada". pdf file, 21.81MB
  3. The School of the Sword. The Alfieri Plates. Last accessed November 4, 2009.
Copyright © 1999 Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts  (AEMMA)
Released: October 14, 1999 / Last updated: November 4, 2009