Fiore dei Liberi : "Flos Duellatorum", 1410
Online Presentation of Flos Duellatorum
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| A shot of the cover of an original 1902, leather-bound copy of "Flos Duellatorum". The "eagle displayed" arms in the upper left appears again on the inside cover again on what appears to be a signet, quartered in the second and third quarters, along with what may be three fleur-de-lys in the first and fourth quarters. Possibly the arms of Francesco Novati?. |
The notion of the Masters, Remedy Masters, Countra-Masters and Countra-contra-Masters often confuse the uninitiated to Fiore's treatise. This initial apparent complexity achieves clarity once the reader understands both the foundations of the plays presented, and the symbolism with respect to the individuals wearing a crown, crown and garter, garter and no-garter. The system behind this is nothing short of genius, providing excellent reference points to fully understanding the principles Fiore is attempting to convey to the reader. Some important points for consideration below when studying Fiore's manuscript:
- Crowns & garters: As one studies the manuscript, one will notice that some of the figures are wearing crowns and or a leg band (garter) just below the knee. The figures are divided into two groups: the masters who attack first are wearing a "golden" crown depicting the "archetype" of either a defensive or offensive maneuvre or concept. The players or "schollers" following the Remedy Master wear garters to distinguish between the player deploying a Remedy Master technique from the opponent or "zugadore ". The Counter or "contra" Master to the Remedy Master are depicted as wearing both a crown and a garter, symbolizing that this master possesses the knowledge of both the Master and its respective Remedy Master.
- The order of the annotated online presentation of the treatise and their sections correspond to the organization of the Pisani-Dossi version.
- It is interesting to note that Liberi refers to the opponents in training as one of master, scholar, player (zugadore) and companion (compagno). Again, further stressing the discipline and control during training, in which you are not trying to win a competition during training, but learning along with your partner, the subtleties of the techniques. Training with partners is based on a "relationship" between students of an antagonistic/cooperative mode.
The AEMMA's training program as described in The Art of Longsword Combat - Book #1 was heavily influenced by the work of Liberi, however, the book is now dated and archived. Through the years of training and practice, it became quite evident that the methodology defined by Liberi is a viable approach to training. We apologize for any errors in our own interpretation, not claiming to be linguistics experts, however, the periodic review of the material will invoke improvements and correction based on the enhanced experience gained through working with this material in the training and fighting situations. Feel free to email AEMMA at your comments, criticisms, kudos, whatever.
The Treatise
A. Sequential Online Presentation
This presentation is comprised of digitally scanned pages of the Pisani-Dossi treatise in the sequence as found in the 1902 publication. The images are approximately 1000 pixels in width and are relatively high in resolution.
Access to this presentation can be made by clicking on ==> Pisani-Dossi.
B. Annotated Online Presentation
Prologue
- Brief Interpretation on the Prologue on Fiore dei Liberi (Pisani-Dossi)
- The First Prologue (original Latin with English translation from the Pisani-Dossi)
1. abrazare - grappling
1.0 quatro poste 
(the four guards)
1.1 gioco de magistro primo (first master plays)
1.2 gioco de magistro secundo (second master plays)
1.3 gioco de magistro terzo (third master plays)
1.4 gioco de bastoncello (baton plays)
2. Daga - Dagger
Note: The dagger material is sourced from the Knights of the Wild Rose (KWR) and the additional notes added were based on the study of the Getty's version of Liberi's treatise are entered as red text in the KWR pages.
3. Spada - Arming Sword
Note: The arming sword material is sourced from the Knights of the Wild Rose (KWR) and the additional notes added were based on the study of the Getty's version of Liberi's treatise are entered as red text in the KWR pages.
4. spada longa - longsword
5. spada longa in arme - armoured longsword
6. azza - pollaxe
Note: The pollaxe material is sourced from the Knights of the Wild Rose (KWR) and the additional notes added were based on the study of the Getty's version of Liberi's treatise are entered as red text in the KWR pages.
- Quattro Posta
- posta breve serpentina (guard of the short serpent)
- posta de vera crose (guard of the true cross)
- posta de donna (guard of the woman)
- posta di denti chingiale (guard of the tooth of the boar)
- Pollaxe plays
7. Lanza - Spear
Note: The spear material is sourced from the Knights of the Wild Rose (KWR) and the additional notes added were based on the study of the Getty's version of Liberi's treatise are entered as red text in the KWR pages.
- Sei Magistro de Lanza Posta (Six Masters of the Guards of the Spear)
- "Right Guards"
- tutta porta de ferro destra (full iron door, right)
- meza porta de ferro (middle iron door)
- nobele posta di finestra destra (noble guard of the window, right)
- "Reverse Guards"
- posta di denti chingiale (guard of the tooth of the boar)
- posta de vera crose (guard of the true cross)
- posta di finestra sinistra (guard of the window, left)
8. Lanza e di Spada a Cavallo - Spear & Sword on Horseback
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