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Difference between revisions of "Francesco Fernando Alfieri"

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| <p>'''On the Pike by Francesco Ferdinando Alfieri'''</p>
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<p>Chapter I</p>
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<p>Man is by nature difficult to content. To take away the opportunity for conflict, the lands were divided, and domains introduced. Each began by recognising their own, and almost all at once, either to protect theirs or to occupy that of their neighbour, they came to war. For war they discovered weapons, and among the first was the pike. All things, at the beginning are rough, and bit by bit are improved. In this manner the pike was initially used without the refinement to which it has been distilled. Before iron was discovered, the shaft was armed with sharp stones, bones, and similar materials apt to harm, and in this way they fought. </p>
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<p>Having discovered iron, it was placed at one and by many peoples at both extremities, in the form that was believed most piercing, and strongest in attack. Its length and width varied depending on how more or less robust were the nations who used it. The Assyrians were the first, who in the opinion of many serious authors carried them in war, this province having had the first kingdoms and lordships. The Jews, whose armies blossomed because the great prophet Moses had learned from God, ordered their units armed with the pike, as clearly seen several times in the Bible. The battles they fought in Palestine, against those condemned by divine justice to be defeated by the chosen people, were conducted by armies who fought with polearms. The Persians also used it, and honed their skill in wielding it, as the great commander Cyrus, alongside military discipline, introduced the art of training. </p>
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<p>After the Persians, the glory of arms flourished in Greece. They too held it in esteem, as you see from the lives of Palamedes, Philopomenes, Miltiades, Themistocles, and other warriors of great renown: Athenians, Lacedaemonians, and Thebans. Philip of Macedon, who learned expertise at arms from Lysis, <ref> According to tradition Lysis of Taras was both a student of Pythagoras and teacher to Epaminondas, although since this would make him impossibly old perhaps two historical figures were conflated. Epaminondas was a renowned Theban general from whom Philip learned in his youth, as a hostage in Thebes. </ref> formed his phalanx armed with polearms, with which his son Alexander the Great subjugated little less than the world. The Republic of Rome, in all of its virtues superior, including in the power it held on earth, had its "hastati", and with this weapon the name of its legions inspired terror. </p>
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<p>But to approach our times, omitting to recall Uguccione dalla Faggiola, and in particular the famous Castruccio Castracani, who propelled the military disciplines forward having been long neglected, the Swiss will always be immortal for their pikes, with their skill in using them, having been the arbiters of victory in Italy. Everyone knows the level they rose to, when the wars became more merciless for the state of Milan; which was stripped from Ludovico il Moro, his son Maximillian, Luis XII the King of France, and Francis I. Because the Emperor took every effort to return the Sforzas to the duchy, there followed the celebrated feats of arms at Novara, Bicocca and elsewhere, which will stand as eternal testimony to the valour of that free nation of thirteen cantons. Therefore, none can doubt the antiquity, nobility, and marvellous effect of the pike; and it is very certain that as such should be considered this art, and that worthy always of praise shall be those, who wishing to follow the fortunes of war, undertake with every care to learn it. </p>
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{{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|11|lbl=05|p=1}} {{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|12|lbl=06|p=1}} {{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|13|lbl=07|p=1}} {{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|14|lbl=08|p=1}}
 
{{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|11|lbl=05|p=1}} {{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|12|lbl=06|p=1}} {{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|13|lbl=07|p=1}} {{pagetb|Page:La Picca (Francesco Fernando Alfieri) 1641.pdf|14|lbl=08|p=1}}

Revision as of 11:03, 18 November 2020

Francesco Fernando Alfieri

Portrait from 1640
Born 16th century (?)
Died 17th century
Occupation Fencing master
Nationality Italian
Genres Fencing manual
Language Italian
Notable work(s)

Francesco Fernando Alfieri was a 17th century Italian fencing master. Little is known about his life, but Alfieri means "Ensign" which might be a military title rather than a family name. In his fencing treatise of 1640, he identifies himself as a master-at-arms to the Accademia Delia in Padua, and indicates that he had long experience at that time

In 1638, Alfieri published a treatise on flag drill entitled La Bandiera ("The Banner"). This was followed in 1640 by La Scherma ("On Fencing"), in which he treats the use of the rapier. Not content with these works, in 1641 he released La Picca ("The Pike"), which not only covers pike drill, but also includes a complete reprint of La Bandiera (complete with title page dated 1638). His treatise on rapier seems to have been especially popular, as it was reprinted in 1646 and then received a new edition in 1653 titled L’arte di ben maneggiare la spada ("The Art of Handling the Sword Well"), which not only includes the entirety of the 1640 edition, but also adds a concluding section on the spadone.

Treatise

Additional Resources

References

  1. This passage is later self-plagiarised by Alfieri in the introduction to his treatise on the spadone of 1653.
  2. Although taken somewhat out of context, Alfieri appears to be referring to Numbers 21:8: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole” (King James Bible).
  3. Here Alfieri employs a practically untranslatable idiom “tenero di sale”, which refers to a dish lacking in salt but also ironically to a foolish, naïve or credulous person. The translator has replaced this with an approximately equivalent English idiom.
  4. Note the use of fencing terminology to describe actions with the flag, which continues throughout the treatise.
  5. Montanti (singular montante) in fencing terminology refers to rising blows.
  6. Literally “totally covered”, this describes a guard or posture in which your opponent has no direct line of attack, as demonstrated for example in chapters XXV and XXXIV of Alfieri's 1640 treatise on rapier fencing.
  7. Note that this final plate is simply reused from chapter I.
  8. Again this passage is later self-plagiarised in the conclusion to Alfieri's 1653 treatise on the spadone.
  9. According to tradition Lysis of Taras was both a student of Pythagoras and teacher to Epaminondas, although since this would make him impossibly old perhaps two historical figures were conflated. Epaminondas was a renowned Theban general from whom Philip learned in his youth, as a hostage in Thebes.