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{{infobox writer
+
{{Infobox writer
| name                = [[name::Paulus Hector Mair]]
+
| name                = Salvator Fabris
| image                = File:Mair.png
+
| image                = File:Salvator Fabris.png
| imagesize            = 250px
+
| imagesize            = 200px
| caption              = "Mair", Cod.icon. 312b f 64r
+
| caption              =  
| birthdate            = 1517
+
 
| birthplace          = Augsburg, Germany
+
| pseudonym            =
| deathdate            = 10 Dec 1579 (age 62)
+
| birthname            =
| deathplace          = Augsburg, Germany
+
| birthdate            = 1544
| occupation          = {{plainlist | [[occupation::Civil servant]] | [[occupation::Historian]] }}
+
| birthplace          = Padua, Italy
| language            = {{plainlist | [[language::Early New High German]] | [[language::New Latin]] }}
+
| deathdate            = 11 Nov 1618 (aged 74)
| genre                = {{plainlist | [[Fencing manual]] | [[Wrestling manual]] }}
+
| deathplace          = Padua, Italy
| notableworks        = ''Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica''
+
| resting_place        =
| manuscript(s)        = {{collapsible list
+
| occupation          = {{plainlist
  | title = List of manuscripts
+
| Assassin (?)
  | 1    = [[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (MSS Dresd.C.93/C.94)|MSS Dresden C.93/C.94]] (1540s)
+
| [[Fencing master]]
  | 4    = [[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (Cod.icon. 393)|Codex Icon 393 I & II]] (1540s)
+
}}
  | 2    = [[Geschlechterbuch der Stadt Augsburg (Cod.icon. 312b)|Codex Icon 312b]] (1548)
+
| language            = [[Italian]]
  | 3    = [[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (Cod.10825/10826)|Codex 10825/10826]] (1550s)
+
| nationality          = [[Italian]]
  | 5    = [[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82]] (1553)
+
| ethnicity            =
}}
+
| citizenship          =
| wiktenauer compilation by=[[Michael Chidester]]
+
| education            =
| influences          = {{collapsible list
+
| alma_mater          = University of Padua (?)
  | title = List of influences
+
| patron              = {{plainlist
  | 1    = [[Fabian von Auerswald]]
+
| Christianus Ⅳ of Denmark
  | 2    = [[Gregor Erhart]]
+
| Johan Frederik of Schleswig-Holstein-<br/>Gottorp
  | 3    = [[Martin Huntfeltz]]
+
}}
  | 4    = [[Jörg Wilhalm Hutter]]
+
 
  | 5    = [[Paulus Kal]]
+
| period              =
  | 6    = [[Johannes Lecküchner]]
+
| genre                = [[Fencing manual]]
  | 7    = [[Jud Lew]]
+
| subject              =
  | 8    = [[Johannes Liechtenauer]]
+
| movement            =
  | 9    = [[Andre Liegniczer]]
+
| notableworks        = ''[[Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris)|Scienza d’Arme]]'' (1601-06)
  | 10    = [[Ott Jud]]
+
| manuscript(s)        = {{collapsible list
}}
+
| [[Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040)|GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040]] (1601)
  | signature            = [[file:Paulus Hector Mair Sig.png|170px]]
+
| [[La Scientia della Spada (MS KB.73.J.38)|MS KB.73.J.38]] (1600-09)
 +
| [[Figures nues, positions d'escrime à l'épée (MS 17)|MS 17]] (1600-20)
 +
| [[Fechtkunst aus dem Italienischen (MS Dresd.C.94a)|MS Dresd.C.94a]] (ca. 1635)
 +
}}
 +
| principal manuscript(s)=
 +
| first printed edition=  
 +
| wiktenauer compilation by=
 +
 
 +
| spouse              =  
 +
| partner              =  
 +
| children            =  
 +
| relatives            =  
 +
| influences          =  
 +
| influenced          = {{plainlist
 +
| [[Sebastian Heußler]]
 +
  | [[Hans Wilhelm Schöffer von Dietz]]
 
}}
 
}}
'''Paulus Hector Mair''' (1517 – 1579) was a [[century::16th century]] German civil servant and fencing enthusiast. He was born in Augsburg in 1517 to a wealthy and influential family in the German middle class (Bürger). In his youth, he likely received training in fencing and grappling from the masters of Augsburg fencing guild, and early on developed a deep fascination with fencing manuals. He began his civil service as a secretary to the Augsburg City Council; by 1541, Mair was the Augsburg City Treasurer, and in 1545 he also took on the duty of Master of Rations.  
+
| awards              = ''Supremus Eques'' of the Order of the Seven Hearts
 +
| signature            =
 +
| website              =
 +
| translations        =
 +
| below                =
 +
}}
 +
'''Salvator Fabris''' (Salvador Fabbri, Salvator Fabriz, Fabrice; 1544-1618) was a 16th – 17th century [[Italian]] knight and [[fencing master]]. He was born in or around Padua, Italy in 1544, and although little is known about his early years, he seems to have studied fencing from a young age and possibly attended the prestigious University of Padua. The French master [[Henry de Sainct Didier]] recounts a meeting with an Italian fencer named "Fabrice" during the course of preparing his treatise (completed in 1573) in which they debated fencing theory, potentially placing Fabris in France in the early 1570s. In the 1580s, Fabris corresponded with Christian Barnekow, a Danish nobleman with ties to the royal court as well as an alumnus of the university. It seems likely that Fabris traveled a great deal during the 1570s and 80s, spending time in France, Germany, Spain, and possibly other regions before returning to teach at his alma mater.
 +
 
 +
It is unclear if Fabris himself was of noble birth, but at some point he seems to have earned a knighthood. In fact, he is described in his treatise as ''Supremus Eques'' ("Supreme Knight") of the Order of the Seven Hearts. In Johann Joachim Hynitzsch's introduction to the 1676 edition, he identifies Fabris as a Colonel of the Order. It seems therefore that he was not only a knight of the Order of the Seven Hearts, but rose to a high rank and perhaps even overall leadership.
 +
 
 +
Fabris' whereabouts in the 1590s are uncertain, but there are rumors. In 1594, he may have been hired by King Sigismund of Poland to assassinate his uncle Karl, a Swedish duke and competitor for the Swedish crown. According to the story, Fabris participated in a sword dance (or possibly a dramatic play) with a sharp sword and was to slay Karl during the performance when the audience was distracted. (The duke was warned and avoided the event, saving his life.) In ca. 1599, Fabris may have been invited to England by noted playwright William Shakespeare to choreograph the fight scenes in his premier of ''Hamlet''. He also presumably spent considerable time in the 1590s developing the [[fencing manual]] that would guarantee his lasting fame.
 +
 
 +
What is certain is that by 1598, Fabris had left his position at the University of Padua and was attached to the court of Johan Frederik, the young duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. He continued in the duke's service until 1601, and as a parting gift prepared a lavishly-illustrated, three-volume manuscript of his treatise entitled ''Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme'' ([[Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040)|GI.kgl.Saml.1868 4040]]).
  
Mair lead a lavish lifestyle and maintained his political influence with expensive parties and other entertainments for the burghers and city officials of Augsburg. Despite his personal wealth and ample income, Mair spent decades living far beyond his means and taking money from the Augsburg city coffers to cover his expenses. This embezzlement was not discovered until 1579, when a disgruntled assistant reported him to the Augsburg City Council and provoked an audit of his books. Mair was arrested and tried for his crimes, and hanged as a thief at the age of 62.
+
<noinclude>In 1601, Fabris was hired as chief [[rapier]] instructor to the court of Christianus Ⅳ, King of Denmark and Duke Johan Frederik's cousin. He ultimately served in the royal court for five years; toward the end of his tenure and at the king's insistence, he published his opus under the title ''Sienza e Pratica d’Arme'' ("Science and Practice of Arms") or ''De lo Schermo, overo Scienza d’Arme'' ("On Defense, or the Science of Arms"). Christianus funded this first edition and placed his court artist, [[Jan van Halbeeck]], at Fabris' disposal to illustrate it; it was ultimately published in Copenhagen on 25 September 1606.
  
While Mair is not known to have ever certified as a fencing master, he was an avid collector of fencing manuals and other literature on military history, and some portion of his embezzlement was used to fund this hobby. Perhaps most significant of all of his acquisitions was the partially-completed manual of [[Antonius Rast]], a Master of the Longsword and one-time captain of the [[Marxbrüder]] fencing guild. The venerable master died in 1549 without completing it, and Mair ultimately was able to produce the [[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82]] based on his notes. In sum, he purchased over a dozen fencing manuscripts over the course of his life, many of them from fellow collector [[Lienhart Sollinger]] (a [[Freifechter]] who lived in Augsburg for many years). After Mair's death, this collection was sold at auction as part of an attempt to recoup some of the funds Mair had appropriated.
+
Soon after the text was published, and perhaps feeling his 62 years, Fabris asked to be released from his six-year contract with the king so that he might return home. He traveled through northern Germany and was in Paris, France, in 1608. Ultimately, he received a position at the University of Padua and there passed his final years. He died of a fever on 11 November 1618 at the age of 74, and the town of Padua declared an official day of mourning in his honor. In 1676, the town of Padua erected a statue of the master in the Chiesa del Santo.
  
Already in Mair's lifetime some of his people's Medieval martial arts were being forgotten; this was tragic to Mair, who viewed the arts of fencing as a civilizing and character-building influence on men. In order to preserve as much of the art as possible, Mair commissioned a massive fencing compendium titled ''Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica'' ("The Greatest Work on the Athletic Arts"), and in it he compiled all of the fencing lore that he could access. He retained famed Augsburg painter [[Jörg Breu|Jörg Breu the Younger]] to create the art for the text, and according to Hils Mair also hired two fencing masters to pose for the illustrations.{{cn}} This project was extraordinarily expensive and took at least four years to complete. Ultimately, three copies of the massive fencing manual—six volumes in all—were produced, the first entirely in [[Early New High German]], another entirely in [[New Latin]], and a third including both languages.
+
The importance of Fabris' work can hardly be overstated. Versions of his treatise were reprinted for over a hundred years, and translated into German at least four times as well as French and Latin. He is almost universally praised by later masters and fencing historians, and through the influence of his students and their students (most notably [[Hans Wilhelm Schöffer]]), he became the dominant figure in German fencing throughout the 17th century and into the 18th.
  
([[Paulus Hector Mair|Read more]]...)
+
</noinclude>([[Salvator Fabris|Read more]])
  
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Revision as of 21:15, 23 May 2022

Salvator Fabris
Born 1544
Padua, Italy
Died 11 Nov 1618 (aged 74)
Padua, Italy
Occupation
Nationality Italian
Alma mater University of Padua (?)
Patron
  • Christianus Ⅳ of Denmark
  • Johan Frederik of Schleswig-Holstein-
    Gottorp
Influenced
Genres Fencing manual
Language Italian
Notable work(s) Scienza d’Arme (1601-06)
Manuscript(s)

Salvator Fabris (Salvador Fabbri, Salvator Fabriz, Fabrice; 1544-1618) was a 16th – 17th century Italian knight and fencing master. He was born in or around Padua, Italy in 1544, and although little is known about his early years, he seems to have studied fencing from a young age and possibly attended the prestigious University of Padua. The French master Henry de Sainct Didier recounts a meeting with an Italian fencer named "Fabrice" during the course of preparing his treatise (completed in 1573) in which they debated fencing theory, potentially placing Fabris in France in the early 1570s. In the 1580s, Fabris corresponded with Christian Barnekow, a Danish nobleman with ties to the royal court as well as an alumnus of the university. It seems likely that Fabris traveled a great deal during the 1570s and 80s, spending time in France, Germany, Spain, and possibly other regions before returning to teach at his alma mater.

It is unclear if Fabris himself was of noble birth, but at some point he seems to have earned a knighthood. In fact, he is described in his treatise as Supremus Eques ("Supreme Knight") of the Order of the Seven Hearts. In Johann Joachim Hynitzsch's introduction to the 1676 edition, he identifies Fabris as a Colonel of the Order. It seems therefore that he was not only a knight of the Order of the Seven Hearts, but rose to a high rank and perhaps even overall leadership.

Fabris' whereabouts in the 1590s are uncertain, but there are rumors. In 1594, he may have been hired by King Sigismund of Poland to assassinate his uncle Karl, a Swedish duke and competitor for the Swedish crown. According to the story, Fabris participated in a sword dance (or possibly a dramatic play) with a sharp sword and was to slay Karl during the performance when the audience was distracted. (The duke was warned and avoided the event, saving his life.) In ca. 1599, Fabris may have been invited to England by noted playwright William Shakespeare to choreograph the fight scenes in his premier of Hamlet. He also presumably spent considerable time in the 1590s developing the fencing manual that would guarantee his lasting fame.

What is certain is that by 1598, Fabris had left his position at the University of Padua and was attached to the court of Johan Frederik, the young duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. He continued in the duke's service until 1601, and as a parting gift prepared a lavishly-illustrated, three-volume manuscript of his treatise entitled Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868 4040).

In 1601, Fabris was hired as chief rapier instructor to the court of Christianus Ⅳ, King of Denmark and Duke Johan Frederik's cousin. He ultimately served in the royal court for five years; toward the end of his tenure and at the king's insistence, he published his opus under the title Sienza e Pratica d’Arme ("Science and Practice of Arms") or De lo Schermo, overo Scienza d’Arme ("On Defense, or the Science of Arms"). Christianus funded this first edition and placed his court artist, Jan van Halbeeck, at Fabris' disposal to illustrate it; it was ultimately published in Copenhagen on 25 September 1606.

Soon after the text was published, and perhaps feeling his 62 years, Fabris asked to be released from his six-year contract with the king so that he might return home. He traveled through northern Germany and was in Paris, France, in 1608. Ultimately, he received a position at the University of Padua and there passed his final years. He died of a fever on 11 November 1618 at the age of 74, and the town of Padua declared an official day of mourning in his honor. In 1676, the town of Padua erected a statue of the master in the Chiesa del Santo.

The importance of Fabris' work can hardly be overstated. Versions of his treatise were reprinted for over a hundred years, and translated into German at least four times as well as French and Latin. He is almost universally praised by later masters and fencing historians, and through the influence of his students and their students (most notably Hans Wilhelm Schöffer), he became the dominant figure in German fencing throughout the 17th century and into the 18th.

(Read more…)

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