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{{infobox writer
+
{{Infobox writer
| 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              =  
  
| pseudonym            =  
+
| pseudonym            =  
| birthname            =  
+
| birthname            =  
| birthdate            = 1517
+
| birthdate            = 1544
| birthplace          = Augsburg, Germany
+
| birthplace          = Padua, Italy
| deathdate            = 10 Dec 1579 (age 62)
+
| deathdate            = 11 Nov 1618 (aged 74)
| deathplace          = Augsburg, Germany
+
| deathplace          = Padua, Italy
| resting_place        =  
+
| resting_place        =  
| occupation          = {{plainlist | Civil servant | Historian }}
+
| occupation          = {{plainlist
| language            = {{plainlist | [[Early New High German]] | [[New Latin]] }}
+
| Assassin (?)
| nationality          =
+
| [[Fencing master]]
| ethnicity            =  
+
}}
| citizenship          =  
+
| language            = [[Italian]]
| education            =  
+
| nationality          = [[Italian]]
| alma_mater          =  
+
| ethnicity            =  
| patron              =  
+
| citizenship          =  
 +
| education            =  
 +
| alma_mater          = University of Padua (?)
 +
| patron              = {{plainlist
 +
| Christianus Ⅳ of Denmark
 +
| Johan Frederik of Schleswig-Holstein-<br/>Gottorp
 +
}}
  
| period              =  
+
| period              =  
| genre                = {{plainlist | [[Fencing manual]] | [[Wrestling manual]] }}
+
| genre                = [[Fencing manual]]
| subject              =  
+
| subject              =  
| movement            = {{plainlist | [[Nicolaüs Augsburger|Augsburg tradition]] | [[Nuremberg group|Nuremberg tradition]] }}
+
| movement            =  
| notableworks        =
+
| notableworks        = ''[[Scienza d’Arme (Salvator Fabris)|Scienza d’Arme]]'' (1601-06)
| manuscript(s)        = {{collapsible list
+
| manuscript(s)        = {{collapsible list
  | title = List of manuscripts
+
| [[Scientia e Prattica dell'Arme (GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040)|GI.kgl.Saml.1868.4040]] (1601)
  | 1    = [[Geschlechterbuch der Stadt Augsburg (Cod.icon. 312b)|Codex Icon 312b]] (1548)
+
| [[La Scientia della Spada (MS KB.73.J.38)|MS KB.73.J.38]] (1600-09)
  | 2    = [[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (MSS Dresd.C.93/C.94)|MSS Dresden C.93/C.94]] (1540s)
+
| [[Figures nues, positions d'escrime à l'épée (MS 17)|MS 17]] (1600-20)
  | 3    = [[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (Cod.icon. 393)|Codex Icon 393 I & II]] (1550s)
+
| [[Fechtkunst aus dem Italienischen (MS Dresd.C.94a)|MS Dresd.C.94a]] (ca. 1635)
  | 4    = [[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (Cod.10825/10826)|Codex 10825/10826]] (1550s)
+
}}
  | 5    = [[Rast Fechtbuch (Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82)|Reichsstadt "Schätze" Nr. 82]] (1553)
+
| principal manuscript(s)=
}}
+
| first printed edition=  
| principal manuscript(s)=
+
| wiktenauer compilation by=
| first printed edition=  
 
| wiktenauer compilation by=[[Michael Chidester]]
 
  
| spouse              =  
+
| spouse              =  
| partner              =  
+
| partner              =  
| children            =  
+
| children            =  
| relatives            =  
+
| relatives            =  
| influences          = {{collapsible list
+
| influences          =  
  | title = List of influences
+
| influenced          = {{plainlist
  | 1    = [[Fabian von Auerswald]]
+
| [[Sebastian Heußler]]
  | 2    = [[Gregor Erhart]]
+
  | [[Hans Wilhelm Schöffer von Dietz]]
  | 3    = [[Martin Huntfeltz]]
 
  | 4    = [[Jörg Wilhalm Hutter]]
 
  | 5    = [[Paulus Kal]]
 
  | 6    = [[Johannes Lecküchner]]
 
  | 7    = [[Jud Lew]]
 
  | 8    = [[Johannes Liechtenauer]]
 
  | 9    = [[Andre Liegniczer]]
 
  | 10    = [[Ott Jud]]
 
}}
 
| influenced          =
 
| awards              =
 
  | signature            = [[file:Paulus Hector Mair Sig.png|170px]]
 
| website              =
 
| translations        =
 
| below                =
 
 
}}
 
}}
'''Paulus Hector Mair''' (Paulsen Hektor Mair, Paulus Hector Meyer; 1517 – 1579) was a 16th century German aristocrat, civil servant, and fencer. He was born in 1517 to a wealthy and influential Augsburg patrician family. 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 treatises. He began his civil service as a secretary to the Augsburg City Council; by 1541, Mair was the City Treasurer, and in 1545 he also took on the office 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]]).
 +
 
 +
<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.
 +
 
 +
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.
  
Mair's martial background is unknown, but as a citizen of a free city he would have had military obligations whenever the city went to war, and as a member of a patrician family he likely served in the cavalry. What is clear is that he was an avid collector of fencing treatises and other literature on military history. Like his contemporary [[Joachim Meÿer]], Mair believed that the Medieval martial arts were being forgotten, which he saw as a tragedy, idealizing the arts of fencing as a civilizing and character-building influence on men. Where Meÿer sought to update the traditional fencing systems and apply them to contemporary weapons of war and defense, Mair was more interested in preserving historical teachings intact. Thus, some time in the latter part of the 1540s he commissioned what would become the most extensive compendium of German fencing treatises ever made, a massive two-volume manuscript compiling virtually every fencing treatise he could access. He retained famed artist [[Jörg Breu|Jörg Breu the Younger]] to create the illustrations for the text, and hired two Augsburg fencers to pose for the illustrations. This project was extraordinarily expensive and took at least four years to complete. Ultimately, three copies of this compendium were produced, each more extensive than the last; the first ([[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (MSS Dresd.C.93/C.94)|MSS Dresden C.93/C.94]]) was written in [[Early New High German]], the second and most artistically ambitious ([[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (Cod.icon. 393)|Cod.icon. 393]]) in [[New Latin]], and the third and final version ([[Opus Amplissimum de Arte Athletica (Cod.10825/10826)|Cod. 10825/10826]]) incorporated 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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