Putting Arms to Paper: Fighting Manuals as Pedagogical Texts in Italy and Germany, c. 1380–1700

Speaker: Adam Peter Fretwell
Language: English

Summary:

This lecture examines European fighting manuals produced between approximately
1380 and 1700, focusing on Italian and German traditions and treating these sources as
pedagogical artefacts rather than merely repositories of technique. Beginning with late
medieval manuscript traditions – most notably Fiore dei Liberi’s Fior di Battaglia and the
Johannes Liechtenauer’s Zettel – the talk traces how embodied martial knowledge was
structured and transmitted across both handwritten and printed media. Particular
attention is given to the role of illustration, verse, and diagrammatic sequencing in
communicating complex physical actions, as well as to the interpretive limits imposed
by their inherent abstraction.

The lecture then follows the transition into the early modern period, where figures such
as Achille Marozzo, Joachim Meyer, Ridolfo Capoferro, and Francesco Antonio Marcelli
increasingly employed print culture and systematisation to address changing social
contexts of education in violence. Through comparative manuscript analysis, including
direct engagement with original sources where possible, the talk highlights both
continuities and significant pedagogical shifts between medieval and early modern
fencing literature.

The lecture will also offer a measured critique of modern engagements with these
manuals, particularly within Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). While
acknowledging the movement’s success in recovering and popularising neglected
sources, it argues that contemporary reconstructions often under-theorise issues of
pedagogy, visual rhetoric, alongside textual transmission, treating manuals as
transparent technical guides rather than culturally situated teaching tools. By reframing
fighting manuals as deliberate instructional compositions shaped by medium and
intent, this lecture advocates for a more historically grounded and critically reflective
approach to their study and modern practice.

About the Speaker:

Adam Peter Fretwell is currently studying History and English at the University of Malta and is studying in Italy to become a Maestro d’Armi in the field of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). With a passion rooted in both academic inquiry and practical experience, he has been actively involved in HEMA since 2007—beginning with archery in the UK, and then in 2008 joining Show of Arms, a School of Arms in Malta, and currently is the head instructor teaching various techniques and weapon systems from 12th to 19th Century, which he has also put to the test in various tournaments around Europe and the UK. In his free time, he works in translating manuscripts from this historical timeframe into English. His interest lies in interpreting historical fencing manuals through the lens of modern body biomechanics, offering fresh perspectives on how martial culture and technique have been informed by, and adapted to, the human body over time. His work invites readers and practitioners alike to embrace alternative views as a gateway to rethinking historical combat traditions.

Important Information

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This lecture is kindly supported by The Alfred Mizzi Foundation.