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Fiore Furlano de Cividale d'Austria, delli Liberi da Premariacco (Fiore dei Liberi, Fiore Furlano, Fiore de Cividale d'Austria; born ca. 1350; died after 1409) was a late 14th century knight, diplomat, and itinerant fencing master. He is the earliest Italian master from whom we have an martial arts manual. His ''Flower of Battle'' (''Fior di Battaglia'', ''Flos Duellatorum'') is among the oldest surviving fencing manuals.〔after the early-14th-century RA Ms. I.33 and the late-14th-century GNM Ms. 3227a, and roughly contemporary with the French ''Le jeu de la hache''; comparable texts from the Asian traditions of swordsmanshipt do not appear prior to the 16th century, e.g. ''Jixiao Xinshu'', ''Muyejebo''.〕 == Life == Fiore dei Liberi was born in Cividale del Friuli, a town in the Patriarchal State of Aquileia in the Friuli region of modern-day Italy, the son of Benedetto and scion of a Liberi house of Premariacco.〔Liberi, Fiore dei (ca.1400s). ''Fior di Battaglia'' (). Ms. M.383. New York City: Morgan Library & Museum. ff 1r–2r.〕〔Liberi, Fiore dei (ca.1400). ''Fior di Battaglia'' (). Ms. Ludwig XV 13 (ACNO 83.MR.183). Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. ff 1r–2r.〕〔Liberi, Fiore dei (1409). ''Flos Duellatorum'' (). Pisani Dossi Ms. Italy: Private Collection. f 1rv.〕 The term ''Liberi'', while potentially merely a surname, probably indicates that his family had imperial immediacy, either as part of the Edelfrei (''nobili liberi'', "free nobles"), the Germanic unindentured knightly class which formed the lower tier of nobility in the Middle Ages, or possibly of the rising class of Imperial Free Knights.〔He is never given such a surname in any contemporary records of his life, and the term only appears when introducing his family in his own treatises. See Malipiero, p 80.〕〔Mondschein (2011), p 11.〕〔Howe, Russ. "(Fiore dei Liberi: Origins and Motivations )". Journal of Western Martial Art. Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences, 2008. Retrieved 2013-10-25.〕 It has been suggested by various historians that Fiore and Benedetto were descended from Cristallo dei Liberi of Premariacco, who was granted immediacy in 1110 by Emperor Henry V,〔Giusto Fontanini. , vol. 3 (in Italian). R. Bernabò, 1736. pp 274–276.〕〔Gian Giuseppe Liruti. , vol. 4 (in Italian). Alvisopoli, 1830. p 27.〕〔Novati, pp 15–16.〕 but this has yet to be confirmed.〔Malipiero, p 80.〕 Fiore wrote that he had a natural inclination to the martial arts and began training at a young age, ultimately studying with "countless" masters from both the Italian and German parts of the Holy Roman Empire.〔Pisani-Dossi 2a.4: '' quorum omnium deo dante plenariam notitiam sum adeptus expertorum magistrorum exemplis multifariis et doctrina ytalicorum ac alamanorum et maxime a magistro johane dicto suueno, qui fuit scholaris magistri Nicholai de toblem mexinensis diocesis, ac etiam a pluribus principibus ducibus marchionibus et comitibus et ab aliis innumerabilibus et diuerssis locis et prouinciis.'' "all of which knowledge, God granting, I acquired from the numerous lessons and teachings of Italian and German expert teachers, and mostly from master John, called ''Suvenus'', who was a student of master Nicholas of ''Toblem'' in the ''Mexinensian'' diocese, and also from several princes, margraves and counts and from other countless and diverse places and provinces" (''mexinensis diocesis'' having been variously identified as either Metz or Meissen). 〕 He also writes of meeting many "false" or unworthy masters who lacked even the limited skill he'd expect in a good student,〔 and mentions that on five separate occasions he was forced to fight duels for his honor against certain of these masters whom he described as envious because he refused to teach them his art; the duels were all fought with sharp longswords, unarmored except for gambesons and chamois gloves, and he stated that he won each without injury.〔〔 He further offers an extensive list of the famous ''condottieri'' that he trained, including Piero Paolo del Verde (Peter von Grünen),〔("PIERO DEL VERDE (Paolo del Verde) Tedesco. Signore di Colle di Val d'Elsa." ). ''Note biografiche di Capitani di Guerra e di Condottieri di Ventura operanti in Italia nel 1330 – 1550''. Retrieved 2013-10-25.〕 Niccolo Unricilino (Nikolo von Urslingen),〔Leoni, p 7.〕 Galeazzo Cattaneo dei Grumelli (Galeazzo Gonzaga da Mantova),〔("GALEAZZO DA MANTOVA (Galeazzo Cattaneo dei Grumelli, Galeazzo Gonzaga) Di Mantova. Secondo alcune fonti, di Grumello nel pavese." ). ''Note biografiche di Capitani di Guerra e di Condottieri di Ventura operanti in Italia nel 1330 – 1550''. Retrieved 2013-10-25.〕 Lancillotto Beccaria di Pavia,〔("LANCILLOTTO BECCARIA (Lanciarotto Beccaria) Di Pavia. Ghibellino. Signore di Serravalle Scrivia, Casei Gerola, Bassignana, Novi Ligure, Voghera, Broni." ). ''Note biografiche di Capitani di Guerra e di Condottieri di Ventura operanti in Italia nel 1330 – 1550''. Retrieved 2013-10-25.〕 Giovannino da Baggio di Milano,〔Malipiero, pp 94–96.〕 and Azzone di Castelbarco,〔(Fiore his masters and his students ). ''Hans Talhoffer ~ as seen by Jens P. Kleinau.'' Retrieved 2013-10-25.〕 and also highlights some of their martial exploits.〔〔 Based on Fiore's autobiographical account, he can tentatively be placed in Perosa (Perugia) in 1381 when Piero del Verde likely fought a duel with Pietro della Corona (Peter Kornwald).〔This is the only point when both men are known to have been in Perugia at the same time; Verde died soon after this in 1385. See (Fiore his masters and his students ). ''Hans Talhoffer ~ as seen by Jens P. Kleinau.'' in English and ("PIERO DEL VERDE (Paolo del Verde) Tedesco. Signore di Colle di Val d'Elsa." ). and ("PIETRO DELLA CORONA (Pietro Cornuald) Tedesco. Signore di Angri." ). ''Note biografiche di Capitani di Guerra e di Condottieri di Ventura operanti in Italia nel 1330 – 1550''. in Italian. Retrieved 2013-10-25.〕 That same year, the Aquileian War of Succession erupted as a coalition of secular nobles from Udine and surrounding cities sought to remove the newly appointed Patriarch, Philippe II d'Alençon. Fiore seems to have sided with the secular nobility against the Cardinal as in 1383 there is record of him being tasked by the grand council with inspection and maintenance on the artillery pieces defending Udine (including large crossbows and catapults).〔〔Malipiero, p 85.〕〔Easton, Matt. "(Fiore dei Liberi – Fiore di Battaglia – Flos Duellatorum )". London: Schola Gladiatoria, 2009. Retrieved 2013-10-25.〕 There are also records of him working variously as a magistrate, peace officer, and agent of the grand council during the course of 1384, but after that the historical record is silent. The war continued until a new Patriarch was appointed in 1389 and a peace settlement was reached, but it's unclear if Fiore remained involved for the duration. Given that he appears in council records five times in 1384, it would be quite odd for him to be completely unmentioned over the subsequent five years,〔 and since his absence after May of 1384 coincides with a proclamation in July of that year demanding that Udine cease hostilities or face harsh repercussions, it seems more likely that he moved on.〔Malipiero, pp 85–88.〕 After the war, Fiore seems to have traveled a good deal in northern Italy, teaching fencing and training men for duels. In 1395, Fiore can be placed in Padua training the mercenary captain Galeazzo Gonzaga of Mantua for a duel with the French Marshal Jean II Le Maingre (who used the war name "Boucicaut"). Galeazzo made the challenge when Boucicaut called into question the valor of Italians at the royal court of France, and the duel was ultimately set for Padua on 15 August. Both Francesco Novello da Carrara, Lord of Padua, and Francesco I Gonzaga, Lord of Mantua, were in attendance. The duel was to begin with spears on horseback, but Boucicaut became impatient and dismounted, attacking his opponent before he could mount his own horse. Cattaneo landed a solid blow on the Frenchman's helmet, but was subsequently disarmed. At this point, Boucicaut reached for his poleaxe but the lords intervened to end the duel.〔〔〔Malipiero, pp 55–58.〕 Fiore surfaces again in Pavia in 1399, this time training Giovannino da Baggio for a duel with a German squire named Sirano. It was fought on 24 June and attended by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan, as well as the duchess and other nobles. The duel was to consist of three bouts of mounted lance followed by three bouts each of dismounted poleaxe, estoc, and dagger. They ultimately rode two additional passes and on the fifth, Baggio impaled Sirano's horse through the chest, slaying the horse but losing his lance in the process. They fought the other nine bouts as scheduled, and due to the strength of their armor (and the fact that all of the weapons were blunted), both combatants reportedly emerged from these exchanges unharmed.〔〔Mondschein (2011), p 12.〕 Fiore was likely involved in at least one other duel that year, between his final named student Azzone di Castelbarco and Giovanni degli Ordelaffi, as the latter is known to have died in 1399.〔Malipiero, p 97.〕 After Castelbarco's duels, Fiore's activities are unclear. Based on the allegiances of the nobles that he trained in the 1390s, he seems to have been associated with the ducal court of Milan in the latter part of his career.〔 Some time in the first years of the 15th century, Fiore composed a fencing treatise in Italian and Latin called "The Flower of Battle" (rendered variously as ''Fior di Battaglia'', ''Florius de Arte Luctandi'', and ''Flos Duellatorum''). The briefest version of the text is dated to 1409 and indicates that it was a labor of six months and great personal effort;〔 as evidence suggests that two longer versions were composed some time before this,〔Fiore states in the preface to the Pisani Dossi Ms. that he had studied combat for fifty years, whereas the comparable statement in the Ms. M.383 and Ms. Ludwig XV 13 mention the slightly shorter "forty years and more".〕 we may assume that he devoted a considerable amount of time to writing during this decade. Beyond this, nothing certain is known of Fiore's activities in the 15th century. Francesco Novati and D. Luigi Zanutto both assume that some time before 1409 he accepted an appointment as court fencing master to Niccolò III d'Este, Marquis of Ferrara, Modena, and Parma; presumably he would have made this change when Milan fell into disarray in 1402, though Zanutto went so far as to speculate that he trained Niccolò for his 1399 passage at arms.〔Zanutto, pp 211–212.〕 However, while two surviving copies of "the Flower of Battle" are dedicated to the marquis, it seems more likely that the manuscripts were written as a diplomatic gift to Ferrara from Milan when they made peace in 1404.〔〔 C. A. Blengini di Torricella stated that late in life he made his way to Paris, France, where he could be placed teaching fencing in 1418 and creating a copy of a fencing manual located there in 1420. Though he attributes these facts to Novati, no publication verifying them has yet been located.〔"In 1904, a historical work by Francesco Novati, Director of the Academy in Milano and Gaffuri, Director of the graphical institute in Bergamo was published… These two prominent scholars uncovered documents, found in different archives, …''Rules for Fencing'' were printed by Fiore dei Liberi in 1420… And how could then dei Liberi have taught fencing lessons in Paris in 1418?" (translated from Norwegian by Roger Norling). See Blengini, di Torricella C. A. ''Haandbog i Fægtning med Floret, Kaarde, Sabel, Forsvar med Sabel mod Bajonet og Sabelhugning tilhest: Med forklarende Tegninger og en Oversigt over Fægtekunstens Historie og Udvikling.'' 1907. p 28.〕 The time and place of Fiore's death remain unknown. Despite the depth and complexity of his writings, Fiore dei Liberi does not seem to have been a very influential master in the development of Italian fencing. That field was instead dominated by the tradition of his near-contemporary the Bolognese master Filippo di Bartolomeo Dardi. Even so, there are a number of later treatises which bear strong resemblance to his work, including the writings of Philippo di Vadi and Ludwig VI von Eyb of Hartenstein. This may be due to the direct influence of Fiore or his writings, or it may instead indicate that the older tradition of Johane and Nicholai survived and spread outside of his direct line. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fiore dei Liberi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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