Fight like Fiore

In the opening years of the 15th century, an Italian nobleman and fencing master, Fiore dei Liberi, distilled his knowledge of martial arts into a comprehensive manual named Fior di Battaglia – The Flower of Battle.

This masterpiece describes a complete fighting system. It covers techniques of grappling, dagger, sword, pollaxe, spear, and horseback, both with and without armour. Its beautiful drawings are laid out according to weapon systems, giving illustrated and annotated descriptions of different techniques.

The text is written in medieval Italian, posing a problem to many modern readers. Few translations exist, and even fewer provide explanatory notes. This project aims to resolve these problems.

With a new translation of the text, coupled with explanatory notes, this project works through each of the 283 posta (guard positions) and plays (individual techniques) of the entire book. Throughout 2019, I will be adding one play per day until the entire book is produced here. With such knowledge at your disposal, you too will now be able to fight like Fiore.