The Contribution of Domestic and International Conflict In Renaissance Italy to the Sport of Fencing
Start Date
4-26-2023 10:30 AM
Disciplines
History
Subjects
Fencing, Italy, Pride, Conflict, Renaissance
Abstract
Fencing, the art or practice of attack and defense with the foil, épée, or saber, has progressed over hundreds of years from the warfare of Germanic tribes to a regulated Olympic sport. This paper investigates the development of fencing during the fifteenth and sixteenth century Italian Renaissance and outlines a variety of ways that fencing culture mirrored Italy’s at the time, demonstrating that Italian fencing was a product of both international and domestic conflict beyond the sport itself. The competitive cultural influence of aesthetic epicenters such as the Florentine Republic over other European countries—particularly France, Spain, and Italy—was paralleled by the spread of Italian fencing treatises and masters into these nations. Furthermore, an internal Italian culture that prioritized honor and fostered rivalry among citizens, as well as their city-states, made the fencing duel a tenant of Italian society as a means of defending one’s dignity. Preparation for these duels, and their increasing regulation, led to the practice of fencing as a sport. Taken in tandem, these factors meant the Italian style was in an optimal position of burgeoning progress and societal tension to be the inspiration for all fencing that followed.
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39819
Included in
The Contribution of Domestic and International Conflict In Renaissance Italy to the Sport of Fencing
Fencing, the art or practice of attack and defense with the foil, épée, or saber, has progressed over hundreds of years from the warfare of Germanic tribes to a regulated Olympic sport. This paper investigates the development of fencing during the fifteenth and sixteenth century Italian Renaissance and outlines a variety of ways that fencing culture mirrored Italy’s at the time, demonstrating that Italian fencing was a product of both international and domestic conflict beyond the sport itself. The competitive cultural influence of aesthetic epicenters such as the Florentine Republic over other European countries—particularly France, Spain, and Italy—was paralleled by the spread of Italian fencing treatises and masters into these nations. Furthermore, an internal Italian culture that prioritized honor and fostered rivalry among citizens, as well as their city-states, made the fencing duel a tenant of Italian society as a means of defending one’s dignity. Preparation for these duels, and their increasing regulation, led to the practice of fencing as a sport. Taken in tandem, these factors meant the Italian style was in an optimal position of burgeoning progress and societal tension to be the inspiration for all fencing that followed.