Filippo Vadi
From Italian Swordplay Wiki
Filippo Vadi was an Italian longsword master in the tradition of Fiore dei Liberi.
A native of Pisa, he wrote manual of arms, De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi(c.1482), which he dedicated to Guidobaldo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino. This work is very similar to the Pissani-Dossi manuscript, consisting primarily of beautifully painted figures with rhyming couplets. Vadi covers a smaller subset of weapons from Fiore: the dagger, the two-handed sword in and out of armour, the spear and the poleaxe. The armoured combat techniques are reduced in scope, and abrazare, one-handed sword and mounted combat techniques are omitted entirely. But De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi’s unique virtue is its prologue of sixteen verse chapters, in which Vadi addresses the general and specific principles of swordmanship, such as the proper length of the sword, tactical advice for facing stronger opponents and multiple opponents, how and when to parry and to control the fight when the swords are crossed, and lessons on timing, feints and a few specialized blows. These chapters provide fascinating insights into the tactical application of the art, and add clarity and subtlety to many of the plays found in all four texts.
[edit] Modern Editions of the Flower of Battle
Porzio, Luca and Mele, Gregory, Arte Gladiatoria: the 15th century swordsmanship of Filippo Vadi
