Renaissance/Baroque/Pre-classical
The 16th century saw the publication of various works generally focused on the so-called cut & thrust sword, although these works often contained significant instruction on other weapons. A general survey of the 16th century Italian manuals shows instruction for the following weapon or weapon combinations in at least one published manual:
- Sword alone
- Sword and Dagger
- Sword and Small Buckler
- Sword and Broad Buckler
- Sword and Targa
- Sword and Rotella
- Sword and Cape
- Sword and Gauntlet
- Two Swords
- Sword for Two Hands (also referred to as the Spadone by some masters)
- Dagger
- Dagger and Cape
- Halberd
- Spetum
- Ronca (weapon)
- Partisan (weapon)
- Partisan and Shield
- Lance
- Pike
- Unarmed against Dagger
The most significant group of authors from this time were those from the Bolognese school and it included such masters as Achille Marozzo, Antonio Manciolino, Angelo Viggiani and Giovanni dall'Agocchie. However, there were other Italian authors not directly associated with the Bolognese school including Camillo Agrippa (who has the distinction of codifying the four guards—prima, seconda, terza and quarta—that survive to this day), Giacomo di Grassi who wrote a manual in 1570 which was translated into English in the 1590s.
With the 17th century came the popularity of the rapier and a new century of masters, including Salvator Fabris, Ridolfo Capoferro, and Francesco Antonio Marcelli. Unlike the manuals of the previous century, those written for in the 17th century were generally restricted to covering only the rapier being used alone or with a companion arm (such as the dagger, cloak or rotella). By the end of the 17th century, the manuals begin to take on a more classical character in both the terminology and the presentation of the techniques.
Read more about this topic: Italian School Of Swordsmanship
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