The Knightly Art of Battle (review)

The centrality of warfare and violence to the mentality of elite men in medieval Europe cannot be understated. Aristocratic masculine identity revolved around martial prowess, and the preparation for and the waging of battle (whether real or staged) consumed much of the lives of elite men. It is sometimes forgotten, though, that these were not skills a man was born with, but ones taught and learned over many hours. Martial instruction began young, and although complemented by other forms of learning, physicality and violence were not only a marker of class, but also a way of survival. Fiore dei Liberi’s Fior di battaglia or The Flower of Battle, written c. 1410, is one of the earliest surviving Fechtbücher, or fighting books, texts that outline techniques and strategies of combat. Fechtbücher did not replace in-person instruction or experience, but instead reminded the reader of particular procedures. The Flower of Battle is especially notable not only for the date of its composition, but also the style of its illustrations, being particularly naturalistic, and its production in Italian at a time when most other Fechtbücher were written in German.

The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles owns the finest and most complete version of The Flower of Battle. This copy is believed to have been a gift from the duke of Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, to the marquis of Ferrara, Niccolò III d’Este, according to author Ken Mondschein. In The Knightly Art of Battle, Mondschein reproduces many of the manuscript’s most interesting illustrations and offers a gentle introduction and analysis of the text. Directed primarily at a popular audience, Mondschein examines the authorship, provenance, and significance of the text before discussing the contents and images of the manuscript itself. The images and their discussion are organized under the headings of “Wrestling,” “Self-Defense,” “Sword,” “Fighting in Armor,” “Hafted Weapons,” “Equestrian Combat,” and “Dirty Tricks and Improvised Weapons.”

This is not a scholarly edition of MS Lugwig XV 13, nor a sustained academic analysis of the cultural conditions of its production; neither, however, does it pretend to be. For many who will pick up this book, it may be the closest they come to a medieval manuscript. They will, however, be well served by this work and the numerous and high-resolution images contained here. The images are of a high enough quality to see details and pen strokes and to distinguish hair- and flesh-sides of the parchment as well as other imperfections. It is perhaps unfortunate that Mondschein does not offer any discussion of these aspects in addition to his iconographical analysis, although the introduction does include a brief description of the processes involved in producing a medieval manuscript.

The main strength of the book is its ability to humanize the experiences of medieval peoples, both scribes and warriors—a result of the author’s obvious affection for his subject. On fol. 47, for example, an illustration exists of two horses tied to a tree. Lacking scribal explanation, Mondschein hypothesizes its purpose: “are these the horses of the vanquished? Are they resting after a hard day of training while their masters refresh themselves? Or did the artist simply enjoy drawing horses?” (115). Interpolations like this one remind modern readers of the personalities of individuals long since lost to history.

The popularity of television shows like the History Channel’s Full Metal Jousting (for which the Mondschein has worked as a consultant) and HBO’s Game of Thrones, as well as a variety of medieval-influenced movies, may indicate a growing popular interest in the theory and practice of medieval warfare. If so, this work is well timed to ease interested parties from dramatic to more academic sources. It would also be of use for undergraduate courses on warfare and military history, although for those purposes an eBook edition, unfortunately not currently available, would be ideal. Mondschein states that the purpose of The Knightly Art of Battle is to serve “as a visual tour of...