Interpreting Filippo Vadi
This page is the index for our interpretive work on Philippo Vadi's De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi. The manuscript is in the Biblioteca Nazionale di Roma, Fondo Vittorio Emanuele, catalogued as Codice 1324. It was written between 1482 and 1487.
Note: this page is a work in progress
The Manuscript
Vadi: De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi
Academic Resources
The Wiktenauer page Philippo di Vadi includes everything we know about the man himself, and access to the treatise.
Facsimile: The Spada Press facsimile of De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi includes a complete reproduction of the manuscript, and a second reproduction of the manuscript with the Italian text replaced by Dr. Guy Windsor's translation. It is free to download the print and cover files, to use as an ebook, or have printed.
Books:
Training Resources
For training in Vadi's Art of Arms, see our Vadi syllabus, and also:
Online Courses: The following courses are all relevant, and all available in the Mastering the Art of Arms membership package:
The Philippo Vadi Longsword Course
The Philippo Vadi Dagger Course
Who was Philippo Vadi?
We believe that Philippo Vadi lived from 1425 to 1501, and was governor of Reggio from 1452 to 1470.
Glossary of Italian Terms
You can find our glossary of terms like zogho largo, and mandritto fendente here: Glossary of Italian Fencing Terms
Interpretation: the Manuscript by Sections
Longsword
- Vadi: Longsword: Porta di Ferro Piana Terrena (Fol 16v)
- Vadi: Longsword: Posta di Falcon (Fol 16v)
- Vadi: Longsword: Posta Breve di Spada Longeza (Fol 16v)
- Vadi: Longsword: Sagitaria (Fol 16v)
- Vadi: Longsword: Vera Finestra (Fol 17r)
- Vadi: Longsword: Corona (Fol 17r)
- Vadi: Longsword: Cinghiale (Fol 17r)
- Vadi: Longsword: Lunga con Spada Curta (Fol 17r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 1st Play (Fol 17v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 2nd Play (Fol 18r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 3rd Play (Fol 18r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 4th Play (Fol 18v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 5th Play (Fol 18v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 6th Play (Fol 19r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 7th Play (Fol 19r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 8th Play (Fol 19v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 9th Play (Fol 19v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 10th Play (Fol 20r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 11th Play (Fol 20r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 12th Play (Fol 20v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 13th Play (Fol 20v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 14th Play (Fol 21r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 15th Play (Fol 21r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 16th Play (Fol 21v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 17th Play (Fol 21v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 18th Play (Fol 22r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 19th Play (Fol 22r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 20th Play (Fol 22v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 21st Play (Fol 22v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 22nd Play (Fol 23r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 23rd Play (Fol 23r)
- Vadi: Longsword: 24th Play (Fol 23v)
- Vadi: Longsword: 25th Play (Fol 23v)
Pollax
- Vadi: Pollax: Posta di Donna (Fol 24r)
- Vadi: Pollax: Cinghiale (Fol 24r)
- Vadi: Pollax: Sagitaria (Fol 24r)
- Vadi: Pollax: Croce (Fol 24r)
- Vadi: Pollax: 1st Play (Fol 24v)
- Vadi: Pollax: 2nd Play (Fol 24v)
- Vadi: Pollax: 3rd Play (Fol 25r)
- Vadi: Pollax: 4th Play (Fol 25r)
Sword in Armour
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: Sotana Serpentina (Fol 26r)
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: Leopardo Sereno (Fol 26r)
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: Serpentino Sopra (Fol 26r)
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: Leopardo Sopra el Brazo (Fol 26r)
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: 1st and 2nd Plays (Fol 26v)
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: 3rd Play (Fol 27r)
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: 4th Play (Fol 27r)
- Vadi: Sword in Armour: 5th Play (Fol 27v)
Spear
Dagger
- Vadi: Dagger: 1st Play (Fol 29r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 2nd Play (Fol 29r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 3rd Play (Fol 29v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 4th Play (Fol 29v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 5th Play (Fol 30r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 6th Play (Fol 30r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 7th Play (Fol 30v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 8th Play (Fol 30v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 9th Play (Fol 31r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 10th Play (Fol 31r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 11th Play (Fol 31v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 12th Play (Fol 31v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 13th Play (Fol 32r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 14th Play (Fol 32r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 15th Play (Fol 32v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 16th Play (Fol 32v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 17th Play (Fol 33r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 18th Play (Fol 33r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 19th Play (Fol 33v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 20th Play (Fol 33v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 21st Play (Fol 34r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 22nd Play (Fol 34r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 23rd Play (Fol 34v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 24th Play (Fol 34v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 25th Play (Fol 35r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 26th Play (Fol 35r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 27th Play (Fol 35v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 28th Play (Fol 35v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 29th Play (Fol 36r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 30th Play (Fol 36r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 31st Play (Fol 36v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 32nd Play (Fol 36v)
- Vadi: Dagger: 33rd Play (Fol 37r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 34th Play (Fol 37r)
- Vadi: Dagger: 35th Play (Fol 37v)
Mixed Weapons
- Vadi: Mixed Weapons: 1st Play (Fol 38r)
- Vadi: Mixed Weapons: 2nd Play (Fol 38r)
- Vadi: Mixed Weapons: 3rd Play (Fol 38v)
- Vadi: Mixed Weapons: 4th Play (Fol 38v)
Additional Dagger Plays
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 1st Play (Fol 39r)
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 2nd Play (Fol 39v)
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 3rd Play (Fol 40r)
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 4th Play (Fol 40v)
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 5th Play (Fol 41r)
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 6th Play (Fol 41v)
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 7th Play (Fol 42r)
- Vadi: Additional Dagger Plays: 8th Play (Fol 42v)
Note: we have video of all of these plays uploaded and organised, but the process of importing them into the wiki is taking time. In the meantime, you can find the interpretation video for all plays through the folio number, with the format: guywindsor.net/vadiXY, where X = folio number, and Y = r or v (for recto or verso).
