The Art of Sword Fighting: A Companion Volume to the Spada Press Facsimile of De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi, by Philippo Vadi

Written in the late fifteenth century for the Duke of Urbino, De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi is one of the most important surviving works on knightly combat. In this companion volume to the Spada Press facsimile, Guy Windsor presents the most comprehensive modern engagement with Philippo Vadi’s treatise to date.

This volume combines an English translation with detailed commentary, historical analysis, and practical interpretation of every play in the manuscript. Drawing on decades of full-time research, teaching, and embodied practice, Dr. Windsor examines not only what Vadi wrote, but what his words mean in action—and why his system works as a coherent, rational art of arms.

Situating the manuscript within its historical, intellectual, and martial contexts, the book explores Vadi’s relationship to Fiore dei Liberi and traces the development of Italian swordsmanship at the threshold of the Renaissance. Linked video demonstrations provide a rare bridge between text, image, and movement.

Whether read as a work of history, a guide to martial practice, or a study in Renaissance thought, this book offers a clear, rigorous, and deeply informed account of one of Europe’s foundational fighting systems.