• Cover of the Spada Press facsimile of 'De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi' by Philippo Vadi with illustrations of sword fighters in armor on a green background.
  • Folio 15v from the Spada Press facsimile of De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi by Philippo Vadi
  • Guy Windsor holding two books titled 'De Arte Gladiatoria' and 'The Art of Swordfighting' by Philippo Vadi.
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Spada Press

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Spada Press Facsimile of Philippo Vadi's De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi

FREE DOWNLOAD: The Spada Press Facsimile of Philippo Vadi's De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi

One of the great Italian Longsword Treatises

Written in the 1480s for the court of Urbino, Filippo Vadi’s De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi is a cornerstone source for  historical European martial arts: concise, sharp, and packed  with principles that still matter in fencing today—timing,  measure, courage, deception, and decisive action. This book is designed to reproduce the experience of reading the original manuscript as closely as possible.

The first half is a full-colour facsimile of the 42-folio vellum original held in  Rome. The second half is a layout-matched English translation, replacing Vadi’s text while keeping the manuscript’s structure and rhythm intact.

For clubs, instructors, and independent students, this is Vadi as he should be read: directly, clearly, and in context. And for  practical study, every play has video support available via simple links keyed to the folio number.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution–Non Commercial–ShareAlike licence, this facsimile is free for anyone to print and share.

For deeper scholarship, footnotes, interpretation, and video-supported training for every play, see the companion volume.

Please note: You will receive a zip file containing the PDF download of the interior file, and a separate PDF cover file. Recommendations for how to have this printed into your own hardback book are below. You can download the zip file from the confirmation page after checkout, and you will also receive an email with a download link.

Difficulty Level

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced

Which Weapon?

  • Dagger
  • Longsword
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Guy Windsor holding two books titled 'De Arte Gladiatoria' and 'The Art of Swordfighting' by Philippo Vadi.

Instructions for printing

Your download will comprise a PDF for the interior and a separate PDF for the cover.

The document is formatted to be printed in full colour at 6x9 inches. This will give you the closest common print size to the actual manuscript. You can upload these files to any printing service (I use BookVault), with the accompanying cover file, and make as many copies as you want, so long as you don’t sell them.

If using a professional printer, we recommend the following settings:

Hardback, casebound.
Colour: full colour, and if there are options, choose the highest grade.
Paper: white, 80gsm or higher.
Dimensions: 6x9 inches, or 152.4 x 228.6mm.

Your paper choice and the specific printing service you use will affect the thickness of the interior, so will affect the spine width. We have tried to make the cover file a bit flexible in that regard, but you may need to adjust it.

As this is a free product, please do not expect technical support from us if you encounter printing problems.

The Art of Sword Fighting: A Companion Volume to the Spada Press Facsimile of De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi, by Philippo Vadi. Edited, Translated and Interpreted by Dr Guy Windsor

Accompany your FREE Spada Press facsimile of De Arte Gladiatoria with its detailed Companion Volume:

The Art of Sword Fighting

A Companion Volume to the Spada Press Facsimile of De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi, by Philippo Vadi

Why buy the Companion Volume to accompany the facsimile?

The Art of Sword Fighting includes

  • an English translation of Philippo Vadi's de Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi
  • detailed commentary
  • historical analysis
  • practical interpretation of every play in the manuscript
  • linked video demonstrations of every play

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.

Other works related to Philippo Vadi

Pre-order The Art of Sword Fighting today!