The Humanistic Underpinnings of Early Modern Iberian Martial Arts
Subject Area
Spanish Peninsular Studies
Abstract
Scholars have closely studied the link between “Arms” and “Letters” in early modern Peninsular literature. Famed authors such as Lopez de Mendoza and men from the Manrique family praise the knight who is also adept at poetry. While many have studied the Italian influence on these writers, almost none have explored the other humanistic connection between Italy and Spain: the transmission of knowledge related to the martial arts. By “martial arts,“ I mean the skills a nobleman needed for hand-to-hand combat, particularly wrestling, weapon wielding, and equestrian exercises. This presentation explores two key authors who present their expertise in the martial arts through prose: Alonso de Martinez and Pietro Monte. In their unique ways, both men leave important clues about how noblemen began to master and teach techniques related to fighting.
Brief Bio Note
Grant Gearhart is Assistant Professor of Spanish at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus in Savannah, where he teaches a variety of courses related to Peninsular life and culture. His research focuses on how warfare changes the perception and characterization of knights from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries.
Keywords
chivalry, knights, humanism, arms and letters, renaissance martial arts
Location
Afternoon Session 1 (PARB 227)
Presentation Year
April 2019
Start Date
4-12-2019 2:45 PM
Embargo
12-19-2018
Recommended Citation
Gearhart, Grant A., "The Humanistic Underpinnings of Early Modern Iberian Martial Arts" (2019). South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL). 46.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/seccll/2019/2019/46
The Humanistic Underpinnings of Early Modern Iberian Martial Arts
Afternoon Session 1 (PARB 227)
Scholars have closely studied the link between “Arms” and “Letters” in early modern Peninsular literature. Famed authors such as Lopez de Mendoza and men from the Manrique family praise the knight who is also adept at poetry. While many have studied the Italian influence on these writers, almost none have explored the other humanistic connection between Italy and Spain: the transmission of knowledge related to the martial arts. By “martial arts,“ I mean the skills a nobleman needed for hand-to-hand combat, particularly wrestling, weapon wielding, and equestrian exercises. This presentation explores two key authors who present their expertise in the martial arts through prose: Alonso de Martinez and Pietro Monte. In their unique ways, both men leave important clues about how noblemen began to master and teach techniques related to fighting.
