Eh, Rodomonte!
An Amazing Connection Between Viggiani's Muses and Manciolino's Patron!
In 1520 a ship set sail from the port of Calais bound for Dover, England, bearing the Lord of the Netherlands, King of Spain; Charles I (Soon to be Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V) along with a retinue of his closest knights and confidants. Charles was on his way to visit his uncle, Henry VIII, the King of England, before Henry set sail for Calais to attend the Field of Cloth and Gold, with his rival Francis I.
Among Charles’ knights were two young men; Louis Fernández de Córdoba, and Louis Gonzaga. To the historical chronicler the connection between these two young men is no more than an afterthought when compared to the importance of meeting that took place between the King and the Emperor elect, but to Western Martial Arts practitioners, the presence of these two together renders an important connection. Among the Bolognese authors, in the Northern Italian tradition of swordsmanship, which prevailed throughout Italy in the 16th century, there are five primary authors who share a common nomenclature, and are often grouped together in what is termed the ‘Bolognese tradition’, they are; Antonio Manciolino, Achille Marozzo, Giovanni dall’Agocchie, and the anonymous author of MSS. Ravenna 345/346. Drawing connections between these authors can at times prove difficult, outside of aforementioned nomenclature, and their shared birthplace in Bologna, however the presence of Gonzaga and Fernández de Córdoba on this ship with Charles V, crossing the English channel, might be the through line that brings two of these wayward authors together.
When it comes to entangled roots bound to the history of Bologna its hard to not first consider Achille Marozzo. Marozzo’s patron Guido Rangoni was the grandson of the ruling family in Bologna, the Bentivoglio, until 1506, and he would remain a prominent figure in Italian history, as a Condottiere and the Lord of Spilembarto in Modena, even after his maternal ancestors were ousted from Bologna. We know from Marozzo’s introduction that he and Rangoni both studied fencing under the master Guido Antonio di Luca, and from recent research we can deduce that these lessons probably took place in the specially designed fencing hall created by Rangoni’s uncle, Annibale Bentivoglio, known as ‘il Casino’, or the ‘little house’, in the heart of Bologna1.
dall’Agocchie on the other hand, dedicates his treatise to a member of second most prominent family in the city of Bologna, the Pepoli. His patron, Fabio Pepoli, was the count of Castiglione, a hereditary title calling back to the Pepoli’s ancestral roots in Sicily. Fabio was the nephew of Giovanni Pepoli, who was a senator for the city of Bologna. Giovanni Pepoli didn’t have any natural born children, so when he was executed by the inquisition for heresy, Fabio inherited a large portion of his estate, but Giovanni had a number of bastard children with one, Vincenza Manziolini as well; three boys and a girl, whom he gave a formal education and had trained in the chivalric arts. (That’s just a fun side note, enjoy that rabbit hole!)
So, of our four known authors, two were prominent or established figures in the city of Bologna, while the third is anonymous and remains a mystery, and the last two oddly dedicated their works to figures well outside the scope the Holy Sees second city.
Antonio Manciolino dedicated his treatise to Don Luis Fernández de Córdoba y Zúñiga, who was the Papal ambassador to Charles V’s boyhood tutor, then Pope, Adrian IV, or Adrian of Utrecht, while Angelo Viggiani dedicated his treatise to Charles V himself; though it was rededicated to Charles’ nephew, Maximilian II, by Viggiani’s brother, because Angelo asked that his treatise be published fifteen years after his death. Which from a point of patronage, puts both of these authors in the sphere of Imperial influence. So how did two Bolognese born fencing masters come to get tied up in the Imperial court?
Back to our ship!
We have the King, Charles, with Don Luis Fernández de Córdoba—Manciolino’s eventual patron—the son of Diego Fernández de Córdoba, one of Spain’s leading statesmen, and Charles’ most important Spanish ally. Fernández de Córdoba is there alongside Louis Gonzaga of Mantua, now known among Charles’ court as Rodemonte, after he wrestled a giant Turk and won acclaim by escaping the Turks choke hold, then picking the man up above his head, spinning him around, and slamming him to the ground—one of Viggiani’s muses. With them is the likely representative of Charles’ knights in the low countries, his dear friend and Chamberlin—who he’d awarded the garter of the Golden Fleece a few years prior—Johann IV, Count of Egmont—Conte d’Agomonte, Viggiani’s other muse. Each of these four men would play a critical role in the turbulent conclusion of the Italian Wars, and it seems they imprinted a lasting legacy on the changing landscape of fencing in the 16th century as well.
The question remains, how Viggiani became a part of Charles V’s court, and how Manciolino came under the influence of Don Luis Fernández de Córdoba. If Manciolino had trained under di Luca, as it’s presumed, it’s possible he came under the influence-of or became attached-to Louis Gonzaga when Annibale and Ermes Bentivoglio fled Bologna and sought refuge in Mantua. The possibilities are endless, but the clues keep mounting, and the historical truth is starting to become more clear.
Thus we’ll leave our story with this; Charles’ ship neared the English coast at the port of Hyth, in Kent, on the 26th of May, it was met by William Fitzwilliam, Vice Admiral of England. Fitzwilliam escorted Charles to Dover, where his retinue disembarked and were greeted by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and then they were taken to the king.
To Be Continued…
https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/gonzaga-luigi-detto-rodomonte_(Dizionario-Biografico)
https://www.originebologna.com/luoghi-famiglie-persone-avvenimenti/famiglie/pepoli/
https://www.emperorcharlesv.com/timeline/
John IV of Egmont - Wikipedia
https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/26282/luis-fernandez-de-cordoba
https://condottieridiventura.it/luigi-rodomonte-gonzaga-di-mantova/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michelangelo_-_Creation_of_Adam_%28cropped%29.jpg
https://youtu.be/LeKUWiMh0-s
Giradacchi, A History of Bologna, 1496:
{1496} “Annibale frattanto fece fare in Palazzo nel Borgo della Paglia, nominandolo il Casino; e questo lo faceva fare par suo diporto, e degli amici suoi, per potervisi, e con l’arme esercitare, e fare altre simile cose.”