Orphaned Research
Fencing Guild in Bologna? Gymnastic/Dance/Fencing Master? Star Crossed Lovers...
Sometimes I have a tendency to inundate myself with too much stuff. This is one of those times. Right now, as Stephen continues the amazing Death before Dishonor series, I’m working on a number of projects that are keeping me excessively busy. One very long—soon to be series {or a book}—on Baldassarre Cossa, a biography of Fabio Pepoli; dall’Agocchie’s patron, and a pretty cool article about the virtues of fencing, among other things. Today I needed a break from the grind—as I’m about to shift gears and start reading Martin Fabian’s fechtbook so we can do a podcast. With that in mind, I decided to do some exploring, because sometimes you just have to make research and writing fun. Here are some things that I’ve come across recently, but I don’t have anywhere to put at the moment. Some of these are absolute gems and one of them is a total game changer! Let’s start with a banger!
The Rerum Italicarum scriptores is such a valuable resource. While paroozing through it today, I stumbled upon the ‘Societati Spadarum pro arma’—Society of Swordsman! That’s a guild, or arms society for Swordsmen. This should be setting off some alarm bells for you sauce lovers!
This occurs because there no longer are, as used to be customary in ancient times, authenticated maestri, who, if they hadn’t first granted their licenses by the other maestri, could not take students; whereas today, anyone can work as a maestro, and take students, and no one is in charge of this. Because of this I want to make everyone understand that it is of great importance to understand these things, insofar as today many valiant youths and experienced men are found who are good and practiced fencers, but are not, however, excellent at teaching, because they have not been mentored by maestri who have equipped them with the means to teach others, and because of this, they err. Seeing such errors occur, this situation has motivated me passionately to apply my wits and my art to advise such of these as take delight in such virtue.
—Achille Marozzo (Swanger, pg. 189)
Or…
It is the wont of the majority of the commonest maestri of the art of the rational blows of fencing to affix in the highest and most solemn corner of their school a long array of paper, wherein they claim their chapters are written. And in truth, whosoever reads them does find them to be chapters, but rather those that wine vendors place on barrels, a thing more monstrous than human. And how can he be human, if the greed and rapacity of the maestro is openly displayed? But how human of a thing is it to help others, and to bear witness by oneself that some are not born thus rapacious and hard-hearted of instinct? And in my opinion things are placed into the school only for their profit, and not that of others. Hundreds are their chapters, for in them is contained nothing other than the putting of a price on the masterful play of this art, as the virtue of arms has fallen to such baseness that it is wished by them to find her holy members sold at a price through the schools, boasting, without consideration that the dull and the subtle wits can not equally bear this yoke upon their shoulders, and that the art is not a harlot to suffer itself to be sold. And I wish to hold to a more useful path, noting that the school should be devoted to offering some instruction of the art. It is of more worth to me to be useful to my scholars with this work than, through the putting of a price to the play, to provide myself alone with great benefit.
—Antonio Manciolino (Swanger, Wiktenauer)
It's going to take some time and research to learn more about this Society of Swordsmen, but I'm pumped! This is a really invaluable data point. Even if it invalidates some of my assumptions about the arms societies and the districts.
Alas, when it comes to fencing guilds and fencing masters in Bologna, we have an even earlier occurrence that I came across recently:
1292:
(S8) Gualtiero di Brabante apre agli studenti una scuola di scherma.
—Bologna nei Secoli; Secolo XIII
“Gualtiero (Walter) di Brabante opens a fencing school to students.” Dutch? Well now. Speaking of fencing masters, here's a wild story that’ll bring the roof down…1
1621, November 17. Alessandro de Negri, dancer, jumper, and fencing master, killed Luca Bianchi with more than 30 stab wounds in the church of S. Martino Maggiore, then entered the convent, forced open the door of the granaries, climbed onto the roofs, and from there reached the Baciadonne alley, which he jumped over, but then, wanting to jump onto lower roofs, he broke the roof and fell broken onto the alley, from where he was carried to Torrone on a mat by eight porters. It was said that he committed this murder because Bianchi wanted to take advantage of the impunity of a serious crime committed by the dancer in his company. On December 11, Negri was hanged in the square of S. Martino, after confessing to many crimes of theft and murder, which were said to have been committed against 33 people, namely 26 men and 7 women.
—Guidicini; Miscellanea, Casi diversi accaduti dal secolo XVI al XVIII
We’ve got another good one from Guidicini—just before this one—in 1620. There’s a story of two star-crossed lovers that ends with gunshots and poison. Just in case you start reading this and start wondering…this isn’t that Rom—err, Fabio. It’s his nephew. However, there is some real intrigue baked into this little one-off tale—ala. Pepoli’s and Vizzani’s committing heinous acts together in the early 17th century—let’s go!2
Lo Schermo Libri Tre
Note: I’ve left this mostly to Guidicini’s words but rearranged a few parts, and added some {clarification} and {commentary} where necessary.
Pepoli of Marquis Fabio of Marquis Cesare
On July 5, 1620, a young man belonging to the Barbazzi family, son of Aldrobandino Malvezzi's mother, left the palace and headed for his home. When he reached the Caldarini family, he heard a carriage approaching with people inside playing music. He stopped, and then some thugs approached him and ordered him to back away. He replied that his peers would not be ordered to turn back, and so they drew their weapons. He defended himself strenuously, but was wounded and, having reached S. Domenico, began to call for help, whereupon several men armed with pikes and rifles came out of the house and managed to save him.
Among the troops that attacked Barbazza were Count Fabio Pepoli, his brother-in-law Aldrovandi, and the Marquis Riari. A few months after that unfortunate encounter, Barbazza ran into Aldrovandi at S. Giorgio and they fought. Aldrovandi was wounded, but his life was saved by a brave man who was accompanying him. Peace was made. This fight took place on November 25, 1620. Aldrovandi was wounded in the face because he was armed. All his servants abandoned him, except for the brave man mentioned above, who was also wounded. Barbazza's brothers were imprisoned, and his uncle was placed under house arrest. Then everything was peacefully settled…
{—Until—}
Bianca Bentivogli, a beautiful woman of surprising wit, was married to Senator Andrea Barbazza. {Fabio} Pepoli showed this lady excessive attention, which did not please her husband, a man also endowed with wit and virtue. His relatives also disapproved of Pepoli's annoying assiduity. Pepoli, overcome by passion, could not restrain himself, nor did he respect the conventions that should be observed in such encounters. Barbazza, seeing that Pepoli's chivalrous favors went beyond the bounds of duty, let slip that he would take action.
This was reported to Count Fabio Pepoli, who, knowing that Count Guidantonio was the most fearsome of the Barbazza family, seized the opportunity when he was standing on the edge of his Palazzo enjoying the cool evening air, as it was summer, and more precisely at night. Pepoli, accompanied by Aldrovandi, Vizzani, Riari, and others, attacked Guidantonio with such vehemence and impetus that he did not have time to retreat into his house, and being completely unarmed, he defended himself as best he could, sustaining a wound to the head. They might even have killed him if, in his haste to retreat, he had not fallen into a sewer in the middle of the street. Hearing the noise, his brothers rushed to his aid with weapons, and the attackers withdrew. The Barbazzas gathered up the wounded Guidantonio, who had to remain in bed for several weeks; however, he never wanted to denounce his attackers, assuring them that he did not know them and that he believed he had been taken by mistake.
On January 30, 1622, while Guidantonio was walking along the Corso di S. Mamolo, he met Fabio Pepoli, and the two exchanged a few words, some of which were quite inappropriate on Pepoli's part.
They met again, and Pepoli said loudly: “It seems I always run into this kind of invalid.” Barbazza then said to a confidant, “This is too much, let's leave,” and leaving the street, he went home to change his clothes. He then returned, after he and his companion agreed that if they encountered Fabio he {the companion} would shoot Fabio with an arquebus.
~On January 31, 1622, Marquis Fabio Pepoli was killed by a shot from an arquebus in Via di S. Mamolo by a masked man, who was also wearing a mask like Pepoli. Masks were banned—Here is how we find this event described:
When the encounter took place, the {companion} did not have the courage to carry out what he had promised, so Barbazza, realizing this, drew a pistol and killed Pepoli. With the help of the large crowd that had gathered in the street, he went home, changed his clothes, and then returned to the street, where everything was in turmoil. Approaching the lying corpse, which was right on the corner of the street leading to St. Paul's, he said: “It is a pity that this gentleman has come to such a miserable end.”
Then he returned home, and that same night, with his brothers Count Astorre and Romeo, they scaled the city walls and fled to Piedmont, where they were received into the service of that Duke and remained for many years.
After they left, Count Ugo and Count Giacinto Barbazza remained in Bologna, where they encountered Count Filippo Aldrovandi and attacked him in such a way that—had he not managed to escape—he would have suffered greatly. This was because Aldrovandi had been present when Count Guidantonio was attacked. The brothers of the late {Fabio} Pepoli, namely Guido and Giovanni Paolo, suspecting that Aldobrandino and Giovanni Battista Malvezzi might have been involved in that unfortunate affair, begged the Grand Duke to investigate the matter, but nothing emerged to incriminate them.
Shortly thereafter, Bianca Bentivogli Barbazza died after a long and painful illness that gradually consumed her, and there were those who said she had been poisoned. She was the daughter of Ulisse Bentivogli and Pellegrina Bonaventuri, who was the last daughter of Bianca Capello, Grand Duchess of Tuscany.
Links for Nerds:
Works Cited:
Rerum Italicarum scriptores ab anno aerae christianae quingentesimo ad millesimumquingentesimum, quorum potissima pars nunc primum in lucem prodit ex Ambrosianae, Estensis, aliarumque insignium bibliothecarum codicibus. Ludov: 18. N.p., n.p, 1727.
Guidicini, Giuseppe. Miscellanea storico-patria bolognese. Italy, Forni, 1872.
“Bologna Nei Secoli - Origine Di Bologna.” Origine Di Bologna, 10 Nov. 2018, www.originebologna.com/notizie-storiche/. Accessed 8 May 2025.
Swanger, Jherek. Antonio Manciolino; Opera Nova. Wiktenauer.com. Published 2003. Accessed 03/22/2024.
Swanger, Jherek. Achille Marozzo; The Duel, or the Flower of Arms for Single Combat, Both Offensive and Defensive, by Achille Marozzo. Lulu Press. 22 April 2018. Print.
Guidicini, Miscellanea:
1621, 17 novembre. Alessandro de Negri ballerino, saltatore e maestro di scherma, ammazzò con 30 e più pugnalate nella chiesa di S. Martino Maggiore Luca Bianchi, e poi entrato nel convento, forzato l'uscio dei granari montò sui tetti, e per quelli arrivò al vicolo Baciadonne, che lo saltò netto, ma volendo poi saltare a dei tetti più bassi ruppe il coperto e cadde sconquassato nel vicolo, di dove fu portato in Torrone sopra una stuoia da otto facchini. Fu detto, che commettesse quest'omicidio, perchè il Bianchi voleva prendere l'impunità di un grave delitto commesso dal ballerino in compagnia sua. Li 11 dicembre il Negri fu appiccato sulla piazza di S. Martino, dopo aver confessato molti delitti in rubamenti, ed omicidii, che si dissero consumati a danno di 33 persone, e cioè 26 uomini e di 7 donne.
Guidicini, Miscellanea:
Pepoli del marchese Fabio del marchese Cesare
Li 5 luglio 1620 un giovane appartenente alla famiglia Barbazzi figlio della madre di Aldrobandino Malvezzi, uscito di palazzo ed avviandosi verso casa sua, giunto dai Caldarini sentì venire a lui una carozza con entrovi persone che suonavano. Si fermò egli, ed allora alcuni bravi raggiungendolo gl'intimarono di retrocedere. Rispose che a dei pari suoi non s'ingiungeva tornar indietro, e cosi s'imbrandirono le armi. Esso seppe strenuamente difendersi, ma ferito poi e giunto da S. Domenico cominciò a chiamar soccorso, per cui da casa sua sortirono parecchi uomini armati di picche e fucili, che riescirono a salvarlo. In quella truppa che assalì il Barbazza trovavansi pur anco il conte Fabio Pepoli, il di lui cognato Aldrovandi ed il marchese Riari. Passato qualche mese da quel dispiacevole incontro, il Barbazza s' imbattè da S. Giorgio coll' Aldrovandi e si batterono. L' Aldrovandi restò ferito, e gli fu salva la vita mercè un bravo che seco trovavasi di scorta. Furon fatte le paci. Questa zuffa ebbe luogo li 25 novembre 1620. La ferita che toccò all'Aldrovandi fu nel volto perchè era armato. I di lui servitori tutti l'abbandonarono a riserva del bravo del quale più sopra tenemmo discorso e che anch'esso restò ferito. Furono carcerati i fratelli del Barbazza, e lo zio sequestrato in casa con sicurtà. Poi tutto fu pacificamente accomodato.
Ai 31 gennaio del 1622 fu ucciso mediante archibugiata il marchese Fabio Pepoli nella via di S.Mamolo da un uomo mascherato essendolo del pari il Pepoli. Fu proibita la maschera. Ecco come troviamo descritto questo fatto. Bianca Bentivogli donna bellissima e di sorprendente spirito, era sposa al senator Andrea Barbazza. Il Pepoli usava verso questa dama riguardi oltre misura che non garbavano punto al marito, uomo anch'esso fornito di spirito e di virtù. I parenti di lui pure non vedevano di buon occhio l'assiduità molesta del Pepoli. Il Pepoli soprafatto dalla passione non sapeva trattenersi, nè rispettava punto quelle convenienze che pur si dovrebbero in simili emergenze. Il Barbazza vedendo che i favori cavallereschi oltrepassavano i conflni del dovere lasciò sfuggirsi dal labbro che vi avrebbe provveduto. Ciò fu riferito al conte Fabio Pepoli. il quale essendo a cognizione che fra i Barbazza il più temibile era il conte Guidantonio, colta l'opportunità che questi una sera stavasene sul limitare del suo palazzo a goderne il fresco, essendo stagione estiva, e precisamente in sull'ora di notte, il Pepoli accompagnato dall' Aldrovandi, dal Vizzani, dal Riari e da altri, assalì Guidantonio con tal veemenza ed impeto che quello non ebbe il tempo di ritirarsi in casa, ed essendo affatto senz'armi andò schermendosi alla meglio che potè riportando però una ferita nella testa, e forse l' avrebbero pur anco ucciso, se a furia d' indietreggiare non fosse caduto nella chiavica in mezzo della strada. Uditosi il rumore da suoi fratelli accorsero con armi, e così gli aggressori si ritirarono. I Barbazza raccolsero il Guidantonio ferito, che gli fu mestieri tener il letto per alcune settimane; non volle però mai denunziare i suoi agressori assicurando non averli conosciuti, ed esser invece in lui credenza esser stato preso in isbaglio.
Ai 30 gennaio 1622 passeggiando Guidantonio sul corso di S. Mamolo, s'incontrò con Fabio Pepoli, e furono da entrambi scambiate alcune parole, per parte del Pepoli assai sconvenienti. Tornarono di bel nuovo ad incontrarsi ed allora il Pepoli ad alta voce disse: — Convien che io m' imbatta sempre con questa razza di baron —. li Barbazza allora disse ad un suo confidente, questo è troppo, ritiriamoci, e lasciato il corso andò a casa a travestirsi, poi vi ci tornò di pieno accordo col compagno, che ove gli venisse fatto incontrare Fabio gli avesse a tirare un'archibugiata. Avvennuto l'incontro, colui non ebbe coraggio di eseguire quanto avea promesso per cui avvedutosene il Barbazza appuntò una pistola ed uccise il Pepoli, e col favor della gente moltissima che trovavasi nel corso avviossi a casa sua, si spogliò e poi tornò al corso dove tutto era a scompiglio ed accostatosi sul giacente cadavere, che trovavasi precisamente sul canto della strada che conduce a s. Paolo disse: — Peccato che questo cavaliere abbia avuta una sì miseranda fine. — Poi tornato ancora a casa, la notte stessa coi suoi fratelli conte Astorre e Romeo, scalando le mura della città se ne andarono in Piemonte, ove furono ricevuti al servizio di quel Duca rimanendovi per molti anni.
Questi partiti, rimasero a Bologna il conte Ugo ed il conte Giacinto Barbazza, che incontrato il conte Filippo Aldrovandi l'assalirono in guisa tale, che se non gli fosse riuscito di fuggire l'avrebbe passata male assai, e ciò perchè esso Aldrovandi trovavasi presente al fatto nel quale il conte Guidantonio era stato assalito. I fratelli del defunto Pepoli, e cioè, Guido e Gio. Paolo dubitando che in quel malaugurato affare avesse potuto prendervici parte Aldobrandino e Gio. Battista Malvezzi, pregarono il Gran Duca a prendere in proposito le debite informazioni, dalle quali nulla emerse a carico di quello. Fra non molto morì Bianca Bentivogli Barbazza per lunga e penosissima malattia che a poco a poco la consunse, ne mancovvi alcuno che dicesse esser stata avvelenata. Era dessa figlia d' Ulisse Bentivogli e di Pellegrina Bonaventuri, la quale fu l'ultima figliuola di Bianca Capello Gran Duchessa di Toscana.