Bellifortis: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Conrad Kyeser's Bellifortis c 1405 fig 1.jpg|thumb|Alexander the Great holding a rocket, from "Bellifortis" c. 1405]] |
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#REDIRECT [[Konrad Kyeser]] |
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[[Image:Conrad Kyeser's Bellifortis c 1405 fig 2.jpg|thumb|A giant war tank invented by Alexander the Great, "Bellifortis"]] |
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'''Bellifortis''' ("strong war") is the first illustrated manual of military techology written.<ref> Anzovin, p. 263 item 4117 ''The first illustrated manual of military technology was Bellifortis, written and illustrated by Conrad Kyeser of Eichstatt, Germany, and covering a thousand years of European weaponry.''</ref> |
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==History of treatise== |
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[[Konrad Kyeser]] wrote his [[treatise]] between 1402 and 1405 when he was exiled from [[Prague]] to his hometown of [[Eichstatt]]. Many of the illustrations done in the book were made by German illuminators who were sent to Eichstatt also after their own outsting from Prague.<ref name ="long1"> Long, pp. 105-108 </ref> |
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==Design of the book== |
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''Bellifortis'' was written in Latin and contained many elaborate illustrations of war weaponry. The manual discusses machines and technology that were old and new. It described weapons such as [[trebuchet]]s, battering rams, movable portable bridges, cannons, rockets, chariots, ships, mills, scaling latters, incendiary devices, crossbows, and instruments of torture.<ref name ="long1"/> |
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Kyeser’s viewpoint was that warfare in the broadest sence was most effective if looked at from all angles, which included astrology and socery. His manual presented the technology of the art of war through the association of education and Latin letters. The book was of a large expensive format. It had elaborate illustrations and drawings of a large number of war devices and machines. The treatise was designed more for a king then for an engineer. He believed his war manual would make other armies run in all directions.<ref name ="long1"/> |
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His treatise often mades reference to antiquity, especially the war tactics of [[Alexander the Great]]. He writes that Alexander had many war technical abilities. In one illustration he shows Alexander with a rocketlike war weapon in his hands with the mysterious letters: MEUFATON. In another illustration Alexander is shown as the inventor of a very large war carriage. Kyeser writes that Alexander was not only a great inventor of war devices but was able to use them himself. Alexander is portrayed with magical abilities.<ref name ="long1"/> |
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==Dedication== |
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Konrad dedicated his finished treatise to the weak [[Rupert of Germany|Ruprech III]] in a bitter response to his exile. He emphasizes in the dedication the relationship of technical knowledge to technical skills. He writes of the German soldiers, ''Just as the sky shines with stars, Germany shines forth with liberal disciplines, is embellished with mechanics, and adorned with diverse arts.''<ref name ="long1"/> |
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Kyeser gives at the end a markedly unusual appearance of himself. He conveys himself as a dying worried person. He even gives his own epitaph, ''May my soul be joined to your very high one.''<ref name ="long1"/> |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==Bibliography== |
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*Anzovin, Steven et al, ''Famous First Facts, International Edition - A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in World History'', H. W. Wilson Company (2000), ISBN 0-8242-0958-3 |
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* Long, Pamela O., ''Openness, Secrecy, Authorship: Technical Arts and the Culture of Knowledge from Antiquity to the Renaissance,'' JHU Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8018660-6-5 |
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[[Category:Military technology books|Bellifortis]] |
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[[Category:1400s books|Bellifortis]] |
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Revision as of 18:49, 14 September 2008
Bellifortis ("strong war") is the first illustrated manual of military techology written.[1]
History of treatise
Konrad Kyeser wrote his treatise between 1402 and 1405 when he was exiled from Prague to his hometown of Eichstatt. Many of the illustrations done in the book were made by German illuminators who were sent to Eichstatt also after their own outsting from Prague.[2]
Design of the book
Bellifortis was written in Latin and contained many elaborate illustrations of war weaponry. The manual discusses machines and technology that were old and new. It described weapons such as trebuchets, battering rams, movable portable bridges, cannons, rockets, chariots, ships, mills, scaling latters, incendiary devices, crossbows, and instruments of torture.[2]
Kyeser’s viewpoint was that warfare in the broadest sence was most effective if looked at from all angles, which included astrology and socery. His manual presented the technology of the art of war through the association of education and Latin letters. The book was of a large expensive format. It had elaborate illustrations and drawings of a large number of war devices and machines. The treatise was designed more for a king then for an engineer. He believed his war manual would make other armies run in all directions.[2]
His treatise often mades reference to antiquity, especially the war tactics of Alexander the Great. He writes that Alexander had many war technical abilities. In one illustration he shows Alexander with a rocketlike war weapon in his hands with the mysterious letters: MEUFATON. In another illustration Alexander is shown as the inventor of a very large war carriage. Kyeser writes that Alexander was not only a great inventor of war devices but was able to use them himself. Alexander is portrayed with magical abilities.[2]
Dedication
Konrad dedicated his finished treatise to the weak Ruprech III in a bitter response to his exile. He emphasizes in the dedication the relationship of technical knowledge to technical skills. He writes of the German soldiers, Just as the sky shines with stars, Germany shines forth with liberal disciplines, is embellished with mechanics, and adorned with diverse arts.[2]
Kyeser gives at the end a markedly unusual appearance of himself. He conveys himself as a dying worried person. He even gives his own epitaph, May my soul be joined to your very high one.[2]
Notes
Bibliography
- Anzovin, Steven et al, Famous First Facts, International Edition - A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in World History, H. W. Wilson Company (2000), ISBN 0-8242-0958-3
- Long, Pamela O., Openness, Secrecy, Authorship: Technical Arts and the Culture of Knowledge from Antiquity to the Renaissance, JHU Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8018660-6-5