Wrestling in Alfonso Martínez de Toledo's Arçipreste de Talavera and Pietro Monte's Libro del exercicio de las armas

Abstract

Although many of the treatises on medieval European martial arts come from German and Italian masters of arms, certain works from the Iberian Peninsula played a significant role in developing fighting techniques and strategies. This article explains how Alfonso Martínez de Toledo's Arçipreste de Talavera (1438) and Pietro Monte's Libro del exercicio de las armas (ca.1491) formed part of a broader discourse on the martial arts taking place throughout Europe. In particular, the analysis focuses on wrestling techniques that appear in both works and how these intersect and engage with teachings on martial arts from contemporary sources. Although Martínez and Monte present their message through different genres, they both illustrate the evolution and transmission of grappling principles that had been circulating on the continent and beyond. Their views on personal combat are explained in ways that could be remembered and, eventually, applied in battle. Therefore, their works represent key contributions to our understanding of early modern Iberian martial arts.