Konrad Kyeser
Encyclopedia
Konrad Kyeser was a German military engineer
, author of Bellifortis
(c. 1405), a book on siege engines popular throughout the 15th century. Originally conceived for king Wenceslaus
, Konrad dedicated the finished work to Rupert of Germany
.
Kyeser, a native of Eichstätt
, was trained as a physician and lived at the court in Padua
before he joined the crusade against the Turks which ended in disaster at the Battle of Nicopolis
of 1396. Kyeser was in exile in a mountain village of Bohemia
during the reign of Sigismund
in 1402 to 1403.
. There are at least twelve surviving 15th century manuscripts which copy, excerpt or amplify the work. One of these is the Thott Fechtbuch
of Hans Talhoffer
(1459).
The book is divided into ten chapters:
The diving suit
presented in the book has precedents reaching back to the 12th century and to Roger Bacon
. The book also has the earliest known depiction of a chastity belt
. Kyeser counts the artes magicae among the mechanical arts, and his work contains various applications of magic in warfare.
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
, author of Bellifortis
Bellifortis
Bellifortis is the first fully illustrated manual of military technology, dating from the start of the 15th century...
(c. 1405), a book on siege engines popular throughout the 15th century. Originally conceived for king Wenceslaus
Wenceslaus, King of the Romans
Wenceslaus ) was, by election, German King from 1376 and, by inheritance, King of Bohemia from 1378. He was the third Bohemian and second German monarch of the Luxembourg dynasty...
, Konrad dedicated the finished work to Rupert of Germany
Rupert of Germany
Rupert of Germany from the House of Wittelsbach was Elector Palatine from 1398 and German King from 1400 until his death...
.
Kyeser, a native of Eichstätt
Eichstätt
Eichstätt is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the District of Eichstätt. It is located along the Altmühl River, at , and had a population of 13,078 in 2002. It is home to the Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, the lone Catholic university in Germany. The...
, was trained as a physician and lived at the court in Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
before he joined the crusade against the Turks which ended in disaster at the Battle of Nicopolis
Battle of Nicopolis
The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied army of Hungarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German and assorted troops at the hands of an Ottoman force, raising of the siege of the Danubian fortress of Nicopolis and leading to the end of the...
of 1396. Kyeser was in exile in a mountain village of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
during the reign of Sigismund
Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
Sigismund of Luxemburg KG was King of Hungary, of Croatia from 1387 to 1437, of Bohemia from 1419, and Holy Roman Emperor for four years from 1433 until 1437, the last Emperor of the House of Luxemburg. He was also King of Italy from 1431, and of Germany from 1411...
in 1402 to 1403.
Bellifortis
In this time, he began to write his book on the military arts. The book is the most prominent illustrated treatise on military engineering of the Late Middle AgesLate Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
. There are at least twelve surviving 15th century manuscripts which copy, excerpt or amplify the work. One of these is the Thott Fechtbuch
Fechtbuch
Martial arts manuals are instructions, with or without illustrations, detailing specific techniques of martial arts.Prose descriptions of martial arts techniques appear late within the history of literature, due to the inherent difficulties of describing a technique rather than just demonstrating...
of Hans Talhoffer
Hans Talhoffer
Hans Talhoffer was a Fechtmeister , employed as 'master of arms' to the Swabian knight Leutold von Konigsegg, a feudatory of Count Eberhardt the Bearded of Württemberg in southern Germany...
(1459).
The book is divided into ten chapters:
- cars
- siege engineSiege engineA siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some have been operated close to the fortifications, while others have been used to attack from a distance. From antiquity, siege engines were constructed largely of wood and...
s - hydraulic engines
- elevators
- firearms
- defensive arms
- wondrous secrets
- fireworksFireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
for warfare - fireworks for pleasure
- auxiliary tools
The diving suit
Diving suit
A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit typically also incorporates an air-supply .-History:...
presented in the book has precedents reaching back to the 12th century and to Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon
Roger Bacon, O.F.M. , also known as Doctor Mirabilis , was an English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empirical methods...
. The book also has the earliest known depiction of a chastity belt
Chastity belt
A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse. They may be used to protect the wearer from rape or temptation. Some devices have been designed with additional features to prevent masturbation...
. Kyeser counts the artes magicae among the mechanical arts, and his work contains various applications of magic in warfare.
Editions
The original codex is kept in the Göttingen University library (Cod. Ms. philos. 63). These are other editions:- Götz Quarg (ed.), facsimile of the Göttinger MS Philos. 63, VDI-Verlag, Düsseldorf (1967)
- Udo Friedrich (introduction), Fidel Rädle (trans.), Bellifortis, Codices figurati - libri picturati, Lengenfelder, Munich (1995), ISBN 3-89219-303-7. (facsimile of Cod. Ms. philos. 64 und 64a Cim.)
- electronic edition (CD ROM), facsimile of Cod. Pal. lat. 1994, Palatina manuscripts of the 12th - 15th centuries, Belser, Wildberg (2001)
Literature
- L. White, Kyeser's "Bellifortis": The First Technological Treatise of the Fifteenth Century, Technology and Culture (1969).
External links
- http://www.ingolstadt.de/stadtmuseum/documents/ast_2003_konrad_kyeser_mi.htm
- http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.history.id_ko.i11.i5