Heinrich von Gunterrodt (1557- † unknown) was a German fencing master and author. In 1579, he published a treatise on the art of fencing dedicated to Johann VII of Mecklenburg titled, De veriis principiis artis dimicatoriae Tractatus brevis (The True Principles of the Art of Fencing).Daniel Jaquet, Karin Verelst, and Timothy Dawson (eds.), Late Medieval and Early Modern Fight Books: Transmission and Tradition of Martial Arts in Europe (Brill, 2016), pp. 248, 519.Michael Chidester, "Reception Of Joachim Meyer's Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens"
This book was the first to mention the Walpurgis or Lutegerus Fechtbuch (FECHT 1), which Gunterrodt claimed was given to him by the mercenary, beltmaker and celebrated swordsman Johann Herbart von Würzburg. He in turn had had looted it during his military service from 1552-1553 to Albrecht 'Bellator' II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.
Jacobean courtier Another member of the family with a similar name joined the court of James VI and I and Anne of Denmark (a granddaughter of John VII of Mecklenburg-Schwerin) in London. Henry de Gunderot performed in a tournament as a defender of Truth against Opinion in the Barriers at a Marriage at the January 1606 wedding of Frances Howard and the Earl of Essex.David Lindley, Court Masques (Oxford, 1995), pp. 15, 276, as "Mr Gunteret". He was knighted by King James on 13 February 1608 and acted as a diplomatic envoy. The courtier's surname is spelled in a variety of ways in English records, and he was described as a "Teutonicus", a German.Martin Wiggins and Catherine Richardson, British Drama, 1603–1608, 5 (Oxford, 2012), p. 268.Ben Jonson, Hymenaei: or the solemnities of masque, and barriers (London, 1606), sig. FJohn Nichols, Progresses of James the First, 2 (London, 1828), pp. 24, 190. French diplomats called him "Guenetrot".Ambassades de Monsieur de la Boderie, 3, pp. 255–261 The Venetian diplomat Antonio Foscarini wrote his name as "Signor Ghintrot" in July 1608, and Marc' Antonio Correr called him "Ghundrot", a Bohemian.Horatio F. Brown, Calendar State Papers Venice, 11 (London: HMSO, 1904), pp. 150 no. 282, 283 no. 527. He moved to Dresden and the service of Christian II of Saxony in 1611.Mary Anne Everett Green, Calendar State Papers Domestic, James I, 2 (London, 1858), p. 109.
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