Polish and Czech sources on medieval urban violence
Note to reader: This document complements an essay published on the blog Martial Culture in Medieval town, available here:…
A historical fencer’s primer on late medieval and early modern magic
When you first start reading the medieval fencing manuals, one of the curious things you keep running into is magic. As with so much about these…
A Wonderful Struggle: The 16th Century Art of Civic Combat, Part 2
The procession arrives at the square. Publicans erects their tents and tap their barrels. Musicians collect into bands, and other performers wander…
A Wonderful Struggle: The 16th Century Art of Civic Combat, Part 1
There is a particular tension at play in the modern Historical European Martial Arts community regarding the the early and later period expressions…
Forerunners of the Fechtschule Pt I : Antiquity
“An average, foundational knowledge of the past helps us understand the 14th-16th c. Fechtschulen [...] that’s why we need researchers and people…
On fencing societies and charity in the 19th century
At least as early as in the early 17th cent, fencing masters swore to care in particular for widows and orphans, as can be seen in e.g. the oaths of…
The South Italian Longsword of Marc’Antonio Pagano (1553)
This article translates and contextualises the longsword bout detailed in Le tre giornate di Marc'Antonio Pagano gentil'huomo napoletano. Dintorno…
On Individual Lessons in HEMA
Ours are fighting systems that are under (re)construction. Those of us who consider themselves researchers ponder their brains out in order to…
The Dutch Experiment – De Hollandsche Methode, Christiaan Siebenhaar, and fencing in the Netherlands in the 19th Century
In the mid-19th century, not that long after the Belgian war of independence, an experiment was taking place in fencing in the Netherlands. The main…
Awards for Technical Excellence in HEMA Tournaments
Over the past five years, an increasing number of HEMA tournaments have added a new kind of award, aimed at rewarding fighters who display…
“Take great pains in your knightly practices” – A brief review of Medieval and Renaissance training methodologies
Few men are born brave; many become so through care and force of discipline. - Flavius Vegetius Renatus Many pages have been written on the subject…
The Last Duel, Part 2: Death by Sodomy
Part One of this article examined the famous judicial duel between Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, which was held in Paris in 1386. As it…
What Really Happened at the Last Duel? Part1
According to the website Deadline Hollywood, Studio 8 has hired a screenwriter to turn Eric Jager’s book The Last Duel into a script for a…
When to hit hard in HEMA
Sparring and free play are important tools on our way to becoming more competent fencers, while at the same time the approaches and views on how to…
“The Use of Weapons”, René François (1621)
The entry on fencing in René François' 1621 encyclopedia is a rich source of terminology and practices common in the fencing salles of this…
Adolphe Corthey: A French 19th Century HEMA Pioneer
In the introduction to The Sword and the Centuries (1901), ((Hutton, A The Sword through the Centuries (1901, Grant Richards, London), Dover…
Meyer Pilgrimage Part 2 – Basel
Almost exactly a year ago I was lucky enough to be taken on a small journey that has been a long time dream of mine; walking in the footsteps of 16th…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part IV – Wounds caused by the saber
Continuing with his four part series on The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon, Dr. Bert Gevaert now presents the…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part III
Continuing with his four part series on The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon, Dr. Bert Gevaert now presents the third…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part II
Continuing with his series on The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon, Dr. Bert Gevaert now presents the second part: Antoine Fortuné de…
The use of the saber in the army of Napoleon: Part I
“The sword is the weapon in which you should have most confidence, because it rarely fails you by breaking in your hands. Its blows are the more…
Chivalry East of the Elbe, Part I
Introduction: So what happened to the Second Estate? Most of my own HEMA-related historical research in the last ten years has been…
The nature of the work ahead of us
Our personal goals in studying HEMA are varied, complex and individually quite different. For myself, I try to understand how and why it is designed…
Resources on Medieval Literacy Part III
The 14th Century: Famine, war, plague and demographic collapse. The rise of the vernacular and vernacular literature. The paper mill spreads…
Meyerozzo: The influences of the Bolognese method in German Rappier
There are many reasons why I devote much of my time and my energies on what Joachim Meyer has exhibited in his treatises. But the main reason I…
An open-hearted letter about why I rarely fight in tournaments
Every now and then I get the question why I don't take part in tournaments. The answer to that question is both very personal and complex and I…
Skalastet – Sami quarterstaff & spear fighting tradition in Northern Sweden
Little is known of any indigenous martial arts traditions of Scandinavia, and while the Icelandic tales, Konungs Skuggsjá and Olaus Magnus give us…
Concerning the Rules of Tournaments
This article is to some extent a reply to Γιώργος Ζαχαρόπουλος’s article in which he points out the conflicting requirements…
Fechtordnung of the City of Solothurn
Below are three versions of the Fencing Ordinance of the Swiss town of Solothurn, first the original, then the English translation, then a German…
Historical overview of the Vadi family
Historical overview of the Vadi family Chronology from the X to the XIX centuries House on which the Prestige of Aristocracy was bestowed, raised…
The use of the sword in the Great War: Faded glory or deadly efficiency?
"Now's your change, Charles - after them with the sword!' With a thunder of hooves, Hornby led 1st Troop in hot pursuit of the Germans, followed…
On Tournament rules
Well I guess this is the “hot potato” of the HEMA community! I am sure that a lot of other people before me and surely a lot of others after me…
Meyer Pilgrimage Part 1 – Straßburg
We all share the same love for our personal and shared discoveries of a forgotten European martial arts tradition and studying it we all learn to…
Selling the Fencing “Master” – On Georg Hager’s Vers, or: Earning Honours and Social Advancement in the Early Modern Age
In the early 1550s, the Nuremberg Meistersinger Georg Hager wrote: Wer brauchen wil die löblich kunst, von einem meister sol ers leren, Nicht von…
The use of sword behind the shield wall and phalanx
‘…With this, he drew the sharp blade at his side, a powerful longsword, and gathering his limbs together swooped like a high-soaring eagle that…
Sword staff: The sword of the poor!
Original article by Eytichios Tzirtilakis. Translation into English by George E. Georgas Once upon a time in the Byzantine Empire, the wooden…
The secret, dangerous military life of medieval superstars,
Anglophones are taught from an early age to believe firmly in the notion of the inevitability of progress, which is one of our strongest, albeit…
Towards a new approach in HEMA-tournaments: Let’s fence naked!
The end of a new year and the beginning of a new year is for many people the ultimate occasion to launch new resolutions: losing weight, stop…
HEMA and politics
Looking at the recent "sexistic HEMA banner debate" I really feel a concern about how quickly these women and men who object have been disregarded…
The Art of Control – Fechtschule Manifesto 2
Fencing with the Sword is nothing other than a discipline, wherein your force strives together with your sword in placement so that one with the…
Art of Control (Fechtschule Manifesto) Part 1
"Fencing with the Sword is nothing other than a discipline, wherein your force strives together with your sword in placement so that one with the…
A tear in our beer for Sir Richard Burton
With no little shame, and for lack of time, I would today just very briefly like to suggest a toast for one of the more colourful, and bad-ass…
Unfolding the cape
Neither a real weapon, nor a simple cloth: the cape in Italian martial arts. The cape is an item of clothing, subject to the rules of fashion and…
Lecture on swords in daily life of the Renaissance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwsUVaa9lKo Another excellent lecture by Jean Chandler, held at the IGX in Boston, USA…
French fencing guilds
French fencing guilds of Paris, Lille, and Amiens in the 16th and 17th century Translated by Pierre Pichon Edited by Jean Chandler, SDA NOLA,…
In memory of Lt. Egerton Castle
On this day Sep 16 1920 one of our greatest HEMA Pioneers, Egerton Castle died. Together with men like Cpt Alfred Hutton, Baron de Cosson, Archibald…
Regarding the USFCA HEMA instructors program.
With all due respect to those who have opposing views regarding the new USFCA Master title, and to Ken Mondschein, Jerry Benson, Walter Green of of…
Fencing Culture, Duelling and Violence
Armed civilian conflict was a reality of early modern life, both arranged duels and spontaneous violence. Many masters speak lucidly of deadly…
The chronology of fencing books
At various points discussions have surfaced again and again, which question the chronology of the fencing styles and schools of late medieval and…
Lady Fencers – transcript of an article in The Harmsworth Magazine, issue July 1899
I sought this article out of simple curiosity and was intrigued and surprised by the content. At face-value it seems a charming snapshot of Victorian…
A mentality of fear – and its importance to fighting
"If you want to learn how to fight properly and effectively with the long sword, so that you may, without gloves and without all armour, guard your…
Flower of Battle
Here is an excellent lecture on Fiore Furlano de Liberi, Ludwig von Eyb and more, by Michael Chidester, held at Fechtschule America 2013. Well worth…
Die Vorpal-Klinge!
This short movie shows a glimpse of the world of the Collegiate Fencing, the still living child of the Fechtschule…
Meyer’s masters
On this day, 443 years ago, Fechtmeister Joachim Meyer published his magnificent fencing treatise 'Gründliche Beschreibung der Freyen Ritterlichen…
Giovanni Battista Gaiani (1619) – An Italian Perspective on Competitive Fencing
The relative benefit and importance of competition in modern HEMA is a frequent subject of debate. Despite differences in context, it is…
The WhatChaMaCallit-Schwert
In Sweden we have a saying; "A loved child has many names" and looking at what is today called a federschwert this seems to be true for this type of…
In memory of Cpt. Alfred Hutton
Today we raise our glasses to the memory of the 19th cent. HEMA-pioneer Cpt. Alfred Hutton who died on this very day, at the age of 71,…
Remember Mair
On this day, December 10, 433 years ago, Paul Hektor Mair was hung at the age of 62, convicted of embezzlement of the city of Augsburg's funds. He…
The Dussack – a weapon of war
In my opinion the dussack doesn't quite get the recognition it deserves in the historical fencing community, despite the fact that it was a highly…
Why Fight? The Objectives of Liechtenauer’s Fencing
When we hear how people describe the art of fencing in the Middle Ages, we often hear them say that it was all about fighting to the death, or at…
The Wreath or the Cash? On Tournament fighting
"Ey fåår Fächtare Krantz förn ändas Manlige Strijden. The Fighter shall not receive the wreath until the manly battle is ended (according to…
The Rose and the Pentagram
This article is written to accompany the recent article about the mysticist, and possibly even fencer and a Freyfechter, Heinrich Agrippa. If you…
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, a fine student, black magician – and a Freyfechter?
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (15 September 1486 – 18 February 1535) was a German knight, an ambassador, magician, occult writer,…
Didrik von Porat
For some time now I have searched and collected information about the Swedish fencing Master Didrik von Porat. This is what I have found…
The Secret Fechtbuch of the Little Fuggers.
The famous Augsburg family Fuggers are still considered to have been one of the wealthiest families in the world of all times, and since they were…
Fechtschwert or a blunt longsword?
What kind of steel longsword should one choose for sparring? There are of course many aspects to consider. However, many instinctively discount the…
Deutsche Fechtkunst im 16. Jahrhundert.
What was it like in a German 16th Century Fechtboden? Here is a glimpse written by Prof. Dr. G Panconcelli-Calzia in 1926, based on his studies of…
Knightly Arts: A true-hearted letter of warning of the sad state of current Christianity.
How did one train soldiers and horses for war in the 17th century? These images give a small glimpse of how this was done in Germany, quite possibly…
How long should a longsword be?
A simple reply would be long enough to reach your opponent. Stupid answer, I know... But the question is also stupid... sort of. Let me…