Tales of the French duels: not that French
An account of a 1511 duel that, while only tangentially related to French people, shows elements that would become a habit later on.
Thibault’s grip
This post provides an analysis of Girard Thibault’s specific method of gripping a sword.
Plates in Thibault’s hilts
On Thibault’s Table 27, perforated plates cover the hilts’ front openings.
Malleus Martialis Galante – Initial look
A detailed review of the design and construction of the Malleus Martialis Galante rapier which I recently bought.
Federico Ghisliero
A complete scan of Federico Ghisliero’s treatise is online!
Study of various historical rapiers
Guillaume Vauthier has compiled and analyzed a great amount of publicly available data on rapiers, and has kindly allowed me to host it here.
The Valuable Lovino
The manuscript treatise by Giovan Antonio Lovino does not get the attention that it deserves. The two parts of this richly illuminated 16th century treatise have a number of original features that make it essential for a study of fencing in these times.
A Plan of Thibault’s Académie de l’Espée
In this post, I share a rough plan of Thibault’s huge treatise intended to help navigate it.
Capoferro weapon length
This post explores Ridolfo Capoferro’s advice about weapon length. Are the text and illustrations consistent? What measurements do they give? Are there original swords of such size?