Pensamientos en la Espada

(Musings on Historical Swordplay)

When I feel I actually know something about this, I may actually share my own thoughts. Until then, here are a few references, pictures and some quality links.

Enlaces Locales

Artículos

• Spanish Martial Arts: a resource list
• Schools of Fence: The result of meta-fencing. Compiled notes from the Southern Watch’s Winter Muster, A.S. 38, on our and our friends’ respective philosophies.
• 7 Steps to Balance by Katherine Vivan
• Sword News: List of sword-related newspaper stories and magazine articles.
• Joachim Meyer, Freifechter: Merely a list of relevant links for now.
• Achille Marozzo: Some links and compiled notes.
• Fencing Scenarios
• • Southern Watch Sponsored Melee Ideas for Pennsic War

Imágenes

• Third Pearls Tourney Gallery: Captured memories from the Bog’s ‘Honor & Chivalry,’ A.S. XXXVIII.
• Southern Watch Banner Designs: For the Southern Watch Rapier Militia

Enlaces a Otros Sitios

Screeds

• Sword & Mug: Don Corwyn Montgomery’s fencing page. Some really fine articles here, especially Don Pierre’s article on mindset.
• ‘A Matter of Time’ by Stephen Hand.
• ‘A Gallant & Gracious Manner: Safety & Etiquette in the Salle d'Armes’: An excerpt from Classical Fencing: The Martial Art of Incurable Romantics. Most valuable for the ‘Etiquette of the Touch’ section.
• ‘Daggers of the Mind: Towards a Historiography of Fencing’ by Ken Mondschein. A postmodern look at fencing resources and a fun read, too.
• Excerpt from Sevillian Steel: The Traditional Knife Fighting Arts of Spain by James Loriega
• Arms and Armor in the Late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance: Good overview of training and technique.
• The Dragon Preservation Society: Information on Traditional Western Martial Arts
• When Valor Preys Upon Reason: On the Book Renaissance Swordsmanship by Mr. John Clements by Adam Adrian Crown, Maitre d'Armes. “It may indeed be the worst book on fencing ever written…”

Selected References

These are highly recommended.

• Anglo, Sydney. The Martial Arts Of Renaissance Europe. Yale University Press, 2000.
• Gaugler, William M. The History of Fencing: Foundations of Modern European Swordplay. Bangor, Maine: Laureate Press, 1998.
• Musashi, Miyamoto. Trans. Victor Harris. The Book of Five Rings (Gorin No Sho).
• Sun Tzu.. The Art of War.

Melee

• Southern Watch: a Sylvan Kingdom rapier militia. Okay, we’re the only one… so far. We even have a mailing list.
• Handy Hints from the Infantrie Garden: Good Groundwork. First of a series of articles on melee training for ECWreenactment.
• Border Reiver Links: The inspiration for the Steel Bonnet melees.
• • In Search of the Border Reivers
  • The Border Reivers
  • Google Border Reivers Directory
• Trayn’d Bandes of London: In many ways, the Southern Watch is modelled on these militias.
• • Duncan's Cavalier Web Pages
  • Trayned Bandes of London Reenactment Group: Great bibliography
  • Blew Regiment LTB: Lots of good stuff like ‘The History of the Cittie of London Trayned Bandes (1572-1647)’ and their sword manual. (Excerpt: “Find Trainer … n.b if we are drunk, hung over or entertaining it is a bad time.’ — You gotta love people with pikes and a sense of humor!)
  • Jacobean Military

Humor

• Fencing Sucks: Great gallery.