The French had a reputation of being excellent swordsmen and bloodthirsty duelists. But how true was that and what was the fencing and dueling culture like in France? This lecture gives an overview of how the French approached fencing and dueling from the mid-16th through 17th centuries.

In this hour long presentation, hosted by the SCA East Kingdom’s Ministry of Arts & Science Office, we go over:

• The creation of Corporation of Masters, aka the Parisian Fencing Master’s Guild
• A quick look at French fencing manuals
• What life was like in a French fencing salle
• How one became a Maistres Joueurs/Maître d’Armes
• The dueling culture of Renaissance & Early-modern France

You can go through the slides of this presentation (with links) here.

Additional Video Resources

• “A Brief History of the French School” by Maître Cecil Longino. This series of videos goes through the development of the French School of fencing and the changes in the sword over the course of 200+ years.
• “Fighting in the French Style” by Thomas Harmon (Master Philip of the Mid in the SCA) goes through medieval through Renaissance martial arts in France, including French masters and Italian masters who were influential in France during the time.

DONATIONS: Classes & presentations are 100% free, however, if you find these sessions useful, please consider a small donation so I can continue to produce rapier & other historical martial arts content. Donate at https://www.paypal.me/thetavernknight