A Short History of Fencing

Fencing is probably one of the oldest games in existence, for it sprang directly from
the duel, and the latter has been extant as long as there has been war. In the old days
there were duels between two persons, and often between two whole armies,
depending on the conditions of war. The Germanic tribes which swarmed over the
Empire at the fall of Rome were perhaps the earliest people to recognize combat with
swords as a means of settling questions of justice or of vindicating a grievance.
Under the Germanic influence the duel spread all over Christendom. Even as early as
the reign of Charlemagne it was admitted as material proof in the judgments of God.
This practice continued throughout the Middle Ages, as an integral part of chivalry.
It was under the rule of their Catholic Majesties of Spain that the duel first came under
official ban, by the law of the city of Toledo in 1480. Curiously enough, it is shortly
before this time that we find the first book on fencing, Treatise on Arms, by Diego de
Valera, which was written between 1458 and 1471, and which marks the birth of
fencing as a scientific art.
Some time later, when Spain became the leading power of Europe, the Spanish armies
carried fencing abroad and particularly into the south of Italy, then one of the main
battlefields of the nations. By that time fencing had also developed in the north of
Italy where it was taught in the universities side by side with law, in such cultural
centres as Bologna and Venice, which were then attracting students from every
country in Europe.
If scientific fencing started first in Spain it was in Italy that we find the first great
schools where a fencing tradition was soon established through the lessons and the
writings of many famous master.
The weapons were at first used chiefly for offensive purposed, blows being avoided
by body shifts; later the defense was entrusted to some implement carried by the left
arm, a shield, a dagger, or a cloak.
As fencing gained in subtlety and efficiency the weapons became lighter and this
developed the use of the sword for parrying to the exclusion of anything else. The
Italians preserved in their swords the old cross-bar of the Middle Ages, cutting of the
edges so that the bar would not protrude over the circular guard. The French, on the

other hand, eliminated the cross-bar entirely, thus losing some of the strength of the
weapon but adding to the ease of its handling. During these changes the old Spanish
swords, which were gradual modification of the chivalric weapons, passed into the
museums, as the armies of Europe came to employ the sabre' and later the modern
firearm.
It was not until 1900 that Spain, the mother of scientific fencing, came to have a
distinct school of her own, under the Spanish master, Don Adelardo Sanz. The
Spanish weapon is a modified form of the Italian cross-bar, so shaped as to facilitate
the action of the thumb and index finger in securing the dexterity of the French
weapon while preserving the strength of the Italian sword. In some parts of Europe it
is called the Portuguese foil.
These three schools of fencing which today differ little except insofar as the
peculiarities of each type of weapon demand, dominate fencing all over the world.
The Italian school predominates in Italy, Hungary, Austria, South America and
Germany.
The French school predominates in France, England, the United States, and Central
America.
The Spanish school predominates in Spain and Portugal.
Each has had its share of great fencing masters: men like Greco, Pini, Pessina, and
Nadi, in Italy; Kirchoffer, Merignac, Rue, and Gaudin in France; Sanz and Carbonel
in Spain.
Italian fencing at the end of the seventeenth century divided into two separate schools,
the Bolognese or Italian proper, and the Neapolitan; rivalries between the two schools
and the general backwardness of the century brought indifference towards fencing,
and a revival occurred only at the time of the Napoleonic wars when the enthusiasm
for everything military gave rebirth to fencing.
For a while the French school predominated until a revival of the national spirit
brought back the principles of the old Italian schools which found new followers and
supporter: finally, a so-called mixed school, embodying the best principles of the
Italian and French schools, was generally adopted.
The chief contribution of the French to this mixed school was to make the disengage a
continuous movement, simultaneous with the lunge. The classical Italian school had
made the feint of a disengage and the following lunge distinct movements, and this
change revolutionized fencing in Italy.

In 1861 with the founding of the Accademia Nazionale d'Scherme, Naples, became
the centre of fencing but it was soon overcome in importance by other centres, such as
Milan, Leghorn, and Rome. The rivalry between the north and south still persisted for
a while but, at present, the differences in the teachings of the various masters in Italy
are only variations of a unified system.

History in The United States and South America

Fencing begins to appear as a popular sport on this side of the Atlantic only recently,
that is since 1900. Under the leadership of the great Italian master Eugene Pini in the
Argentine, and under the French master, Lucien Merignac, in Mexico and some
Spanish masters in Cuba, these countries made considerable progress at the turn of the
century.
taken from "The Theory and Practice of Fencing" by Julio Martinex Castello 1933

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FENCING

The history of fencing parallels the evolution of civilization, back from the days of
ancient Egypt and Rome, to the barbaric Dark Ages, to the fast and elegant
Renaissance, up to the modern, increasingly popular fencing of today. Fencing has
always been regarded as more than a sport; it is an art form, an ancient symbol of
power and glory, and a deeply personal, individual form of expression. Fencing is
and always has been an intrinsic part of life, from the dueling and battle of yore to
the widely captivating movies and facets of popular culture such as Zorro and The
Princess Bride. Fencing originated as the practice of swordsmanship to prepare
men for duels and warfare. The earliest evidence of fencing as a sport comes from
a carving in Egypt, dating back to about 1200 B.C., which shows a sport fencing
bout with masks, protective weapon tips, and judges , and the ancient Babylonians,
Greeks, Persians, and Romans all had some form of fencing. The Greek and Roman
civilizations favored short swords and light spears, and taught their warriors in
schools called ludi. The collapse of the Roman civilization at around 476 A.D.,
however, brought the crude, heavy weapons of the barbarian invaders and signaled
a regression of fencing through the dark ages. It was not until the beginnings of

the Renaissance in the 14th century that light, fast weapons such as the rapier
came back into use, primarily because gunpowder rendered heavy armor obsolete.
The use of armor during the Middle Ages made swordsmanship virtually obsolete.
The broadsword was used against armor, but only as a crude hacking device
requiring sheer strength rather than skill. The swords of that period were rather
heavy, and cutting the opponent with the edge was emphasized. Further, since the
sword was frequently a weapon of defense against thieves, tactics included
wrestling holds and tricks designed to disarm or immobilize the opponent to set
him up for the killing blow.
By making armor obsolete, the development of firearms ironically brought
swordplay back into prominence during the 15th century. Soldiers once again had to
acquire some skill with the sword, and fencing also emerged as a pastime for
gentlemen. Fencing Masters organized guilds, which taught various moves to
initiates while protecting them as trade secrets from outsiders.
The fifteenth century brought the beginnings of modern fencing. Spain had the
first true fencers, and the first two fencing manuals were published there in 1471
and 1474, but swordplay guilds such as the Marxbruder from Germany began
springing up all across Europe. About 1500 the Italians began extensive use of the
Rapier. The right hand held te weapon while the left hand held a dagger (often
called a Main Gauche) or buckler (a small shield), used for parrying blows. Italian
Fencing Masters, such as Agrippa, who invented the four fencing positions (prime,
seconde, tierce, and quarte), and masters Grassi and Vigiani, who defined the lunge
which was first illustrated by Capo Ferro, became very prolific in this time. The
16th century also brought a large increase in the popularity of dueling. More
noblemen at during this period were killed in dueling than in war.
The Queen Catherine de Mdici of France had many Italian Fencing Masters come
to France and develop fencing there. She was so successful that in 1567, her son,
King Charles IX, officially recognized the French Fencing Academy, and awarded
many hereditary titles to the new French fencing masters. These new masters
were the first to classify and define fencing attacks and parries. In 1573 Henry de

St. Didier was the first french fencing master to publish a treatise, and one of the
first to advocate heavy use of the pe instead of the Rapier.
During the 17th century several major changes occurred in fencing. The "fleuret",
or foil, was developed in France as a lighter training weapon for dueling. Right-ofway, a set of rules which made the game a series of alternating attacks and
defense, became generally accepted. With right-of-way, duelists were unlikely to
impale each other, as they did not both attack at the same time. This made fencing
safer and reduced the number of casualties to dueling.
Fencing as an exercise based on speed and skill began when the longer, lighter
rapier was developed in Italy during the 16th century. Because of the rapier's
length, opponents had to fight at a distance and quick but controlled lunges,
attacking the enemy with the point of the sword, replaced cruder hacking
techniques. But the rapier wasn't a good defensive weapon, so the fencer often
had to use his gauntleted left hand to parry his opponent's thrusts.
Under Louis XIV in France, a change in fashion led to a new kind of sword. The
rapier simply didn't go well with brocaded jackets, breeches, and silk stockings, so
French courtiers began wearing a shorter sword. The court sword, as it was known,
turned out to be an excellent weapon for fencing because it was both lighter and
stronger than the rapier, so it could be used for defense as well as offense. As a
result, the modern one-handed fencing technique developed, with the left hand and
arm used primarily for balance.
A special version of the court sword, the foil, was developed for practice.
Meanwhile, another type of sword, the colichemarde , had been created for
dueling. The blade had a triangular cross-section, with slightly concave sides to
reduce weight without reducing strength. The colichemarde evolved into the small
sword and that into the modern epee.
The third of the fencing weapons, the saber, was introduced into Europe in the late
18th century as an adaptation of the Turkish scimitar, used by the Hungarian
cavalry. It was so effective that other armies began using it and another variation,
the cutlass, became a standard naval weapon.

The saber was originally a very heavy, curved sword, but a lighter, more easily
wielded weapon with only a slight bend was developed in Italy late in the 19th
century for dueling and fencing. The modern fencing weapon is straight, like the
foil and epee, but it still has one cutting edge which can be used to make hits on an
opponent.
In the 18th century the heavier weapon called the pe became the popular weapon
for dueling. The sabre, a weapon descended from the Oriental scimitar, became
the national weapon of Hungary, and while the Italians helped develop the sport
immensely, the Hungarians stayed the true masters of the sabre.
1780 brought an extremely important development to fencing. The French Fencing
Master La Boessiere invented the fencing mask, allowing a much safer bout. This
sparked a lot of development in non-fatal technique and strategy.
Fencing first came to America in the 1860s-1870s via immigrant French and
Italian fencing masters, and the first American fencing school was founded in
1874. Fencing in America There was fencing in the American Colonies, most notably
in Virginia, where plantation owners carried on the genteel traditions of England.
As part of its French heritage, New Orleans had a number of fencing masters at
the time of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. But modern fencing was brought to the
United States by the German Turners in the late 1840s. While the Turners
emphasized physical training through gymnastics, fencing was also part of their
regimen. After the Civil War, many colleges and athletic clubs adopted fencing
along with the rest of the Turner gymnastics program. [Thomas F. Bodwell did a
series of fencing sketches for the Boston Herald in 1888.]
As a result, the U. S. had the first national governing body for the sport. The
Amateur Athletic Union initiated national championships in 1888. However, many
fencers weren't happy with the AAU, so they formed the Amateur Fencers League
of America (now the U. S. Fencing Association) in 1891. The AFLA began conducting
the national championships the following year. By this time fencing less resembled
its violent roots and was now considered a non-harmful sport. Two other national
governing bodies were founded shortly after the turn of the century: Great

Britain's Amateur Fencing Association in 1902 and France's Fdration des Salles
des Armes et Socits d'Escrime in 1906.
Dueling never completely died out until after the end of World War I, but the
majority of fencers were not warriors.
Mens Sabre and foil competitions were present in the first modern Olympic games
in 1896, and Mens pe joined in 1900. Womens foil joined the Olympics in 1924,
but it was not until 1996 that Womens pe joined.
At the beginning of the 20th century French, Italians, and Hungarians were the
masters of the sport, and thus it is not a surprise that the International Fencing
Federation (FIE) was founded in France. The French, Italians and Hungarians
maintained their grip on the sport until the 1950s, when eastern European
countries such as the Soviet Union and Romania came to the fore. Their style
emphasized speed and mobility, relying on touches that before would have gone
undetected, but now were seen with the recently invented electric scoring
machines.
Today cultural intermingling and competition has eliminated the national fencing
styles; there are no longer French or Hungarian fencing techniques. Instead, the
sport has become more reliant on individual technique. Fencing history is still being
made today.
OLYMPIC FENCING
Fencing is one of only four sports that have been on every modern Olympic program
since 1896. The men's foil and saber events were on the 1896 program and the
epee was added in 1900. But, because of major disagreements about the rules,
France and Italy refused to compete in 1912. The Fdration Internationale
d'Escrime, founded in 1913 to standardize rules, is the governing body for
international fencing, including the Olympics.

The women's foil competition has been on the Olympic program since 1924. For
many years, women fenced only with foils, but the epee was added to the Olympic
program in 1996.
There are different sets of rules for the three weapons, reflecting the
differences in technique that grew out of their historical background. In foils and
epee, a touch can be made only with the point of the weapon. The entire body is a
valid target for the epee, but in foils a touch can be scored only on a limited target
area. In saber fencing, a hit may be made with the point, the cutting edge, or the
forward third of the back edge.
Fencing is a difficult sport to judge, since it's necessary to determine, first,
whether a hit was made and, second, which came first when the two fencers score
hits almost simultaneously. The electrical epee was introduced at the 1936 to score
hits automatically. Electrical scoring for the foil was added at the 1956 Olympics
and for the saber at the 1992 Olympics.

Swordplay has been practised for thousands of years, and modern day fencing began as a
form of military training. It did not become a sport until around the 15th century.
Sword fighting and duels
Swordplay has been practised for thousands of years, as evidenced by carvings depicting fencers found in a temple
near Luxor dating from around 1190 BC. From the 16th to the 18th century, duels were common, with combatants
using a variety of weapons including quarterstaffs and backswords. Such bouts were bloody and occasionally fatal.

Birth of the sport

Fencing began the move from a form of military training to a sport in either the 14th or 15th century. Both Italy and
Germany lay claim to its origins, with German fencing masters organising the first guilds in the 15th century, the most
notable being the Marxbruder of Frankfurt, formed in 1478.

Rules of the game

Three innovations in the 17th and 18th century led to the popularity of fencing as a sport: the foil a weapon with a
flattened tip; a set of rules governing the target area; and the wire-mesh mask. Together, these developments
ensured the safety of fencings participants.

Olympic history
Fencing was included for the first time at the 1896 Games in Athens, and has remained on the Olympic programme
since then. The womens fencing competition entered the Games in 1924 in Paris. Today, men and women compete
in individual and team events, in which three types of weapon are used: foil, epee and sabre. The foil was, at first, the
only weapon used by women, until the 1996 Games in Atlanta, when womens epee was introduced. Womens sabre
appeared for the first time on the Olympic programme in Athens in 2004.
Among the figures who have marked this sport, Italys Nedo Nadi is the only fencer to have won a medal in every
weapon in a single edition of the Games. In 1912, at the age of 18, he won in the foil. Then, after being decorated by
his country for acts of bravery during the First World War, he won five gold medals in Antwerp in 1920, a historic and
unequalled record: in the individual foil and sabre events, and in the team foil, epee and sabre events.

Blade
The hitting part of a sword from the guard to the point.
Chest Guard
Used to protect the chest.

Epee
A thrusting sword descended from the duelling sword, similar in length to a foil but heavier, with a larger guard and a much stiffer
blade.
Bodywire
Foible
The weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point.

Foil
A thrusting sword with a flexible rectangular blade and a smaller guard than the epee.

Grip
The handle of a sword; also called the "hilt".

Gloves

Guard
The part of a sword between the blade and handle that protects the duelling hand.
Hilt
The handle of a sword; also called the "grip".

Mask

Piste
French for the field of play where a fencing bout occurs; also called a "strip".

Point
The end of the blade, which must touch the opponent's target area to score a point.
Rapier
A thrusting sword with an elaborate hilt and a long, slender, pointed blade, developed in the 16th century and the precursor to the
epee.

Sabre
The modern version of the slashing cavalry sword, similar in length and weight to the foil but able to cut with the blade as well as hit
with the point.
Strip
The field of play where a fencing bout occurs; also called a "piste".