The Art of Arms

Listener discretion is advised, this discussion contains accounts of graphic violence, real life trauma situations, and intense detail that might make some feel uncomfortable. The following historical accounts of duels, warfare, and civic violence were used during this podcast. Historical Accounts: Account 1: The siege continuing in this way, all the soldiers remained close together on the outside towards the castle for a stretch of bombard, defended by firm stockades and other ditches, and the people inside towards the market, in front of which there was a marvelous trench with excellent and safe shelters, and bastions suitable for the defense of the people. One day, when it seemed appropriate to the magnificent Galeazzo to ruin and destroy the mill of Messer Battista da S. Piero located in the Reno canal under the Galliera gate, which those of the castle used for their own use, he called me with some of his other friends, and said to me: Compare, I have decided to make an experiment. If we could burn and demolish the mill of my relative, because it is too necessary for our enemies, what do you think? I answered in the affirmative, so the order was given, and several very brave Bolognese and other brigades were called, and so we quietly went out of the Lamme gate, coming along the canal from which the water had been taken away, we damaged the mill, and then we entered it, finding many infantrymen who were guarding it, whom, mainly by me and other companions, attacked and fought, and we drove from there over a small bridge towards the castle. And while I was asking for fire to burn him, still standing at the door to keep the enemies at bay, behold, among them came one cursed by God, who looked like a devil, with fire in his hand, who with a loaded gun wounded me in the left arm with such a foul and obscene blow, that I dropped the shield from my hand, whereupon my companions, seeing me so badly injured, because I was almost stunned, took me away from there, abandoning the enterprise they had begun, and carried me to my houses to dress the wound. The doctor, finding that the lead ball had not come out of the arm because it remained in the elbow, had to make a cut from which with the pincers he extracted that piece of lead, which having entered the middle of the arm and had risen up to that part of the joint. Thus one gains fame by doing good for one's country, but benefits little or nothing from it, since I had to pay for the doctor at my own expense, and even go to the baths, and so the damage was entirely my responsibility. —From The Chronicle of How Annibale Bentivoglio Was Taken and Removed From Prison, Then Killed and Avenged by Galeazzo Marescotti Account 2: Marescotti vs Canteoli Feud And so it was, before the convent of the nuns of San Mattia, that my strenuous and brave brother Giovanni, although surrounded by many, intrepidly and valiantly died—defending himself like a lion, as we could offer him no assistance. As we were opposed by an exorbitant number of men. With great difficulty, and a few companions, I took refuge in the house of the aforementioned nuns, after receiving a few wounds—as happens to those who defend themselves—though none were of a nature to cause any significant damage. —From The Chronicle of How Annibale Bentivoglio Was Taken and Removed From Prison, Then Killed and Avenged by Galeazzo Marescotti Account 3: On the 5th, the Duke was within a few miles of Urbino, then held by Bishop Vitelli, with a garrison of two thousand men, who, distrusting the inhabitants, summoned their militia to muster at S. Bernardino, and closed the gates as soon as the city had thus been cleared of its able-bodied men, refusing to readmit them on pain of instant death. The excluded citizens vented their indignation at this trick, in threats and abuse of the garrison from under the very walls, which at length provoked a sortie of four hundred infantry in order to disperse them. At this juncture, a squadron of one hundred cavalry, sent on by Francesco Maria under Benedetto Giraldi of Mondolfo, for the purpose of supporting the expected rising in his favour, arrived three miles below Urbino, and, whilst breathing their horses, heard that the enemy were abroad. Benedetto immediately left his little force in charge of his brother Annibale, and rode on with but five officers to reconnoitre. The adventure which followed, equally worthy of a bold knight-errant and a Christian soldier, must be told as in the Dialogue of his nephew Tranquillo. "Coming suddenly upon the detachment, about half a mile from the town, Benedetto exclaimed, 'Look there! as these are the first of our master's foes we have fallen in with, it would surely be a shame to let them get back to the city without a taste of us: I am therefore resolved to make a dash at them, and if you will follow me, by God's grace we shall have the first victory.' This said, he rushed into the midst of them, with vizor up and lance in rest, overthrowing many b

Your Step-by-Step Guide to HEMA Deification Elite competitor, ardent scholar, artist, and entrepreneur Martin Fabian joined Stephen and Joshua to talk about HEMA. If you’ve ever wondered what the journey to becoming one of the best competitive fencers in HEMA looks like from an aspect of training, preparation, competition and textual interpretation, this is the podcast for you! https://open.substack.com/pub/theartofarms/p/the-real-martin-fabian?r=1e0ent&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

About Aaron: Aaron was introduced to swords as a participant in the first National Stage Combat Workshop run by Fight Directors Canada in 1993. In 1998, he traded the theatrical for the historical and took up Italian Rapier. In 2002 he began studying the Lichtenhauer tradition as one of the founding members of Anyhau (now Ironwood Sword School in Kingston, ON). In 2005 he also began dabbling in the study the Fiore’s system of Martial Arts. The next year Aaron began his intensive study of Imperial Close Combat techniques of the Great War, which formed the core of MA studies at the Royal Military College of Canada and the topic of his first book Bayonets and Blobsticks, the Canadian Experience of Close Combat 1915-18 (2011). His studies turned back to the Renaissance with the publication of a translation of Nicoletto Giganti’s first Rapier treatise in 2014. Since then, his eye has been cast back into the sixteenth century by his doctoral studies of the duel in sixteenth century Italy. As a consequence, he has begun dabbling in the Bolognese school of fighting arts. About This Episode: We had to hold off on releasing this one, because we brought up Joeli’s Liechtenauer research. This recording took place back in January. If you're curious about the Bolognese Carnival celebrations, go check out the article that I finished after I was done researching the subject. Carnival 1562 Don't mind our hypothetical posturing about our good friend Johannes Liechtenauer, we were having fun with some exclusive knowledge. If you're interested in reading a great book that adds a lot of depth to this conversation, be sure to check out The Sixteenth Century Italian Duel by Fredrick R. Bryson {it's available on-line for free here, or on Amazon as a reprint}: Link Keep your eyes peeled for an epic breakdown about the brutal duel between Cristoforo Guasco and Niccolò Doria, by Stephen Fratus out in the next few weeks.

Check out the first installment of Joeli's written research here: https://open.substack.com/pub/theartofarms/p/studying-the-birth-of-the-liechtenauer?r=1e0ent&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Check out Herbert's Books! The Medieval and Renaissance Buckler Catalogue of European Bucklers

In this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi, Stephen and Joshua go on a journey across the Alps to visit the Bolognese master Giacomo da Basel--err, Joachim Meyer. We're going to Strasbourg with our brilliant tour guide Liam H. Clark. Have you ever wondered how Fechtshule worked, what other fencing masters were active during Meyer's lifetime or the differences between Marxbruder and Freifechter then this is the episode for you! Evergreen Historical Fencing Substack Liams Source Documents

Do you like big swords? Yea, we know. We all do! Well, if you do, you're probably familiar with The Spadone Project, it's phenomenal, how could you not be? Now meet the man behind the curtain, Niccolò Menozzi! In this episode Stephen and Joshua sit down with Niccolo to tackle the tropes and the misnomers of the two handed sword. We dive deep into the historical use of the weapon on the battlefield and in duels, and discover all of the intricacies that differentiate these beautiful weapons. Check out and support Niccolò's work here: https://thespadoneproject.com/

Jean Chandler is one of the most dedicated researchers HEMA has to offer. He's absolutely brilliant! He's also a pretty incredible human being. If you want to learn more about guilds, Renaissance commerce, and martial traditions, this is the episode for you! Check out Jean's website here: https://jeanhenrichandler.com/

This episode marks l'Arte dell Armi's 20,000th download!!! We wanted to extend our heartfelt gratitude to you our listeners for engaging with this podcast! We greatly appreciate you, and look forward to bringing you more content in the future! Stay saucy my friends! We had the honor of sitting down and talking to Dr. Guy Windsor. This lively discussion highlights teaching, developing teachers, teaching hacks, running a school as a business, before transitioning into Fiore, Vadi, Capoferro and beyond. It was a truly insightful conversation and we're looking forward to having Guy on the podcast again in the near future, we still have so much to discuss. Note that Joshua had to take care of his son through the first part of the episode but managed to pop-in for the second half. You can find all of Guys work at: https://swordschool.com/ Take virtual classes with Guy at: https://swordschool.teachable.com/ Find his books at: https://swordschool.shop/

Jack Gassmann is both an accomplished academic and historical fencer, a true jack-of-all-trades, he's lived a life full of historical exploration in about every capacity you can possibly imagine, including stunts and film. Stephen and I sat down with Jack and tried to understand what it might've been like to lead crossbowmen on horseback. You won't want to miss this! Stay tuned to the end for a special 20%-off offer on Jack's new table top game, Forces of Virtue! https://masterstrokegames.com/

To attack or not to attack, that is the question! It would seem there are many different ways to approach the tactics of Bolognese fencing, but is that because of the varied approaches of different authors, or is there a hidden consensus? Martin, Stephen and Joshua discuss measure, tempo, the nature of the guards, provocations, and so much more in this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi!

Pope Julius II has turned his covetous eye toward Ferrara. Meanwhile the French under Bayard and his d'Este allies prepare the way in hope of resisting the Pope's forces and his new league of allies, the Holy League. The French army has a few aces up their sleeves in the Bentivoglio and a young, daring captain, named Gaston di Foix, nicknamed the Thunderbolt. Part 1: Back in Bologa, 1:22 Part 2: The Warrior Pope, 7:38 Part 3: Guido Rangoni's Little Adventure, 15:26 Part 4 and Part 5: Too Close to the Sun, 22:03 Part 6: Showdown in Bologna 31:03 Part 7: Guido's Star on the Rise 42:41 Part 9: Hugo Pepoli and the Exiles of Bologna, 50:18 Part 10: The Lady from Sex, 55:10 Part 11: The Siege of Bologna, 60:18 Part 12: Revolt in Brescia, 69:08 Part 13: Torre del Magnago, 73:00

Put on your blue suede shoes, it's time for some Dardi Dancing! In this episode of Bolognese Foundations Stephen, Martin, and I discuss footwork!

En garde! In the first installment we learned how to travel between point A and point B, in this episode we'll talk about what those points are, what they mean, and what they're good at. The Cuts and thrusts take you between different guards, but all of your actions will begin and end in guards, so let's learn what those guards are all about. For those following at home, check out this written supplement: Bolognese Foundations: Part Two - by Joshua Wiest (substack.com) And if you like the channel, and want to help us out, become a supporter on Patreon: The Art of Arms | Patreon

Bill Grandy has done it all, and been really good at all of it too; he has one of the most complete perspectives of anyone I've had the pleasure of talking to on this podcast. So, what did we talk about? A little bit of everything! Armor, wrestling, messer, sidesword, rapier, push of pike, you name it, we probably covered it in this miraculous episode.

So, you've heard about the magical powers of the Bolognese Sauce, and you want to get cooking, but when you open up the books all you see is a bunch of really odd Italian words mixed up in sentances with weird grammer and sometime illogical phrasing. You really want to read the text's of Marozzo, Manciolino, dall'Agocchie and the Anonimo, but you don't know how to get started, or maybe you have started but you need some resources to help you memorize a lot of the terminology. This is the podcast for you! Hey, you too, longtime practitioner, it never hurts to revist the foundational material! Martin Höppner was kind enough to join us for this series, which is good because he proposed the idea way back when the podcast was getting started. Check us out on Patreon: patreon.com/TheArtofArms And sign up for our newsletter on Substack so you never miss a blog post, or podcast, and you'll get all of our podcast notes sent to your email (No paid subscription required): https://theartofarms.substack.com/

Kats, poisonous gas, trebuchets, armored vehicles covered in spikes, and magic--lots of magic; Konrad Kyeser's Bellifortis is an imaginative book that inspired the likes of Hans Talhoffer, and perhaps even Leonardo da Vinci. It's full of recreations of some of history's most obscure innovations, but these oddities weren't left to print, they were brought to life on the Renaissance and Medieval battlefields, and that's what we wanted to explore in this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi. To do so, we sat down with Michael Chidester to learn more about who Konrad Keyser was, and more about his fascinating work, Bellifortis. Images of Bellifortis: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668178 To read Michaels work on Bellifortis, there is a free PDF download here: https://www.academia.edu/68328696/The_Bellifortis_of_Konrad_Kyeser_of_Eichst%C3%A4tt Check out HEMA Bookshelf here: https://www.hemabookshelf.com/ Join Michael's Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/michaelchidester Adendum: The siege where Alexander the Great supposedly used divers with diving bells was the siege of Tyre.

Lucio Malvezzi, Tadeo del Volpe and Fra Leonardo Prato all prefer to go to battle with the Stucco, or the Estoc, or the Tuck. We wanted to learn more about fighting with a sword in armor, so we turned to the expert, Jess Finely!!! The Book we discuss in the podcast with the wedding throwdown is, On the Practice or Art of Dancing, by Barbara Sparti. Follow Jess on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/jessfinley Check out here sword school here: Ritterkunst

Dr. Patrick Bratton is an accomplished fencer, and a professor at the United States Army War College. Naturally, we discussed fencing, fencing strategy, before digging deep into the battle of Polesella, and the grand strategy of the Venetian Empire. This was an amazing conversation that could've gone on for 3 or 4 more hours, you've gotta check it out, we'll definitely have him back very soon! Check out Dr. Bratton's school here: https://www.saladellaspada.com/ Check out Dr. Bratton's lecture on Mahan here: https://youtu.be/y-tshVIAeIM

Episode III.ii The Siege Guido Rangoni is in Padua surrounded by the largest army assembled in Italy since the Roman Empire. Among the enemy ranks are the crown of German aristocracy, the flower of French Chivalry, an assortment of famed Italian Condottiere, and a core of cutthroat mercenaries comprised of Landsknechts and Gascons; totaling almost 40,000 men. Defending Padua are the remnants of the Venetian army, just over 10,000 men, led by the same Condottiere captain that refused to engage the French at Agnadello, Niccolo di Pitigliano, and a washed up merchant turned politician named Adrea Gritti. The story of the siege of Padua is brimming with untold feats of heroism, it’s marked with stories of valor and cunning ferocity. The rosters of the French and German knights that came to take part in the siege was a veritable who’s–who of the aristocratic profession, virtually every great knight on the continent stood before the walls of the city. Yet Padua isn’t known as a great triumph of Chivalric honor, no it’s the final resting place of the logos, ethos and pathos that comprised the tradition. If you ever wondered how the principles of Knightly virtue died, tune in to this heart pounding episode of l’Arte Dell Armi and find out. The Siege Thud - Thud - Thud Purlepaus, Weckauf, und Haupstück Der Leo pounded. Thud - Thud - Thud Crossbow bolts caremed off armor in the breach. Thud - Thud- Thud Hoofbeats thundered in the outskirts of the city. Thud - Thud - Thud Snapped the flags of ten thousand great houses. Thud - Thud - Thud Marched the feet of the defenders on the ramparts. Thud- Thud -Thud Beat the worried hand of a mother on her infants back. Thud - Thud - Thud Bounced the heel of an elderly man worried about his shop. Thud - Thud - Thud Beat the hearts those who watched the siege unfold. Thud - Thud - Thud In the Mud Mud Mud of Padua the flower of Chivalry wilted and died.

We've reached the year 1509 in our timeline of Maestro Wars, and as a consequence of focus and time we had to mark the battle of Agnadello as a footnote in our story. That said, Agnadello is more than just a significant Venetian defeat to the historical fencing community, it marks the death of one of it's greatest authors, Pietro Monte. Pietro Monte was one of the greatest swordsman of his age, the personal tutor of one of Italy's greatest knights, a friend of great artists like Leonardo da Vinci, and the ideal Renaissance Courtier. It's that or the Collectanea is a book full of some guys tricks... Stephen and I sit down with Mike Prendergast to find out, and settle some scores. Mike is a longtime HEMA and SCA practitioner, he's also a Pietro Monte expert, and probably one of the nicest human beings I've ever had the pleasure to meet--until you put a rapier in his hand. Mike has competed across the globe in longsword, sword and buckler and Rapier, and found success wherever he's traveled. Join us as we travel back to Milan, Florence and the battlefield of Agnadello to learn more about the the legendary Pietro Monte! Visit Mike's website for a free PDF of his Monte translation here: mikeprendergast.ie Find out more about Mike's fencing group here: https://www.facebook.com/HCombatAcademy

Continuing with our system specific highlights that help us answer questions about the historical narrative we’re researching in the Maestro Wars series, we brought on Jen Landels (the preeminent instructor of mounted combat in North America) and Devon Boorman to talk to us about Cavalry tactics. Ever wondered what it was like to fight from horseback with a lance, sword, mace, or crossbow? This is the episode for you! Academie Cavallo: https://academiecavallo.ca/ Academie Duello: https://www.academieduello.com/ Find More at: https://duello.tv/ And Devons Blog here: https://pathofthesword.com/

Maestro Puck Curtis joined us to talk about Destreza. We kept running into accounts of Italian troops fighting against their Spanish allies, and we thought it would be fun to get a feel for what that might look like. Who better to ask than Puck Curtis? In this episode of l'Arte dell Armi we compare Italian and Spanish fencing styles, explore the incredibly fascinating life of Caranzza, and ask the all important question, why Manciolino?

Episode III.i Revenge of the Pontiff The Bentivoglio’s plans to take back Bologna have been thwarted. Now with new excommunications orders leveled against them, this time including our hero Guido Rangoni, and fresh bounties on their heads, they have no choice but to lay low, and wait out the coming storm. All in Italy is not serene; however, the Popes ire has turned from the Bentivoglio and Bologna, to Venice. At the city of Cambrai delegates from the European world gather at the Pope’s behest. Rumors of a great war are beginning to spread, inspiring every zealot, cut-throat, and champion yearning to make a name for themselves to arms. Meanwhile, Ugo Pepoli has won a sterling reputation for himself with his valiant efforts to stop the Bentivoglio, but with glory comes envy, and the man whose gaze has fallen upon Ugo is the most cunning of adversaries, the Cardinal Alidosi.

Wrapping up our November deep-dive on Polearms with a pleasant holiday bow is the venerable Devon Boorman. Devon provides us with his perspective on the various Bolognese polearms systems, Partisan, Spiedo, Ronca, Poleaxe in armor. This is a real treat; we hope you enjoy! For more amazing content from Devon Boorman Checkout: www.pathofthesword.com or https://duello.tv/

Holiday Special: Dysfunctional Families of the Renaissance Featuring Kari Holman, LCPC, NCC, CCTP-II! Holidays are a time for family, and sometimes that can bring with it a certain connotation. To help ease you into your trip to visit the in-laws, or prep you for the awkwardness of that uncle who just wants to talk about politics at the dinner table, we've put together a series of stories highlighting Renaissance family dysfunction, so maybe, just maybe, you won't feel like your awkward or unpleasant family encounters are so bad after all! Kari Holman weighs in with her clinical expertise to help us sort through our Renaissance heroes family dilemmas. Story Highlights: Cesare Borgia: Oh Brother Where Art Thou Lucrezia Borgia: An Ever Loving Brother Ippolito d'Este: The One That Got Away Beatrice d'Este: A Glacial Affair Alphonso d'Este: The Well Polished Cannon Caterina Sforza: The New Man of the House The Bentivoglio: A Family That Kills Together Stays Together We hope you have safe and saucy holidays!

Lochlan Koulouris of Warriors of Ash, and Descendant Leather, joins Stephen and I to talk about his military experience, polearm fighting in formation, the awesome polearms his company produces, and so much more! Check out Warriors of Ash Here: https://www.warriorsofash.com/ Descendant Leather Polearms: https://descendantleather.com/

Episode II Attack of the Bentivoglio The Pope has succeeded in conquering Bologna, but thanks to the cunning of the lady Ginverva Sforza Bentivoglio, hope is renewed. Hannibal, Guido, and Ermes have gathered an army of thousands and have positioned themselves on the border between Bologna and Modena. Meanwhile the trouble is brewing. To the east, the forces of Giampaolo Baglioni, Ugo Pepoli and Lucio Malvezzi are preparing the city of Bologna for a siege. In the west, dark rumblings of Modense and Ferrarese forces mustering are circling the camps of the Bentivoglio supporters. In this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi: Maestro Wars Part 2: Attack of the Bentivoglio (0:0) Marozzo's Sword and Cape Against Someone on Horseback: Featuring Eric Weiss (41:15) Condottiere Spotlight: Melchiorre Ramazzotto (1:19:30) Stay Saucy My Friends!

Happy Halloween! Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. If I told you that there was a monastic throwdown in Bologna between 1450-1500 over the right of priests to summon demons to do their bidding, would you believe me? What if I told you witches and necromancers were high society, upper crust, fat cats in the Renaissance? Well, if that's not enough to get you in the spirit, maybe a little torture will hone your senses. In this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi: Short Stories A Brief History of Necromancy in Bologna (1450-1500) Renaissance Torture Renaissance Execution Wrap-up discussion

Devon Boorman of Academie Duello joins us to talk everything sword and small buckler! Ever wondered why sword and buckler is a critical edifice of the Bolognese corpus? What tactical considerations a taller fencer or a shorter fencer need to make while fencing? We answer all of that and more in this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi. Want to learn more from Devon? Check out his blog, and Duello TV! Blog: www.pathofthesword.com Training Matrial: duello.tv Marozzo's Sword and Small Bukler: https://youtu.be/3fLu2sby4bU

In this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi, Stephen and Joshua talk to Richard Cullinan of Stocatta School of Defense in Australia.

Hey! Happy St. Petronius day! In honor of the patron saint of Bologna, we decided to do a special episode featuring the history of the city from antiquity to the death of Sante Bentivoglio (which takes right up to the timeline we cover in Maestro Wars), along with some intresting facts spanning into the modern era. Then, we wrap it up with an interesting discussion on the attributes of the city that made Bologna unique in the Medieval and Renaissance world, namely its gates, and it's canals.

On New Years Eve 1516 Count Guido Rangoni fought Count Ugo Pepoli in a duel on a field prepared for them by the Marquis of Mantua, Francesco Gonzaga. The duel was fought with sword and bronze guantlet. These two men feature prominantly throughout the fencing treatises of the Bolognese tradition. Both Ugo Pepoli and Guido Rangoni are hailed by Angelo Viggiani as paragons of the the art in his treatise Lo Schermo, Achille Marozzo dedicated his work, Opera Nova, to Guido Rangoni in 1536, and Giovanni dall'Aggochie dedicated his corpus, Dell'Arte di Scrima Libri Tre, to a later relative of Ugo Peopli, Fabio Pepoli in 1572. Part one of this seven part series initiates the exploration of these two men's lives, and the rivalry that inspired them to stake their lives in the barriers. After Episode Discussion: Mancino da Bologna Debate on the legacy of Pope Julius II Sword and Small Buckler: Anonimo and Manciolino

Dr. Dori Coblentz brings her perspective as a scholar of the history of technical communication, and applies her knowledge to the fencing manuals we all know and love.

In this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi, Stephen and Joshua press Greg Mele on what it takes to structure a school, what constitutes a good interpretation, validating interpretations, how to deal with the challenges of interpretation, the value of history in WMA/HEMA and how that affects interpretation... *Take a breath* ...What constitutes a good translation, the perils of translation, how we should approach exisiting translations, creating new translations, and then we end it with our favorite Condottieri. *Whew* Boy, if this isn't the most informative two hours of your life! Stay suacy my friends!

David Biggs is back! Following-up on our previous discussion, David and Josh dive deep into tactics, and suss out the secret sauce of Antonio Manciolino's Opera Nova.

In this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi, we begin our monthly installment of Maestro Wars, a histroical deep-dive on this history of the city of Bologna, featuring two larger than life figures, Guido Rangoni and Ugo Pepoli. This months installment features a narrative teaser, a look at Marozzo and Viggiani's text where they mention our noble characters, and a discussion about the founding of il Casino. Stay saucy my friends!

In this episode I talk to Arik Mendelevitz, Arik (are-rick) has been doing martial arts since 2001 and historical fencing since 2008. Although his initial focus was in the rapier of Nicoletto Giganti, in the past few years he has moved more and more into the Bolognese school, focusing equally on sidesword and the sword in two hands. He has used his study of the Bolognese texts to help him win numerous SCA cut & thrust tournaments. During lockdown he spent an entire year teaching live, online, Bolognese longsword classes. He is currently slated as a guest instructor for the upcoming Bolognese-focused VISS and is excited to expand his horizons and cross-pollinate with folks from the HEMA world. In addition to his fencing, Arik is also a professional circus performer focusing on juggling and fire performing. Check out his Blog: https://foolofswords.home.blog/

This week's guest is Ian Davis, Ian studies Italian fencing from the 14th to 16th centuries, including Fiore, Pietro Monte, and later Bolognese and Paduan sidesword methods. He teaches dagger and wrestling at Boston Amrmazare, he transitioned to HEMA from Filipino Martial arts from Jeet Kune Do, and focuses on bringing Fiore into the modern combative/self-defense context. He's published translated the works of Philippo Vadi, and the Anonimo Riccardiano. https://www.lulu.com/shop/philippo-vadi-and-connor-kemp-cowell-and-ian-davis/wielding-the-light-of-mars/hardcover/product-mv6k87.html?page=1&pageSize=4

This week's guest is the Vadi master himself, the Steve Zissou of Hipster Longsword, Mr. Connor Kemp-Cowell. Connor is by far one of my favorite fencers in HEMA, his dedication to, and utilization of canonical techniques doesn't only look amazing, it's helped him make it to the finals in scores of tournaments across the US. He's a dedicated scholar that doesn't take himself too seriously, keeping kindness, equity, and courtesey in the forefront of his affront on the HEMA Community, where he's helped bring Vadi from the fringes of the collective conscious into the imaginations of practitioners of every discipline. Connor is a truly special human being, a bonafide hero that's worked on the front lines of the pandemic in a busy emergency room in Philly, on top of being an incredibly accomplished fencer. He's started to dive into the Bolognese texts, so I thought it would be a good time to pull him away from saving lives and kicking ass to ask him how that was going. https://www.lulu.com/shop/philippo-vadi-and-connor-kemp-cowell-and-ian-davis/wielding-the-light-of-mars/hardcover/product-mv6k87.html?page=1&pageSize=4

In this week's episode of l'Arte Dell Armi, I get the distinct pleasure of talking with Devon Boorman, co-founder and director of Academie Duello, in Vancouver, Canada. From Ted Talks to Academie Duello online, Deven has reached, mentored, and inspired fencers across the globe. Website: www.academieduello.com DuelloTV: www.duello.tv Swordplay Masterclass (www.swordplaymasterclass.com) and the event website www.vancouverswordplay.com

In this week's episode of l'Arte Dell Armi, I sit down and talk with Fran Lacuata. Fran is a freelance writer and editor, lead instructor at The School of the Sword in Godalming, UK, and the CEO and founder of By the Sword; she's has been studying Bolognese swordplay and Rapier for over eleven years. We talk a lot about sword and buckler, a little Rapier, weave our way through the sources, and wrap it all up by talking about all of the awesome projects she's involved in; from tournaments, events, to her awesome podcast. Check it out, and stay saucy my friends! Link to the By the Sword Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/by-sword-podcast-43814873 -or- https://www.patreon.com/swordwomen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordwomen/ By the sword website (event and podcast: https://bythesword.net/

Pike Pullen is an instructor at Swordwind historical swordsmanship in Charlotte, NC. He started out studying early KdF, and eventually transitioned to studying the Bolognese system. For the past four years, he's almost exclusively studied the four principle texts of the Bolognese system, and some destreza, focusing on the works of Godinho.

In this installment of l'Arte Dell Armi, Stephen Fratus and I pour a drink, sit down, and chat about Bolognese fencing, no structure, no script, just two dudes, hanging out, talking fencing.

In this episode of l'Arte Dell Armi, I sit down with the legendary Greg Mele, draw some conclusions on some of the themes I've been discussing in previous episodes, and get into some really great tangents about historical martial arts, and modern recreations of those arts. Check out the Chicago Swordplay Guild here: https://www.chicagoswordplayguild.com/ And their awesome YouTube offerings here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChicagoSwordplay

https://www.thokk-research.com/ In part 2 of this week's episode I talk to Dario Alberto Magnani about Fiore, Vadi, and the Bolognese system, and how we can view these systems in the context of history.

https://www.thokk-research.com/ In part 1 of this week's episode I talk to Dario Alberto Magnani about the upcoming Weapon Master Gauntlets. Their features, their limitations, and how they compare to the other five finger gloves on the market.

Tatershall School of Defense: https://tattershall.org/ David's Instructor Page: https://tattershall.org/washington-dc/david-biggs/?fbclid=IwAR229kl6CnVbCR93tFfrfg7UK65SeNsDNsT9w8zWksubvNJsJtffTtoaYoc _____________________________________________________________________ David's Lecture on the Vienna Anonymous: https://youtu.be/i2AWvK7pwzY Lord Baltimore's Challenge: http://www.lordbaltimoreschallenge.com/index.html ___________________________________________________________ Guy's write up: https://guywindsor.net/2019/07/american-adventures/ Devon's from LBC #1: https://www.academieduello.com/news-blog/event-report-lord-baltimores-challenge/ Tatershall School of Defense: https://tattershall.org/

This week's guest is Michael Chidester, director of Wiktenauer, and owner of HEMA Bookshelf. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/michaelchidester HEMA Bookshelf: https://www.hemabookshelf.com/ Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/manuscript-facsimile-kunst-des-messerfechtens/x/1789830#/

Elionora Rebecchi is the Creative Director and Sales Manager of Malleus Martialis. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna Italy, Elionora is a passionate swordswoman, and researcher. In this week's episode we talk about what goes into the design of historical swords, and what makes Malleus Martialis' swords so special! Check out Malleus Martials' collection: https://malleusmartialis.com/