The practice of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) first started in Australia in the late 19th century before largely dying out. There was then a revival of interest in the late 20th century to the current day. The practice of HEMA in Australia has grown to be a popular activity, with clubs all in capital cities, and the larger cities in Australia, Sydney and Melbourne, each have a number of clubs teaching various styles.
Unusually, Australia was the scene for relatively well attended broadsword competitions, in the late 19th century. Some of the first practice of HEMA in Australia occurred when an English champion of the broadsword, Captain Duncan Ross, fought another British military instructor, Captain Jennings in San Francisco. Though Ross won the tournament, Jennings left the United States, to travel to Australia. Jennings then fought a mounted sword competition with a local challenger, "Sergeant J. R. Donovan., late Drill Instructor to 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, Champion Swordsman of Australia.". [1] Hearing of this, Ross took the first boat to Australia, and challenged Jennings to a tournament, to confirm his title. The initial tournament, in December 1889, saw Ross break his sword and the tournament was postponed. The follow-up tournament was attended by 5600 people. The final tournament was attended by 25,000 people, with Jennings defeating Ross, an early large interest in Australian Hema (from a spectators point of view, at least0. However, Jennings himself was then defeated by an Australian, Sergeant J. R. Donovan. Donovan eventually lost the title to a Professor Parker, who was the last person to hold the title, remaining unchallenged till his death in Sydney, in April, 1916. [1]
Some HEMA in Australia had been practiced, in the later part of the early 20th century, mainly in the context of the Australian Military. The Australian defence forces practiced sword drills, and some competitions and mounted sword combat. Additionally, the military sometimes would run "Assault at Arms exhibitions". HEMA in Australia was featured by soldiers performing feats of arms, often for charity, including in at least one case, Bartitsu [2]
Probably the earliest HEMA activity in Australia was that of Stephen Hand, Andrew Brew and Peter Radvan who started researching rapier and sword from period manuals in the mid 80s and teaching in around 1990. At this time, most European style combat in Australia was in the context of Historical reenactment in Australia. With few primary sources available, it was largely improvised with little relationship to authentic historical practice. [3] [4] All three men were involved in Re-enactment groups but wanted to move more into the actual study of period combat techniques.
Stephen Hand originally from Hobart, moved to Sydney, where Brew and Radvan lived in 1989, and together they taught themselves and researched historical fencing from the few resources they had available. When they discovered the American scholar Patri Pugliese who collected, copied and sold historical fencing manuals, they gained access to more material but continued teaching as part of several historical reenactment groups. They started the Stoccata School of Defence, Gordon, Sydney in August 1998, which was one of the first groups in Australia to approach HEMA as a traditional art of defence in itself, rather than in the context of re-enacting a period or era. One of the early stars of Stoccata was Paul Wagner who rapidly rose to become a fourth instructor. Stephen and Paul have gone on to teach HEMA all over the world and to write a number of highly regarded books on various HEMA systems.
At around the same time Julian Clark, a modern fencing instructor was exploring historical fencing in Canberra and founded the Finesse Academy of Fencing.
A few other clubs started to form around this time, with Scott McDonald forming the Australian College of Arms (ACA) in Brisbane and then restarting it in Melbourne when he moved there. [5] In 1995 a group of mostly Italian and German competitive fencers from Penrith Fencing Academy and Double Eagle at the German Austrian Club (Winter, Sanders, Ketibian, et al.) introduced training and formal competition in rapier and broadsword forming an unnamed group that endured until 2005 when it merged with the Sydney chapter of the Masonic Academy of Arms. Their use of historical weapons was done with modern electric fencing gear and led to some technical advances in modernizing medieval weapons to be electric by a swordsmith and historian in their academy leading to the first electric period weapons, including spears and axes.
In September 1999 Scott McDonald organised one of the first open group events for historical fencing in Australia, named the first Historical Fencing Meeting (later to be called Historical Fencing Conferences) in Brisbane. At around the same time in Brisbane fencers who were part of the Historical Armed Combat Association (HACA) broke away to form their own fencing organisations. Notable among these was Bill Carew, who formed Collegium in Armis, which continues to operate to this day.
Historical Fencing Conferences were held yearly from 1999. International guests were invited to teach at these conferences, including Bob Charron, Ramon and Jeannette Martinez, Tom Leoni, and Milo Thurston. In 2000, the idea of an association for historical fencing groups was raised. This became the Australian Historical Swordplay Federation, and formally started in 2002, with Stephen Hand as the first President. [3]
In Melbourne, after Scott McDonald moved to Brisbane, the Melbourne Swordplay Guild was formed (in 2003)from those old members of the Australian College of Arms that wanted to continue. Initially the group used the Stoccata syllabus of George Silver. Members of the Melbourne Swordplay Guild went on to form numerous clubs in Melbourne, Die Fechtschule in 2005, GLECA (Glen Lachlann Estate College of Arms), Fechtschule Victoria in 2013, Scholar Victoria in 2017, and most recently BAA (Barwon Academy of Arms) in 2020. [5] [6] [7]
By 2004, Stoccata in Sydney had grown and had spawned a Tasmanian group, to become Australia's first interstate club. [8] Stoccata now have ten branches Australia wide. [9]
Over the years seminars have benefited from visiting overseas experts in HEMA, including visits to Sydney and Melbourne by Arne Koets, Guy Windsor (an expert in Italian Swordsmanship) Puck Curtis and most recently, Ingulf Kohlweiss, chief trainer of INDES Salzburg (Austria) [10] and Peter Smallridge from the UK.
Some Rapier has developed within the Australian branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism, the Kingdom of Lochac, with some SCA members learning SCA fencing (which has become more based on period practice over time) and some SCA fencers in Melbourne starting separate schools of Historical swordsmanship distinct from the SCA.
By 2017, the interest in HEMA had grown to the point where there were clubs in most large cities in Australia [5] [11]
Some equipment, mainly for HEMA Longsword is designed in Australia, with synthetic swords and protective gauntlets made by WMA shop in Sydney, and Gambesons for Longsword designed in Melbourne by AESIR.
The Australian Historical Swordplay Federation formed in 2002, and was the first group in Australia with the aim of being an umbrella group for groups practicing HEMA. The Federation was initially formed with 5 groups, Stoccata, ACA, Finesse, Gemeiner Academy and Prima Spada. This association ran for a number of years, conducted research and ran annual conferences. The Federation also hosted an annual conference and fought the anti-sword legislation in the Australian states of Victoria and NSW, helping to stop the banning of Swords in the latter state. Stephen Hand was the inaugural President, with the Presidency eventually going to Scott Nimmo in Melbourne. However support and interest in the Federation petered out, and the Federation was wound up in 2014.
With the activity of the Australian Historical Swordplay Federation winding down, another group was formed by Scott Nimmo in Melbourne. Like the Federation, this group's aim was to act as an umbrella group for HEMA clubs active in Australia. This was the Western Martial Academies of Australia (WMAA). The WMAA has 10 groups as either members or affiliates, and liaises with groups over issues including syllabi, members and safety, and has organised over 50 tournaments.
In 2018 the Historical Fencing Association (HFA) another umbrella organisation, was formed by Jerry Gullotti along with fencers from Queensland, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Sydney. This group was formed to focus more heavily on the sporting aspects of HEMA, to provide a unified insurance system for member clubs, and assist clubs with standards for safety, rules, and starting new clubs. At the close of 2019 HFA had 17 member/affiliate groups.
Within HEMA in Australia, there is a wide variety of weapons and martial styles practiced. The 20 or so clubs in Australia have a wide area of focus and practice, using various particular weapons and practicing various styles. Some focus on one weapon and the use of it, while others will focus on a number of weapons in the same period, and others will focus on different periods. Early clubs in Australia focused primarily on rapier, sidesword and backsword, largely because of the interest of the practitioners, and the limited availability of English language or translated manuals at the time. Later clubs focused on Longsword, with some clubs focusing on the German school of fencing while others focused on the Italian school of swordsmanship. In recent times, there has also been a focus on Victorian era martial arts within HEMA in Australia, including Savate, Canne de combat, Sabre, Bartitsu and Boxing. [12]
The annual Australian Historical Swordplay Convention, primarily a teaching event, was hosted and attended by diverse Australian groups from 1999 to 2006. It was held initially in Brisbane in 1999 and then 2006, Sydney in 2000 and 2004, Canberra in 2001 and 2005, the Gold Coast in 2003 and Melbourne in 2002.
In 2009 Scott McDonald started what was to become one of the largest and longest running Historical European Martial Arts events, Swordplay. Swordplay initially started with all the groups in Brisbane competing, under a group of rules devised to be acceptable as much as possible, for all participants. The event is the longest running tournament of its kind in Australia, still running in 2016. [13] At times Swordplay has been referred to as the National tournament for HEMA, but the organisers themselves and many participants acknowledge there are now in fact a number of tournaments, and there currently is no official recognised “national” event.
In May 2015, Sword Fight Gold Coast was run. Building of the Swordplay and Nordic models, Sword Fight was developed to provide a professional indoor event for Queensland historical fencers. Additionally, Sword Fight provided access to novice divisions using synthetic weapons in order to provide an inclusive environment for rookie fencers. In 2016 this event became the first tournament in Australia to include a women's division. [14]
In 2015 Australia's Stoccata School of Defence hosted a revival of the World Broadsword Championship in Sydney, Australia. This event, held throughout the late 19th century in England, the United States and Australia was last won by Professor Parker in Sydney in 1891. Parker was never challenged. The 2015 event was won by Paul Wagner of Sydney, also the current holder of the Glorianna Cup, the broadsword championship of Britain. Lewis Hand of Hobart, Australia won the junior title. In the tradition of the 19th century title, the championship is held in the home town of the current Champion. As such the championship was held again in Sydney in September 2017 with Paul Wagner once again claiming victory. In June 2018 the championship was held at the Australian Western Martial Arts Convention (AWMAC) in Sydney. It was won by Mark Holgate of the Adelaide Sword Academy who will host the next championship in Adelaide in 2019. AWMAC was hosted by Stoccata in Sydney Australia in June 2016. It built off a similar event run in Wellington, New Zealand in October 2015, and it was originally planned to hold this event on different sides of the Tasman Sea in alternate years. That hasn't proved successful and hence AWMAC will become an annual event, with the next one scheduled for June 2019.
Fechtschule Victoria ran their inaugural Festival Of The Sword in 2016, a large tournament and seminar with international guests, in Melbourne Australia.
Scholar Victoria ran their first Oktoberfecht Charity Tournament in 2018, a Meyer-centric competition in Dusack, Sidesword, and Longsword, with all profits going to local charities.
In Western Australia, War in the West has been hosted by House Darksun since 2015, and will be hosted by Ursa Major HEMA Academy from 2019.
In Tasmania the Tasmanian Swordplay Symposium, a teaching and tournament event was held in early December 2017 and is planned to be an annual event.
Australia has an official league circuit, the Australian Historical Fencing League (http://www.aushistoricalfencing.org/). Established in 2016 by a HEMA practitioner, Alexander Roberson, it allocates points for placement in recognised tournaments. The tournaments are held in the various states of Australia, and are divided into two tiers. With this, a leaderboard has been established to indicate where participating HEMA practitioners are placed. It fulfills a few roles for HEMA Australia practitioners by encouraging participation in tournaments and their associated conferences, supporting participating conferences/tournaments by highlighting their existence, encouraging people to travel to different tournaments, and also to build the HEMA community in Australia. State representatives are nominated, and then voted on to the committee by those in the hema community from their respective state, on a yearly basis. The first election was held December 2016, with reps from 6 states voted on to the committee.
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. The three disciplines of modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre ; each discipline uses a different kind of blade, which shares the same name, and employs its own rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one discipline. The modern sport gained prominence near the end of the 19th century and is based on the traditional skill set of swordsmanship. The Italian school altered the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refined that system. Scoring points in a fencing competition is done by making contact with an opponent.
A rapier or espada ropera is a type of sword originally used in Renaissance Spain. The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It was widely popular in Western Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries as a symbol of nobility or gentleman status.
Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword. The formation of the English word "swordsman" is parallel to the Latin word gladiator, a term for the professional fighters who fought against each other and a variety of other foes for the entertainment of spectators in the Roman Empire. The word gladiator itself comes from the Latin word gladius, which is a type of sword.
Historical European martial arts (HEMA) are martial arts of European origin, particularly using arts formerly practised, but having since died out or evolved into very different forms.
The German school of fencing is a system of combat taught in the Holy Roman Empire during the Late Medieval, German Renaissance, and early modern periods. It is described in the contemporary Fechtbücher written at the time. The geographical center of this tradition was in what is now Southern Germany including Augsburg, Frankfurt, and Nuremberg. During the period in which it was taught, it was known as the Kunst des Fechtens, or the "Art of Fighting". The German school of fencing focuses primarily on the use of the two-handed longsword; it also describes the use of many other weapons, including polearms, medieval daggers, messers, and the staff, as well as describing mounted combat and unarmed grappling (ringen).
Singlestick is a martial art that uses a wooden stick as its weapon. It began as a way of training soldiers in the use of backswords. Canne de combat, a French form of stick fighting, is similar to singlestick play, which also includes a self-defense variant with a walking stick.
In martial arts, a waster is a practice weapon, usually a sword, and usually made out of wood, though nylon (plastic) wasters are also available. Nylon is safer than wood, due to it having an adequate amount of flex for thrusts to be generally safe, unlike wooden wasters. Even a steel feder has more flex than most wooden wasters. The use of wood or nylon instead of metal provides an economic option for initial weapons training and sparring, at some loss of genuine experience. A weighted waster may be used for a sort of strength training, theoretically making the movements of using an actual sword comparatively easier and quicker, though modern sports science shows that an athlete would most optimally train with an implement which is closest to the same weight, balance, and shape of the tool they will be using. Wasters as wooden practice weapons have been found in a variety of cultures over a number of centuries, including ancient China, Ireland, Iran, Scotland, Rome, Egypt, medieval and renaissance Europe, Japan, and into the modern era in Europe and the United States. Over the course of time, wasters took a variety of forms not necessarily influenced by chronological succession, ranging from simple sticks to clip-point dowels with leather basket hilts to careful replicas of real swords.
Bartitsu is an eclectic martial art and self-defence method originally developed in England in 1898–1902, combining elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane fighting and French kickboxing (savate). In 1903, it was immortalised by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories. Dormant throughout most of the 20th century, Bartitsu has experienced a revival since 2002.
The term Italian school of swordsmanship is used to describe the Italian style of fencing and edged-weapon combat from the time of the first extant Italian swordsmanship treatise (1409) to the days of classical fencing.
Joachim Meyer was a self-described Freifechter living in the then Free Imperial City of Strasbourg in the 16th century and the author of a fechtbuch Gründtliche Beschreibung der Kunst des Fechtens first published in 1570.
Fencing master Vincentio Saviolo, though Italian born and raised, authored one of the first books on fencing to be available in the English language.
The Company of Maisters of the Science of Defence was an organisation formed in England during the reign of Henry VIII to regulate the teaching of the Arte of Defence or fencing, using a range of weapons, including the rapier, quarterstaff, and, most notably, the broadsword.
Alfred Hutton FSA was a British Army officer, antiquarian and writer. Serving during the Victorian era in the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, he played a major role in the revival of historical fencing in England, together with fellow fencers Egerton Castle, Ernest Stenson-Cooke, Sir Frederick Pollock and Walter Herries Pollock.
The oldest surviving manual on western swordsmanship dates back to the 14th century, although historical references date fencing schools back to the 12th century.
The Chicago Swordplay Guild is a modern school of swordsmanship and Western martial arts, and non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It provides organized instruction in the study and practice of historical European swordplay, with a principal focus on the Italian school of swordsmanship and other martial arts of the 14th–17th centuries. Co-founded in 1999 by Gregory Mele and Mark Rector, the Chicago Swordplay Guild seeks to be consistent with the methodology of the ancient European fencing schools by combining scholarship and research into the teachings of the historical Masters, with the practical knowledge gained through solo and partnered drilling and fencing. Since techniques are taught in reference to how effective they would be in a real encounter, the Guild practices with an absolute emphasis on safety, control, competence, and skill at arms.
Nova Scrimia is an Italian organisation which promotes the teaching of the Italian school of swordsmanship, of stick fencing, of short range fencing (dagger) and of unarmed fencing from the documented period that goes from the 15th century to the 20th century. Nova Scrimia is currently represented in Italy and other European countries, in USA and in Mexico.
Schola Gladiatoria (SG) is a historical European martial arts (HEMA) group based in Ealing, west London, Great Britain, founded in 2001 and led by Matt Easton. It provides organized instruction in the serious study and practice of historical European swordplay. Schola seeks to be consistent with the methodology of the ancient European fencing schools by combining scholarship and research into the teachings of the historical masters, with the practical knowledge gained through solo and partnered drilling, and free play (sparring).
Laurentius Guild (Laurentiusgildet) is a historical European martial arts group headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark with chapters in Nyborg and Vordingborg. Its membership consists of academic researchers specializing in fencing with a focus on the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Renaissance Sword Club is a historical European martial arts group based in London, South East of England and Brittany, France. It was founded in 2013 by Rob Runacres. Its primary aim is the research and recreation of European swordsmanship of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, specifically those concerned with the rapier and spada da lato, as well as their companion weapons such as the dagger, cloak, buckler and rotella. Members have also pursued interests outside of the core curriculum in to staff weapons, longsword and small sword.
While the majority of surviving sources concerning the use of the two-handed longsword detail the German school of swordsmanship and the Italian school of swordsmanship, there was also a smaller English school with its own techniques. The body of techniques used in English Longsword use has survived to the modern day in three manuscripts: The Ledall Roll ; Man yt Wol and the British Library Cotton Titus Manuscript
