Schola Gladiatoria

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Official logo of the Schola Gladiatoria Schola Gladiatoria logo.jpg
Official logo of the Schola Gladiatoria

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 (nom de guerre "Captain Context"). [1] [2] 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 (martial arts manuals), with the practical knowledge gained through solo and partnered drilling, and free play (sparring).

Contents

History

Schola Gladiatoria was officially founded in 2001, though the founding members had been training with other HEMA organizations. The director of SG had first trained with the Company of Maisters, [3] a group established in 1997 and led by Terry Brown, [4] one of the HEMA pioneers in Great Britain. Later Matt Easton joined The Exiles [5] and had been its co-director.

Chapters and curriculum

The Pisani-Dossi MS (1409) Pisani Dossi Ms. 20v.jpg
The Pisani-Dossi MS (1409)

The group has two chapters: [6]

SG1 (in Ealing, west London)
Classes vary each week between four main subjects - Medieval longsword fencing (two-handed sword) according to Fiore dei Liberi (c.1380–1410); Medieval defence against dagger and dagger against dagger, also according to Fiore dei Liberi's system; Medieval/Renaissance one-handed sword and buckler fencing, according to various sources including Marozzo (1484–1553); and Victorian sabre fencing according to Professor John Musgrave Waite (c.1865–1884) and Captain Alfred Hutton (c.1861–1889). This chapter is taught by Matt Easton.
SG6 (in Bradford, West Yorkshire)
Concentrates on longsword according to various German sources in the Liechtenauer lineage (c.1380–1550), Georgian military sabre according to Charles Roworth (c.1798–1830), and rapier from a variety of sources. Classes also sometimes cover Tomahawk & Bowie, sword and buckler and dagger. This chapter is taught by Colin Fieldhouse, Chris Bentley, Richard Scholefield and Stephen Shepherd.

There have been other chapters over the years, some of which have now been closed, amalgamated or formed independent collaborative groups (hence the 'missing' numbers between SG1 and SG6). [7]

Rankings

J M Waite Lessons in sabre... (1880) J M Waite Plate XIII.jpg
J M Waite Lessons in sabre... (1880)
Alfred Hutton Cold Steel (1889) Hutton Plate 3.jpg
Alfred Hutton Cold Steel (1889)

Schola uses ranks for its students and teachers. These are intended to help people focus on self-improvement, have something to aim towards, reward hard work, give more official responsibility to the experienced members and help classes run more smoothly. The following rankings are used: Novice, Scholar, Free Scholar, Provost and Senior Provost, roughly equating to the ranks of the London Company of Masters of Defence of the 16th century.

These ranks represent a combination of understanding of the art and ability to use it - the balance being more on knowledge and experience, rather than pure fighting ability. New students begin as Novices. Ranks are awarded by the director, with advice from the higher ranks. A degree of testing may be applied, involving theoretical and fighting parts: for instance in order to attain Free Scholar rank students are required to participate in a modern version of Prize Playing. [8]

Programs and services

Member of HEMAC HEMAC logo.jpg
Member of HEMAC

Programs and services provided by Schola Gladiatoria:

Members of Schola Gladiatoria have a good track record in martial arts tournaments: Glorianna Cup (singlestick), BFHS longsword competition, HEMAC-Dijon longsword competition, FightCamp cutting competition, FightCamp Assault at Arms (singlestick), HEMAC-Dijon rapier competition, Dreynevent (Vienna) and Swordfish (Gothenburg).

Matt Easton and other members of Schola Gladiatoria have lectured and demonstrated at the Royal Armouries, the Tower of London, the Wallace Collection and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, amongst other places.

In 2000 Schola was a founding part of HEMAC (Historical European Martial Arts Coalition), [10] which is a pan-European organization of martial artists and researchers dedicated to the study of traditional European fighting arts and martial traditions. In 2006 SG joined the BFHS (British Federation for Historical Swordplay). [11] It was among seven WMA groups which featured in a documentary called Reclaiming the Blade (2009). Also Schola has featured in several videos on longsword training, Victorian sabre sparring, created by WOMA TV (World of Martial Arts Television) (2012). [12]

FightCamp

Official logo of the Fightcamp FightCamp logo.jpg
Official logo of the Fightcamp

FightCamp [13] is run by Matt Easton of Schola Gladiatoria (London). It has been running since 2004 and has grown from a small informal gathering at a historical site between a handful of groups to one of the largest international HEMA events in the world. In 2010 it was moved to a commercial site in the Midlands especially developed for such events. The event now attracts over 20 instructors and up to 200 students every year.

FightCamp is a three-day event - starting on Friday morning and ending on Sunday afternoon - providing classes, competitions, trading and the opportunity for free exchange of European martial arts and related subjects. Classes cover subjects such as medieval knightly combat - using weapons like longswords, daggers and pollaxes - through to renaissance rapier duelling, Baroque smallsword techniques, Georgian pugilism, Victorian bayonet practice and wrestling, and even modern self-protection and fitness classes.

Forum

Schola Gladiatoria's homepage hosts an influential forum, [14] [15] dedicated to HEMA, swordsmanship, martial arts and military history. The forum is an important channel of community discussion within the group, also between the members of worldwide HEMA community, and currently has over 1800 registered users. [16] It contains several discussion areas (sub-forums) on: general martial arts; Fiore dei Liberi; Johannes Liechtenauer; Victorian martial arts; modern self-protection & combatives; arms & armour, history, militaria, archaeology, art; historical missile martial arts; reviews; and

Publications

Affiliates

Schola maintains close fraternal ties to many different HEMA and WMA organizations. The following organizations are those with whom it collaborates to share resources and research and to cross-pollinate curriculum and methodology:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longsword</span> Sword (two-handed, double-edged)

A longsword is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use, a straight double-edged blade of around 80 to 110 cm, and weighing approximately 1 to 1.5 kg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiore dei Liberi</span>

Fiore Furlano de Cividale d'Austria, delli Liberi da Premariacco was a late 14th century knight, diplomat, and itinerant fencing master.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swordsmanship</span> Skills of a person versed in the art of the sword

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Liechtenauer</span>

Johannes Liechtenauer was a German fencing master who had a great level of influence on the German fencing tradition in the 14th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical European martial arts</span> Martial arts of European origin

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.

Martial arts manuals are instructions, with or without illustrations, specifically designed to be learnt from a book. Many books detailing specific techniques of martial arts are often erroneously called manuals but were written as treatises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German school of fencing</span> South German fencing tradition

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigmund Ringeck</span>

Sigmund Schining ein Ringeck was a German fencing master. While the meaning of the surname "Schining" is uncertain, the suffix "ain Ringeck" may indicate that he came from the Rhineland region of south-western Germany. He is named in the text of his treatise as Schirmaister to one Duke Albrecht, Count Palatine of Rhine and Duke of Bavaria. Other than this, the only thing that can be determined about his life is that his renown as a master was sufficient for Paulus Kal to include him on his memorial to the deceased masters of the Society of Liechtenauer in 1470. Ringeck seems to have authored one of the few complete glosses of the epitome of the grand master Johannes Liechtenauer, making him one of the most important German fencing masters of the 15th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gladiatoria</span> 15th-century German combat manual

The Gladiatoria Group is a series of several 15th-century German manuscripts that share the same art style and cover the same material—various types of armored combat. The texts are contemporary with the tradition of Johannes Liechtenauer, but not directly influenced by it. Gladiatoria is thus one of very few glimpses into the characteristics of a potentially independent German martial tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian school of swordsmanship</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joachim Meyer</span>

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.

Association for Renaissance Martial Arts (ARMA) is a US-based non-profit organization dedicated to the study and practice of historical European martial arts of the 15th to 17th centuries.

De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi was written by Italian fencing master Filippo Vadi between 1482 and 1487. It consists of an opening prologue describing the art of fencing followed by colored plates illustrating specific techniques for the longsword, dagger, pollaxe, spear and club. While much of what he describes closely follows the work of Fiore dei Liberi, author of Flos Duellatorum, Vadi's work also differs in some respects, including his footwork and several original techniques of his own.

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.

Bolognese Swordsmanship, also sometimes known as the Dardi school, is a tradition within the Italian school of swordsmanship which is based on the surviving fencing treatises published by several 16th century fencing masters of Bologna, As early as the 14th century several fencing masters were living and teaching in the city: a maestro Rosolino in 1338, a maestro Nerio in 1354, and a maestro Francesco in 1385.

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.

Chivalry Bookshelf was a small press based in the United States founded by Brian R. Price which published booklets and books from 1992 to 2007. It was most notable for its contributions to the Society of Creative Anachronism and the early historical fencing movement and for a dispute about plagiarism and nonpayment of royalties in 2011-12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ars Ensis</span>

Ars Ensis is the largest Hungarian HEMA association. It is a non-profit martial arts organization whose members research and teach mainly medieval and Renaissance historical European martial arts, based on period sources. The instructors of AE have been working on creating this HEMA community since 2003, and Ars Ensis has been operating as a Hungarian incorporated association since 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurentius Guild</span>

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.

References

  1. Every Time Matt Easton Says CONTEXT , retrieved 2022-09-21
  2. "Who are the pioneers of HEMA?". r/wma. 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  3. "The Company of Maisters. Home Page". Maisters.demon.co.uk. 1998-07-30. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  4. "Terry Brown's School of English Martial Arts". Terrybrownenglishmartialarts.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  5. "Welcome to The Exiles". The-exiles.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  6. "Schola Gladiatoria - sword fighting classes in London, Manchester and Bradford". Fioredeiliberi.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  7. "SCHOLA FORUM • View topic - Schola Gladiatoria". Fioredeiliberi.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  8. "SCHOLA FORUM • View topic - SG1 Ranks". Fioredeiliberi.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  9. "HEMAC". HEMAC. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  10. "HEMAC". HEMAC. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  11. BFHS. "Member Groups". BFHS. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  12. "World of Martial Arts - Watching "Longsword Sparring"". Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  13. "FightCamp". Fioredeiliberi.org. 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  14. "SCHOLA FORUM • Index page". Fioredeiliberi.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  15. "Fioredeiliberi.org Site Info". Alexa.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  16. Forum The automated activity log reads "Statistics: Total members: 1816" as of January 14, 2013.
  17. "SCHOLA FORUM • View forum - Online Fencing and Martial Treatises". Fioredeiliberi.org. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  18. Number of available treatises as of January 16, 2013.
  19. "Chris Dobson Online Shop". Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  20. "Ars Ensis". Arsensis.hu. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  21. "Hem". Ghfs.se. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
External images
Searchtool.svg A training session at the Schola
Searchtool.svg A small-sword instructor at the FightCamp
Searchtool.svg Longsword training
Searchtool.svg Longsword training