Despite their distinct dislike for things Catholic and South European, Elizabethans were suckers for Italian fencing techniques and concepts of honor and dueling.
Some of the most prominent figures of the cultural elite of the period engaged in Italian-style swordplay. Among them was the poet Christopher Marlowe, whom we’re catching on an Indian summer afternoon on the outskirts of London, sword in hand, and ready to engage in moderate mayhem… Continue reading
Posted in 16th Century, 17th Century, Duel, fencing, Library, rapier
Tagged christopher marlowe, Elizabethan duel, rapier duel, secret history of the sword
We’ve kicked off the new year with two executive decisions:
First, we discovered that the publishing rights of The Secret History of the Sword have reverted back to us. And we noticed that we’ve yet again strayed far from pure “FencingClassics”—back into coverage of pretty much all eras and systems in which people pummeled each other with sharp iron. Hence, what better new-old programmatic name for our blog than “The Secret History of the Sword”? Continue reading
Running a successful fencing club takes strategic thinking. Especially if you’ve built your business on your reputation as a fencing champion. After all, champions are not self-appointed but made—by meeting challengers.
The Angelos had first-hand experience in this. And Henry Angelo seems to have been good at playing his opponents… Continue reading
Who is this guy?
J. Christoph Amberger was born and raised in Cold-War West Berlin, Germany. He studied in Berlin, Göttingen, Continue reading
