Category Archives: History

The Flamberge

Posted on July 16, 2015 by S

Related to the German flammenschwert (flame sword), the flamberge (flame blade) was a rapier variation named for its undulating blade. Found among the upper class in the 17th Century, the flamberge variant is also seen in the transitional rapier, the … Continue reading →

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Intact Spanish Shipwreck with 17th Century Swords Found

Posted on May 17, 2015 by S

My personal interests for all things anthropological & archaeological may be showing, but I think this is a story to watch for anyone interested in historic swords, even though it predates our main focus on the Classical Period. Archaeologists searching … Continue reading →

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Angelo on Mounting and Choosing a Blade

Posted on February 8, 2015 by S

Domenico Angelo’s L’Ecole des Armes Several historic texts on small sword and classical fencing have withstood the test of time.  Few have resonated as well as Domenico Angelo’s L’Ecole des Armes, originally written in French and published in London in … Continue reading →

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Monsieur L’Abbat on Blade Cant and Bend

Posted on February 8, 2015 by S

Not so easily found, this digitized plate from L’Abbat (Labat) is signficantly more detailed than the plates in the digitized treatise circulating the web. Note the defender’s bent blade tip. Monsieur Labat (the translator, Andrew Mahon, misspelled Labat’s name as … Continue reading →

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Diderot: Modern Arms & Blades, 1765

Posted on February 4, 2015 by S

From the Encyclopédie of Diderot & d’Alembert, 1765.

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