Masters of Defence or Masters of Fencing is a widespread guild of teachers specializing in

close combat Close-quarters battle (CQB), also called close-quarters combat (CQC), is a close combat situation between multiple combatants involving ranged (typically firearm-based) or melee combat. It can occur between military units, law enforcement and cr ...

military techniques with weapons, civilian fighting skills, and unarmed combat. The title was coined during the

medieval period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

, and referred to men who were particularly skilled at the art of fighting.

Beginning

The first Master known to history, at least according to this article, is Master Roger (known as ''le Skirmisour'') of 1311 London. The Masters of Defence within Germany were the first to organize themselves into

guilds A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

, such as the 1480

Marxbrüder The Brotherhood of Saint Mark (, Marx brothers) was the name of an organization of German school of swordsmanship, German swordsmen in the 16th century. History The brotherhood originated in the 15th century, but it is not known when exactly ...

. Other guilds included the Company of St Luke (Luxbrueder) and the

Federfechter The ''Freifechter'' or ''Federfechter'' (''Freifechter von der Feder zum Greifenfels'') were a fencing guild founded around 1570 in Prague. They were known, from early in their existence, to be skilled, rivalling the Marx brothers who for the best ...

Later

Organisation

Prior to the year 1540,

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

of England, established the Corporation of the Masters of Defence. During 1540, an order was given to nine ''Masters of Fence'' and eleven ''provosts'' to seek out other individuals acting as instructors who were of lower-standing and ill-repute, which included details of the rules of expected behavior and right conduct for those so-called Masters. In addition, fencing schools were already made party to the rules of law during the same time-period. At about 1570, the ruler of the nation of France recognized the first association of fencing masters of his country. During the late nineteenth century and twentieth century, there were a number of masters originating in the countries of Belgium, France, Italy, and Hungary, who migrated to the United States of America.

Personages

Fencing Masters known to history were Captain Caizo (circa sometime a little prior to July 1547), teacher of Le Sieur de Jarnac (who famously fought Lord Chastaigneraie in a duel); the 16th century Italian masters Agrippa, ( Rocco Bonetti c.1570), Capo ferro, Di Grassi, Fabris, Giganti, Marozzo, and Viggiani; Jean Baptiste le Perche du Coudray (c.1603, French); Wilhelm Kreussler father of the Kreussler dynasty, Wernesson de Liancour (c.1686);

Sir William Hope ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part o ...

(1660-1729); Henry Blackwell;

James Figg James Figg (before 1700 – 8 December 1734; also spelt James Fig) was an English prizefighter and instructor in historical European martial arts. While Figg primarily fought with weapons including short swords, quarterstaffs, and cudgels, he ...

(champion of the Corporation of Masters of Defence); Heinrich Wilhelm Kreussler a member of Germany's most important master fencing dynasties and teacher of Anthon Friedrich Kahn (18th century);

Domenico Angelo Domenico Angelo (1716 Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany – 1802, Twickenham, England), was an Italian sword and fencing master who became the celebrated swordsman of mid-eighteenth English society. He earned fame not only with his brilliant skil ...

; La Boiëssière père and Joseph Boulogne, joint inventors of the fencing mask (c.18th century); Sainct Didier, the supposed father of modern fencing; and General Franz Siegel, the master of the first fencing school in the USA at the New York

turnverein Turners (, ) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber (1798–1872), were the leading sponsors of gymnastics as ...

(circa.1851).

Publications

Between the 13th and 17th centuries, there were more than one hundred manuals of martial defense created by these Masters. Jean Baptiste le Perche du Coudray (c.1603) was the first of France's modern masters to publish. There is a 1711 publication by Zach Wylde on the subject.Zach Wylde
English Master of Defence
Wyvern Media, etrieved 2015-07-27/ref> Amongst others,

Egerton Castle __NOTOC__ Egerton Smith Castle F.S.A. (12 March 1858 – 16 September 1920) was an author, antiquarian, and swordsman, and an early practitioner of reconstructed historical fencing, frequently in collaboration with his colleague Captain Alfred ...

wrote a text entitled ''Schools and Masters of Fencing: From the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century''. (Master Roger ''le Skirmisour'' of 1311 - p.17)

References