Editor: Walter G. Green III, Ph.D., Maitre d'Armes (Academie d'Armes Internationale)

Copyright by Walter G. Green III, 2005-2007.  All rights reserved.

Please direct questions to wgreen@sallegreen.com

Updated 2007-07-02

For over 800 years hardy men and women have picked up swords and stood opposite students to teach the science of swordplay.  To qualify to do this work they endured practical examinations before their peers, and in modern times written examinations and the defense of a thesis as well.  Some of those individuals wrote extensively about their profession, creating the large base of knowledge that we now have about how the sword was used in combat, in the duel, and in sport.  The Fencing Master has been the core that has ensured the continuance of the science of defense across the years into the modern Olympic sport of fencing.  Every credentialed professional with sword in hand deserves to be remembered for his or her dedication, long hours of apprenticeship and teaching, and willingness to impart hard gained knowledge to others. 

The Fencing Master Project attempts to capture the history of professionals in the sport and science of arms by providing brief biographical data on each individual who has represented or currently represents themselves as a fencing professional.  Although every effort is made to ensure this list is accurate, it is possible that some sources may report credentials that have not been earned or that have been incorrectly represented.  If credible sources indicate that a credential has been misrepresented the credential and the name of the individual will be removed from the directory.  Because in most countries the credential of Fencing Master, Provost, Instructor, Moniteur, or Animateur does not enjoy legal protection through an act or law regulating professional practice, the standards, reputation, and recognition of the source of the credential are the validation of the value of that credential.  In each case I have given the source that I have used to make the entry, with the source bibliography listed on this page.  This is a living list, with additions made as information and time to enter data becomes available.  If you have additions, corrections, or updates, please use the form below.  This list does not include individuals who represent themselves solely as masters of historical fencing, stage play, or of the use of other weapons.

Listing in this database does not confer status as a Fencing Master, Prevot, Moniteur, Animateur, Instructor, or other professional instructor in fencing.  Listing in the database is not an official registration of professional status. 

Names recorded for fencing masters are often only the last name, or the last name with an initial.  This creates some potential for confusion, especially when father and son are both professionals.  In some cases I have used the annotations father and son where they have been used to identify father and son with the same last name in original sources.  Names from the Renaissance and medieval periods are particularly problematic because of wide variances in spellings (even into the 1800s it was not uncommon for individuals to change the spelling of their names during a lifetime) and modern authors' attempts to interpret what those variances mean.  In addition, many words that appear to be last names were almost certainly identifiers of the individual's trade attached to the one word name (our modern first name) the individual actually used (a clear example is "Roger le Skirmisour," almost certainly "Roger, the fencer").  Because other authors have commonly used these trade names as though they were modern last names, I have conformed to that usage to avoid confusion.   

Ranks are as reported by the source indicated under details.  Ranks as reported by individuals and even national academies vary widely in their nomenclature.  The following is a table of approximate equivalencies from a variety of sources:

Date indicates dates the professional is known to have been active.  This includes the date certified, or when the certification was published in an academy of arms publication ("examination"), date of a book or article published ("publication"), date granted by reciprocity ("reciprocity"), date born ("b.") or retired ("r.") or deceased ("d.") or killed fencing, dueling, in combat, or by assassination ("k."), or the date of information that identifies the individual (this is not the date of credentialing).  If the date cannot be set with certainty, "approx" will indicate the best estimate of the date.  In some cases individuals have been granted credentials with a waiver of examination, due to any number of reasons including the practice of "grandfathering"; these are indicated by "agreed," an original term from the 1500s.  Dates are in the process of being converted to international ISO 8601 standard in the format year-month-day.

Sources underlined are recognized national academies, currently members of the Academie d'Armes Internationale, or their predecessors (in the United States, for example, the National Fencing Coaches Association of America had a subsidiary body, the United States Academy of Arms, that certified fencing masters starting in 1974, and the NFCAA eventually was renamed the United States Fencing Coaches Association).  Sources accompanied by (?) are sources that I have not yet confirmed as issuing professional credentials - confirmation from knowledgeable individuals would be appreciated.  If an individual claimed to be a master based on apprenticeship under a recognized fencing master, I have indicated the name of the master with whom he or she apprenticed.

Details include professional coaching and instructional affiliations and publications.  Dates are provided where available.  The source of information is indicated by a number in parentheses, with sources listed at the end of the table.  All entries are documented as to source, and these sources include generally published materials that are available to the general public.

Entries:

To Correct Or Update Information, please use the following form:

If you have any questions about how this information will be used, please review the Salle's privacy policy for online information.

Sources:

(1) Grandiere, Maurice, How to Fence: Foil and Epee, London, United Kingdom, The Walter Scott Publishing Company, Ltd., 1906.

(2) "British Academy of Fencing," The Sword, Volume X, Number 1, 1957-Spring, page 3.

(3) Australian Academy of Fencing, "Making Amateurs Into Professionals," http://www.fencingonline.com/academy/, 2005-04-16.  Australian Academy of Fencing, "History of the Australian Academy of Fencing," http://www.fencingonline.com/academy/history_of_the_australia_academy.htm, 2005-04-28.

(4) "Instructor Exams Passed," The Swordmaster, 1993-Fall, page 3.

(5) "Fencing Masters," The Swordmaster, 1993-Fall, page 3.

(6) "Graeme Jennings," The Swordmaster, 1993-Fall, page 1.

(7) "Congratulations on Your Certification," The Swordmaster, 2004-Summer, page 19.

(8) "Instructor Exams Passed," The Swordmaster, 1994-Winter, page 3.

(9) Crown, Adam, ed. Passe Avant: Fencing at Cornell and in the Ithaca Community, Volume 1, Ithaca, New York, United States of America, Cornell Fencers Club, 1978-1979.

(10) Schmid, Jeremy, "Inside the Certification & Accreditation Board," The Swordmaster, Winter 2003, pages 1 and 13.

(11) "Coaches Earn Certification," The Swordmaster, Winter 2003, page 13.

(12) Schmid, Jeremy, "Schiller Receives Masters Certification," The Swordmaster, Winter 2003, page 13.

(13) "Jean-Jacques Gillet, Master of Masters," The Swordmaster, Summer 1999, page 6.

(14) Glasser, David, "Fencing Masters," http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~wew/fencing/masters.notes.html, 1995-03-12.

(15) Irish Academy of Arms, "Fencing in Ireland," http://www.irishfencingmasters.com/history.htm, 2005-05-17.

(16) Salem Classical Fencing, “Our Staff,” http://salem.classicalfencing.us/about/staff.htm, 2005-05-09.

(17) Studio of American Fencing, "Len Carnighan, Fencing Master," http://saf.pair.com/lenbio.html, 2004-04-17.

(18) Paladin Press, "Author of the Month, Craig Gemeiner, July 2004," http://www.paladin-press.com/authormo_0704.aspx, 2004.

(19) Dubois, George, L'Escrime de Duel, Paris, France, Editions Nilsson, 1913.

(20) Prevost, C. and G. Jollivet. L'Escrime et le Duel, Paris, France, Librairie Hachette et Cie., 1891.

(21) Hayes, Harold, "Strategic Balance in Chess and Fencing," http://saf.pair.com/chess.htm, April 1991.
(22) Amberger, J. Christoph, "Officers and Gentlemen: On the History of Fencing at the U.S. Naval Academy," Fencers Quarterly Magazine, Volume 6, Number 2, Fall 2001, pages 28-31.

(23) Lurz, Frank, "Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa (Part I)," Fencers Quarterly Magazine, Volume 6, Number 2, Fall 2001, page 18.

(24) "USFCA Certification & Accreditation Board," The Swordmaster, Winter 2003, pages 8-9.

(25) "Cal State Inducts Redmon into Hall of Fame," The Swordmaster, Winter 2003, page 11.

(26) Tishman, Jeffrey R., "Corrections to Board Article," The Swordmaster, Summer 2003, page 3.

(27) "Coaches Earn Certification," The Swordmaster, Summer 2003, page 15.

(28) Rondelle, Louis, Foil and Sabre: A Grammar of Fencing, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Dana Estes and Company, 1892.

(29) Aylward, J. D., The English Master of Arms: From the Twelfth to the Twentieth Century, London, United Kingdom, Routledge and Keegan Paul, 1956.

(30) Schmid, Jeremy, "Oles Retires from Johns Hopkins," The Swordmaster, Summer 2003, page 7.

(31) Schmid, Jeremy, "Bradford Unveils Pan American Fencing Academy," The Swordmaster, Winter 2002, page 1.

(32) "USFCA Certifies Coaches," The Swordmaster, Winter 2002, page 19.

(33) Kufahl, Hans, Der Fechtsport, Leipzig, Germany, Grethlein and Co., 1908 (date estimated based on the latest date reflected in the text).

(34) Hutton, Alfred, The Sword and the Centuries: Or Old Sword Days and Old Sword Ways, Rutland, Vermont, United States of America, 1973, reprint of the 1901 edition.

(35) United States Fencing Coaches Association, "Current USFCA Certified Members," http://www.usfca.org/usfca/misc/USFCACertification.htm, 2004-06-29.

(36) Electronic correspondence from Mike Bunke to Walter Green, 2005-05-27.

(37) Fare, Malcolm, A Century of Fencing in Britain, London, United Kingdom, British Fencing Association, 2002.

(38) "San Jose State Celebrates 25th Year Of Fencing Masters Program," American Fencing, Volume 54, Number 2, Summer 2004, page 9.

(39) Senac, Regis and Louis Senac, The Art of Fencing, New York, New York, United States of America, American Sports Publishing Company, 1904.

(40) Landry, Stuart O., Dueling In Old New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America, Harmanson, Publisher, 1950.

(41) Trojanowski, John, "The Sword, The Duel, And Southern Culture: The Republic of Texas," http://trojanowski.no-frills.net/about.html, 2005-06-15.

(42) Aylward, J. D., "Bygones: Jules Jacob," The Sword, Volume X, Number 1, Spring 1957, pages 11-16.

(43) Parade, Jean-Gilbert and Gilbert Gerard, L'Escrime, Toulouse, France, Editions Milan, 1999.

(44) Inscription by the authors in a copy of Parade, Jean-Gilbert and Gilbert Gerard, L'Escrime, Toulouse, France, Editions Milan, 1999.

(45) Faire, Malcom, National Fencing Museum: 19th Century, copy of original brevet de maitre of Joseph Brault,  http://www.fencingmuseum.com/19_century.htm, 2003.

(46) Mercier, Alain, "Fencing, a perennial French speciality," Label France, Number 46, April 2002, http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/label_france/46/gb/21.html. 

(47) Federation Francaise d'Escrime, Annuaire 1962, Paris, France, Federation Francaise d'Escrime, 1962.

(48) Johnston, Robert B., "The Fencer's Club of Washington, D.C.: A Club of Presidents, Diplomats, and Society People," The Pacific Monthly, February 1904, pages 91-96.

(49) Gaugler, William M., "The Scoula Magistrale and the Concept of an Officer and a Gentleman," Fencers Quarterly Magazine, Volume 5, Number 3, Spring 2001, pages 6-9.

(50) Pini, Eugenio, La Esgrima Argentina en Italia, Suiza y Francia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1934.

(51) Levene, Horacio, La Esgrima y El Duelo: Antigua y Contemporanea, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1914.

(52) Accademia di Scherma Classica, "Origins of Fencing Taught at Accademia di Scherma Classica," http://www.scherma.org/communique/origins.html, 2005-07-04.

(53) "Un Assaut Tragique," Petit Parisien, Illustrated Supplement, 1911-03-19, page 96.

(54) "B.A.F. Subscriptions," Fencing, Volume 12, Number 4, October 1978, page 8.

(55) "Webster, M., "Lukovitch Hand Games," Fencing, Volume 12, Number 4, October 1978, pages 14-16.

(56) "Salle Behmber," advertisement, Fencing, Volume 12, Number 4, October 1978, page 20.

(57) "Fencing Clubs," Fencing, Volume 12, Number 4, October 1978, inside back cover.

(58) Listing of fencing clubs and salles, Fencing, Volume 13, Number 3, August 1979, inside back cover.

(59) "BAF Committee News," Fencing, Volume 13, Number 3, August 1979, page 28.

(60) "Coaching Scheme For All?" Fencing, Volume 13, Number 3, August 1979, pages 1-2.

(61) "The Sweet Taste of Success," Fencing, Volume 13, Number 3, August 1979, pages 3-4.

(62) Club Minerva, "Grande Accademia di Scherma," Milan, Italy, 1922.

(63) Association of Wheelchair Fencing in Germany, "About Us," http://www.rollstuhlfechten.de/english/about.html, n.d.

(64) Electronic correspondence from James V. Simoni to Walter Green, 2005-08-25.

(65) Bay, Juan, El Sable: Contribucion al Estudio del Arte de la Esgrima, Imp. B. Lopez, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1928.

(66) Gillet, Jean Jacques, Foil Technique and Terminology, Livingston, New Jersey, United States of America, United States Academy of Arms, 1977.

(67) "Accreditation for U.S. Fencing Coaches," American Fencing, Volume 36, Number 1, September/October 1984, pages 18-19.

(68) Talhofer, Hans, Medieval Combat: A Fifteenth-Century Manual of Swordfighting and Close-Quarter Combat, Mark Rector translator and editor, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Stackpole Books, 2004.

(69) Lindholm, David and Peter Svard, Sigmund Ringeck's Knightly Art of the Longsword, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America, Paladin Press, 2003.

(70) Castle, Egerton, Schools and Masters of Fence from the Middle Ages to the Eighteenth Century, first edition 1885 facsimile, York, Pennsylvania, United States of America, George Shumway Publisher, 1969.

(71) West, Howard, "Obituary: Professor Brian Pitman 1932-2002," The Sword, New Series Number 71, July 2002, page 30.

(72) "FIE Official," Escrime Internationale, Number 30, December 1999, page 54.

(73) "FIE Official," Escrime Internationale, Number 46, November 2003, page 38.

(74) ""Congratulations to USFCA Members Earning Certifications," The Swordmaster, Winter 2006, page 23.

(75) Electronic correspondence from Phillip Bruce to Walter Green, 2005-05-27.

(76) "Congratulations to USFCA Members Earning Certifications," The Swordmaster, Spring 2006, page 19.

(77) "Another New Master: Prof. V. Cassapi," Fencing, Volume 11, Number 2, January 1977, page 15.

(78) "Two Academy Masters Die,"  Fencing, Volume 11, Number 2, January 1977, pages 12-13.

(79) "Duelling Stories: No. 15 Master v. Master,"  Fencing, Volume 11, Number 2, January 1977, pages 8-9.

(80) "Bob Anderson Receives Gauthier Trophy," Fencing, Volume 11, Number 3, April 1977, pages 22-23.

(81) "Congratulations," Fencing, Volume 11, Number 3, April 1977, page 14.

(82) Electronic correspondence from David Couper to Walter Green, 2006-11-01.

(83) Theater Sala Umberto I, "Programma dell'Accademia di Scherma data dal Prof. Conte Attilio Calori," Rome, Italy, 1899-03-19.

(84) Teatro Quirino, "Programma della Grande Accademia di Scherma," Rome, Italy, 1901-05-11.

(85) Theater Sala Umberto I, "Programma dell'Accademia di Scherma del Prof. Conte Attilio Calori," Rome, Italy, 1900-04-01.

(86) Teatro Quirino, "Programma della Grande Accademia di Scherma," Rome, Italy, 1902-03-07.

(87) Scuole di Scherma e di Ginnastica, "Programma, Festa degli Allievi delle Scuole di Scherma e di Ginnastica," no place, 1905-02-05.

(88) "Congratulations to USFCA Members Earning Certifications," The Swordmaster, Summer 2006, page 15.

(89) Alaux, Michel and Louise W. Neill, "In Memoriam," American Fencing, Volume 16, Number 2, 1965-01, page 7.

(90) "Fencing Master's Certificates," American Fencing, Volume 16, Number 4, 1995-05, page 23.

(91) Hayes, Sean, "Fencing Masters Program - Spring Examination Results," electronic message to the classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com listserv, 2007-05-07.

(92) Electronic correspondence from J. E. Smith to Walter Green, 2007-05-12. Citation British Academy of Fencing Membership List 2004.

(93) United States Fencing Coaches Association, Membership Directory 1999, no place, United States Fencing Coaches Association, 1999.