Gunpowder is old news, and the age of knights jabbing at each other with swords ended a few centuries ago. Even in the 21st-century Midwest, however, some people are still fascinated by the lordly art of sword fighting, and last weekend an expert on medieval combat came to Saint Louis University.
Bob Charron, the chief instructor and founder of St. Martin’s Academy of Medieval Arms, demonstrated proper techniques for engaging in medieval sword fighting in a series of on-campus workshops and seminars from Oct. 17 to 19.
Thomas Roland, a graduate student in the Department of English, organized in the event.
“I have always been interested in medieval sword fighting,” said Roland.
Roland said that he had seen Charron’s seminars before, and he was able to bring them to SLU with additional assistance from the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the English Department, the History Department and the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.
Charron is a master swordsman and medieval historian. His seminar consists of him demonstrating the art of defense when engaging in a sword fight. He emphasized the basics that he said most modern swordsmen should know, such as the “elegant fighting stance.”
Charron began a public seminar on Oct. 17 by introducing an old Italian manuscript entitled the Fior di Battaglia (the “flower of battle”) by Fiore dei Liberi, which he has been working on translating into English. The book contains a master swordsman’s lost methods. Charron used this bit information to introduce the well-schooled masters of the past that he references in his instructions before discussing the swords, which are, as he said, “The sexy stuff you all have been waiting for.”
The participants in the event consisted mainly of families from the greater St. Louis area.
“My son is interested in medieval studies, so we enrolled him in the center,” said one mother attending. “He is in high school but is not sure what he will major in college, but he loves medieval history.”
There were also a few in attendance who are involved in medieval-sword-fighting clans.
The rest of the weekend continued with workshops featuring one-on-one instructions by Charron. These extra workshops cost $20 for one day or $30 for both days, but the informational seminar on Friday was free and open to everyone.
