Armed in Alabaster

One of the most evocative of medieval art-forms is found not in museums, but in parish churches all over England. Funerary effigies, carved in alabaster, bring us face-to-face with the real Middle Ages. They also provide a unique way to understand the art of the armourer in England. No English armour has been preserved from earlier than the sixteenth century, but many long-lost masterpieces of armour-making were carefully recorded in sculptural form by English effigy carvers. Join Toby as he discusses his investigation, spanning nearly three decades, of effigies and armour in England, telling something of the story behind his award-winning Armour of the English Knight series of books.

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• By Toby Capwell

Free Fundamental Human Maintenance Course

Breathing, Meditation, and Joint Care

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• By Guy Windsor

Fundamentals: Body Mechanics

This course covers everything you need to know to understand the mechanics of historical martial arts. You can use it to improve every guard position and action, as well as to gain insight into your interpretation.

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• By Guy Windsor

Fundamentals: Breathing Course

Master your breath, for better health, fitness, and peace of mind.

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• By Guy Windsor

Fundamentals: Footwork Course

From clumsy student to graceful master- everything you need to move like a swordsman.

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• By Guy Windsor

How to Teach Historical Martial Arts (or anything else)

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• By Guy Windsor

Introduction to Bolognese Swordsmanship: dall’Agocchie's Varying Guards Form

This course offers an in-depth introduction to Bolognese fencing, focusing specifically on one-handed sword techniques as presented in Giovanni dall'Agocchie’s *Varying Guards* (1572). Through a series of carefully selected plays, students will explore the foundational principles of Bolognese swordsmanship, gaining a clear understanding of its core techniques, tactics, and applications.

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• By Esko Ronimus

Mars and the Muses: The Renaissance Art of Armour

Mars and the Muses: The Renaissance Art of Armour Armour was a fundamental Renaissance art-form. By the sixteenth century, most of the richest noblemen in Europe were dedicated patrons of the armourer’s art. Armour represented a complex visual language, developed to project aristocratic identity, prestige and power. The armour-making process demanded both fantastic skill in the sculpting of iron and steel, and mastery of decorative techniques such as acid-etching and mercury-gilding. This talk provides an introduction to the concept of armour as art, exploring how protective equipment for fighting became an expressive art-form. Here the achievements of virtuoso armourer-artists embodied magnificence, radiating detailed and subtle messages about status, affinity, social order and divine power.

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• By Toby Capwell

Master the Art of Arms (Access to Everything via Monthly Membership)

Full Membership of Swordschool Online: all our courses, to take at your own pace.

• Course bundle
• By Guy Windsor

Medieval German Longsword: The Hauptstucke of Johannes Liechtenauer

Get a complete grounding in Liechtenauer's longsword system, with Jessica Finley

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• By Jessie Finley

Medieval German Wrestling: The Twirchringen of Von Baumann

This comprehensive course delves into the fascinating world of medieval German wrestling, exploring the seven Twirchringen (cross-wrestling) plays from the 15th-century Von Baumann manuscript. You’ll learn the core techniques, their counters, and the counter-counters that make this system so unique and dynamic.

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• By Jessie Finley

Medieval Sword and Buckler Course

from Royal Armouries MS I.33

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• By Guy Windsor

Medieval Wrestling: the Abrazare of Fiore dei Liberi

learn medieval wrestling with Guy Windsor and Jessica Finley

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• By Guy Windsor

Meditation for Martial Artists Course

a six week course in meditation practice

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• By Guy Windsor

Recreate Historical Swordsmanship from Historical Sources Course

How to choose a source, extract the techniques and theory, create training drills, and organise them into a system.

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• By Guy Windsor

Solo Historical Martial Arts Training Course

Get strong, fast, and accurate, even without a partner

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• By Guy Windsor

Swordschool Membership

The best value way to access courses

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The Complete Rapier Course

Learn basic actions to advanced rapier and dagger actions in the style of Capoferro.

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• By Guy Windsor

The Medieval Dagger: with all of Fiore's Dagger plays

A complete course in the Dagger combat from Fiore de' Liberi's Il Fior di Battaglia

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• By Guy Windsor

The Medieval Longsword Complete Course

Learn Fiore's longsword material from the ground up.

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• By Guy Windsor

The Medieval Longsword, Dagger, and Footwork bundle

This course includes The Medieval Longsword, The Medieval Dagger, and Fundamentals: Footwork, in one handy bundle.

• Course bundle
• By Guy Windsor

The Philippo Vadi Longsword Course

Everything you need to become proficient in the longsword style of Philippo Vadi, as shown in his 1480s treatise De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi.

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• By Guy Windsor

The Scoliotic Knight: Encounters with Richard III

Explore the many historical questions around the discovery of the grave of King Richard III (1452-85), with Dr. Toby Capwell. Toby traces the unlikely (but true) story of his involvement in the investigation of Richard III’s remains, the Channel 4 documentaries, the reburial in 2015, and the 2022 feature film The Lost King.

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• By Toby Capwell