Dr. Guy Windsor is a world-renowned instructor and a pioneering researcher of medieval and renaissance martial arts. He has been teaching the Art of Arms full-time since founding The School of European Swordsmanship in Helsinki, Finland, in 2001. His day job is finding and analysing historical swordsmanship treatises, figuring out the systems they represent, creating a syllabus from the treatises for his students to train with, and teaching the system to his students all over the world. Guy is the author of numerous classic books about the art of swordsmanship and has consulted on swordfighting game design and stage combat. He developed the card game, Audatia, based on Fiore dei Liberi's Art of Arms, his primary field of study. In 2018 Edinburgh University awarded him a PhD by Research Publications for his work recreating historical combat systems. When not studying medieval and renaissance swordsmanship or writing books Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family.
A New Book! And Guy's Birthday Sale
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Hi! oh it’s an exiting time this week. We have a brand-new book out today, and, as it’s my birthday on Saturday (I'll be 51), we’re also running a birthday sale on all ebooks, audiobooks, and online courses. Hurrah! Just use the code GUYSBIRTHDAY30 to get 30% off at checkout. First up, the new book: I have completed my translation of Fiore’s Il Fior di Battaglia, as found in the Getty manuscript. You may recall I produced an affordable facsimile of the Getty a few years ago. Well, we’ve now produced an updated version, that reproduces the Getty manuscript in its entirety, in full colour, and as close as possible to the size of the original. But there’s a twist: The second half of this volume is a second reproduction of the manuscript with the original Italian text replaced by my English translation. This recreates the experience of reading the original Italian as closely as possible. The book also includes an introduction to Fiore and his life and times, the provenance of the manuscript, and suggestions for further study. This way, you get the original, and the translation, in one volume… for the same price as the original facsimile-only edition. Because we can. And it’s my birthday. The excellent Katie Mackenzie has done a gorgeous job on the cover and layout: The translation section includes tags on the pages so you can find the section you want from the page edges. You can find it here:
I don’t know if the book will get to you in time for Christmas- much depends on how busy the printer is, and the shipping options you select at checkout. But we’ve done our best to get it out fast enough that there’s a fair chance… You can also get an audiobook of me reading my translation (remember to use your discount code!) here. This birthday sale will end on Tuesday December 3rd, so timing is everything… The code: GUYSBIRTHDAY30 Ebooks and audiobooks: https://swordschool.shop Courses: https://courses.swordschool.com yours, Guy |
Guy Windsor's Swordschool
Dr. Guy Windsor is a world-renowned instructor and a pioneering researcher of medieval and renaissance martial arts. He has been teaching the Art of Arms full-time since founding The School of European Swordsmanship in Helsinki, Finland, in 2001. His day job is finding and analysing historical swordsmanship treatises, figuring out the systems they represent, creating a syllabus from the treatises for his students to train with, and teaching the system to his students all over the world. Guy is the author of numerous classic books about the art of swordsmanship and has consulted on swordfighting game design and stage combat. He developed the card game, Audatia, based on Fiore dei Liberi's Art of Arms, his primary field of study. In 2018 Edinburgh University awarded him a PhD by Research Publications for his work recreating historical combat systems. When not studying medieval and renaissance swordsmanship or writing books Guy can be found in his shed woodworking or spending time with his family.
Hi! I’ve been mad about smallsword since the nineties, and for the last five months I’ve been returned to my first historical fencing love, Domenico Angelo’s School of Fencing (1787), transcribing the text and preparing it for modern students. Every martial art is a way of moving and a set of tactical preferences. The tactical preferences require safety equipment and a training partner, but you can train the way of moving alone, with little or no gear. So I’ve decided to teach a live online...
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi, Did a book launch ever go smoothly? I don’t think so. And the latest is no exception. There will be a few customer service emails going out in due course… but the Companion Volume to the Vadi Facsimile is now out, in the world, and hopefully making readers and Vadi practitioners happy as we speak. And looky-look! it’s #1 in New Releases on the US Amazon store. New Releases in the Fencing category, not the entire store, because who can compete with gay...
BOOKS PODCAST COURSES COMMUNITY BLOG Hi, Want to teach in Germany? My friends running Swords of the Renaissance, which I’ll be teaching at in August, are looking for a range of teachers to do short classes. If you’re just starting out as a teacher this is a good opportunity to get some experience. Here’s what they say: For the first time, we are launching an open call for Swords of the Renaissance on August 29–30, 2026 in Potsdam. We are looking for instructors for our break-out sessions. Do...