// We would like to introduce our first guest instructor for our HEMA Masterclass series – Dr. Emilia Skirmuntt!
BIO Emilia has trained how to hit people with swords and other objects for more than 20 years. During that time she has studied multiple weapons, systems, and in multiple different clubs, starting in Poland and then moving to London and Oxford. She has won medals in both women as well as open competitions both in the UK and abroad, fighting with longsword, rapier, rapier and dagger, saber, sidesword, and sidesword and buckler. She was also voted best technical fencer of By the Sword 2019. Emilia travelled around Europe leading workshops and seminars and was one of the representatives for the UK and Ireland HEMA team in the European Games in 2019. She is a member of the organising committees for the Wessex League, and Albion Cup, the biggest international competition in the UK. She also organised English Sidesword Open In Oxford in 2018. Currently she is the head instructor for the Oxford Chapter of The School of the Sword. She teaches Italian longsword, dagger, rapier, sidesword, unarmed, and tomahawk techniques.

Fiore techniques – Evolution Fiore dei Liberi was a 14th-century knight, diplomat, and fencing master who authored one of the earliest known fencing manuals, Flos Duellatorum (The Flower of Battle). In this manual, he details techniques for all major “knightly weapons”, including the longsword, axe, and dagger, as well as unarmed combat. He also covers both armoured and unarmoured fighting. In this session, we will explore the progression of techniques in The Flower of Battle, beginning with fundamental grappling (abrazare), transitioning to dagger techniques (daga), and culminating in longsword applications. We will focus on key principles such as leverage, control, and adaptability, incorporating disarms, half-swording techniques, and their practical applications in combat.