Exercise of Arms: Dueling Through the Ages with Mark Donnelly at Steampunk World's Fair 2011 report by Rachel Klingberg Professor Donnelly presented on many different topics at Steampunk World's Fair, and he was a tremendously popular speaker. Indoor events were standing room only and many of us were turned away from his "Victorian Inventions" presentation which was especially well-attended. Luckily "Exercise of Armes" was moved outdoors to accommodate a larger crowd. Standing in front of an impressive array of dozens of historical swords from his collection, Professor Donnelly first explained the relative cost of swords and armaments, comparing them to Ferraris of their day. A horse, weapons, and armour were so costly that only the upper classes could afford them. When tournaments became a popular pastime, the victor traditionally was granted the loser's horse, armour, and weapons, which he could then sell back to the loser or to a higher bidder, or keep for himself. This is how the mysterious William Marshal, a low-ranking nobleman without any wealth to speak of, was able to become a tournament champion, earning a fortune in prizes and becoming the greatest knight of his era. He also presented some information about the famous Elizabethan sword instructor George Silver and his rival, the Italian Vincentio Saviolo, and the differences between the two schools of swordsmanship. Because of the craze for all things Italian, Saviolo's school was favored by the wealthy and fashionable. One of the audience members who is an English professor speculated that Silver and Saviolo inspired Shakespeare's Mercutio (i.e. mercury = Silver) and Benvolio of Romeo and Juliet, an intriguing theory. The Professor talked about the development of the sword and about duelling, which absolutely decimated the French nobility prior to the Revolution. He talked in length about the development of the hilt, guard, and pommel and how it eventually evolved to provide superior protection for the hand, using swords from the classical world up until about the 18th century to demonstrate. He also talked a bit about shields and bucklers and how the term "swashbuckler" came to be. Fashion played a role in the development of the sword. For centuries gentlemen wore swords whenever they were dressed, even to the opera, just as 19th century men were never completely dressed without their hats. Long blades could be unwieldy and gentlemen came to prefer shorter blades that could be worn parallel to the body rather than jutting out behind. The intrepid Alex is the Professor's assistant. The Professor showed the progression of sword hilts through the ages; I thought this one does not provide much protection for the hand but note correction: "The mortuary hilt on the backsword is rather protected indeed." - MD   Memory fails and I'm not sure what's being demontrated here, except that it was awesome to watch!   Further discussion of the development of sword hilts. "This is a brief example of the principle of sentiment du fer in reference to edge oriented weapons (in this case 18th century backswords" -MD The steampunk audience was absolutely riveted as it was evident that Professor Donnelly is passionate about swordsmanship. In showing the flexibility of a blade that is hundreds of years old, he spoke of it with the true love of the ardent historian. After his all-too-short presentation, he generously allowed the audience to handle the weapons. I contented myself with merely gauging their weights. Some were heavy, others surprisingly light. I really couldn't tell, by looking at the swords, which would be the heavy ones and which were lighter, and it was not until I lifted them that I got a sense of it. Also on display were several beautifully decorated daggers about which I wish there had been more time to learn. There was a sword specifically for sabrage - opening Champagne bottles - a rather fascinating practice that the Professor's assistant explained had to be performed on good Champagne and not the cheap stuff. The curves of this hilt, grip, and pommel (excuse my ignorance of the proper terms) can be used to trap the opponent's blade, but still exposes the hand to potential cuts.   If I remember correctly, the sword in his left hand offers a little more protection to the hand than the one in his right. (?)   Finally he showed us a later sword that does offer a good amount of protection to the hand. Compare the one the Professor holds to the one his assistant Alex is wielding. Alas the date of the former eludes me... did he say this was late 18th century? No one was in any hurry to leave so the Professor talked a bit more to a small crowd that had gathered around him. He identified a sword that a fellow had found in an apartment building slated for demolition; it was a Japanese parade sword. He cited several books and historical references, including a few such as Castiglione and Oakeshott that I have not thought much about since I finished my MA in medieval English literature (well, more like High Middle Ages/early Renaissance, as medievalism was woefully out of fashion when I was in school). Richard Burton's Book of the Sword was mentioned, and he talked admiringly about Captain Burton, one of my heroes as well. He described a fascinating shooting party attended by the Burtons at which it rained all weekend, and instead of shooting, the attendees conversed while Isabel took notes. Sadly it appears that she torched these notes along with many other of her husband's final works, for reasons that are not entirely understood, but probably had something to do with preventing Burton's 1,000+ page manuscript on homosexual practices from being published. I should have taken a few notes bceause I don't know what they are showing here but I assure you, we were all riveted!   Well all I can say about this is that Mark Donnelly knows a heck of a lot about swords.   A few of the dozens of historical swords that Professor Donnelly brought for demonstrations and aftewards, allowed the audience to handle. My personal highlight was Professor Donnelly's demonstration with a Hungarian broadsword. I am part Hungarian, and very interested in Eastern European combatives due to my practice of Russian Martial Art. The Hungarian broadsword and the Russian shaska bear a slight resemblance, although the shaska is much less curved, but its wooden scabbard is similar to the Hungarian sword's. The Professor demonstrated how the scabbard was used for defense, to block a blow while allowing the swordsman to simultaneously draw the blade (see photo), or to prevent an opponent from drawing his own blade. The scabbard itself is also a formidable weapon, as he demonstrated by swinging it around on its chain. We would have kept the Professor talking for hours but he had to return to his table to sign books, so the Exercise of Armes, a highlight of the Steampunk World's Fair, concluded on a very high note. The Hungarian broadsword demonstration was my personal highlight of this presentation, all of which was fascinating.   It looks like a little Bartitsu may have snuck into the Exercise of Armes! The sheath of the Hungarian broadsword is a weapon in its own right   Here the sheath of the Hungarian broadsword is used to actually prevent the opponent from drawing his own weapon. Impressive stuff! Using the sheath of the Hungarian broadsword to block the incoming cut.   Here the sheath serves as a de facto shield while the other hand wields the Hungarian broadsword.