The Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts or AEMMA (pronounced "ehma"), is a historical European martial arts school focused on the research, reconstruction and resurrection of authentic medieval martial arts of all fighting styles (armed, unarmed, armoured and unarmoured), firmly based on the works of the late 14th century Friulian swordsmaster by the name of Fiore dei Liberi, demonstrating the deadly practicality and effectiveness of the art as it applies to today's personal self-defense.

AEMMA was initially created in May of 1998 in Toronto and under the laws of Ontario's Corporations Act and the Regulations of the Ministry of the Attorney General, was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation (NPO Corporation Number: 1468524) in May 28, 2001. It has as its mission:

"The mission of AEMMA is to resurrect the combat skills, philosophies and principles of an accomplished European Medieval martial artist and to achieve a state which would be consistent with that of a medieval warrior in both technology and ideal."

1. to research and study historical sources in the form of treatises, manuscripts, illuminations, etc. as well as the physical examination of other artifacts such as historical arms and armour accessed through the museums, in order to facilitate accurately resurrecting and reconstructing historical European/Western medieval martial arts to the best of our abilities;
    
2. to provide a training environment to permit the application of the research into practice and their later inclusion into the relevant training programs, and to enable the instruction and training of these fighting arts in order to develop the student's personal defensive and offensive skills based on this research.

The Academy will train individuals in the art known as l´arte dell´armizare [ 1 ] or simply armizare, an Italian systematic approach to training covering both unarmoured and armoured combat utilizing a variety of arms and armour in a manner that are close as possible and practical to that of 11th - 15th century Europe, specifically, the art as described by Fiore dei Liberi.

The Academy currently is developing another training system, known as fechtkunst, a German systematic approach, currently focused on German longsword, based on the Liechtenauer tradition.

The Academy does not promote nor engage in role playing, re-enactment, fantasies, nor medieval social structure and formalities (i.e. knights, pages, squires, barons, etc.) - it is simply a fighting arts training school.

To accomplish the mission of the Academy, AEMMA will:

1. Develop, enhance and train the European medieval martial artist in the areas of unarmoured and armoured combat utilizing a variety of weapons, including wooden training wasters (swords, daggers, quarterstaffs, etc.) and steel and/or aluminum weapons (blunted swords & daggers, spears, pollaxe, etc.).
2. To provide a training environment for students to build experience in historical swordmanship, un-armed fighting skills and other weapons-based fighting skills.
3. Develop and deliver training and fighting programs, based on research on the 11th to 15th century European manuscripts and treatises, such as the Italian libri (treatises or books) and German fechtbücher (fight books), with a major emphasis on the early period fencing [ 2 ] of the XIV and XV centuries.
4. Fostering good will and sportsmanship; and such other complementary purposes not inconsistent with the mission.
5. Organize and coordinate sparring & fencing practices, training sessions, demonstrations, competitions and tournaments.
6. To identify and develop mutually beneficial relationships with both domestic and international arms & armourer developers and suppliers for historically consistent equipment including armour, chain mail, weaponry, etc.
7. To identify and develop professional relationships with both domestic and international historical European martial arts schools, academies and associations in order to contribute to the growth and development of historical fighting arts world-wide and to promote historical European martial arts world-wide as a credible and viable martial arts form.

Professional Relationships

Association for Historical Fencing (AHF)	Fighting Arts Collective Toronto (FACT)	Higgins Armory Museum, USA	Royal Heraldry Society of Canada (RHSC)	Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)	University of Toronto (UofT)

Important Information

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The AEMMA Executive
Photo	Position	Bios
	President, Founder & Instructor	David M. Cvet, B.Sc., Provost, born in Canada, a graduate of the University of Toronto with majors in biochemistry & genetics, and computer science. He works on a number of initiatives, including the development of training curriculums that include armoured and unarmoured training systems. He initially undertook training in Milan, Italy, in the early 90's employing steel weapons in longsword techniques and has participated in various organizations dedicated to studying the Middle Ages. In addition David has studied and practiced historical European medieval martial arts for 14 years, and has also studied and practiced Asian combat arts in his past. His background and experience having fired his desire to pursue a formal medieval martial arts training program, he founded AEMMA in mid-1998. He is also a board member (Director) of the Association for Historical Fencing (AHF). David received his appointment of free scholler in October 15, 2000. Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
	Vice President, co-Founder & Principal Instructor	Brian A. McIlmoyle, Provost, Director of the Fighting Arts Collective of Toronto, a multi-discipline martial arts training facility encompassing modern, historical and traditional Martial Arts from both the East and West. Mr. McIlmoyle is AEMMA's Principle Instructor and Curriculum Developer and has been teaching Western martial arts semi-professionally for 10 years and has been involved in the study and practice of medieval martial arts for 24 years. Although he prefers to remain in Toronto teaching AEMMA's students at the Toronto salle d'armes, Brian has traveled both within Canada, the United States and in Europe providing instruction in armizare according to the AEMMA interpretation of Fiore dei Liberi's "Flos Duellatorum" and "Fior di Bataglia". He also introduced sword & buckler training based on research and study of MS I.33, and has been part of the AEMMA curriculum since 2004.Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
	Director, Instructor & Secretary	David B. Murphy, Free Scholler, He has had an interest in martial arts from an early age. He has received some instruction in Asian martial arts and has always been fascinated with historical weapons. He has also had a deep interest in history for many years. He earned his MA in history and is currently a high school history teacher. He has been a practicing member of AEMMA since April 2000 and successfully achieved the rank of scholler on November 5, 2000. As a result of his continued research, study and training focused on the Liberi treatise, and his intimate knowledge and skill developed over the last few years at AEMMA with respect to Liberi's treatise, David earned the rank of free scholler on April 13, 2003.Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
	Director & Instructor	Frank T. Williams, Free Scholler, holds the position of Director in the executive of AEMMA, and is also one of the instructors. He found the AEMMA website in the winter of 2001, attended a presentation at the Royal Ontario Museum, and decided at that point to join the Academy. He joined AEMMA on December 2, 2001 and successfully played for the prize of scholler rank on May 5, 2002. The Academy was Frank's first experience with martial arts of any form. In 2002 and 2003, Frank studied mounted training and horsemanship with Cassandra Adams of the WCJA, culminating with him competing in the mounted games at the Dragon's Lair 2003 tournament in London Ontario. Frank, due to his commitment, dedication and training successfully played for the prize of free scholler rank on April 17, 2005.Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
	Director at large	Anton J. Cvet, Provost, is the President and Founder of the Ottawa Medieval Sword Guild, OMSG. With a history of practicing other martial arts, Anton became interested in Western martial arts in 99. He entered and won the "Historical Fencing/Heavy Armour" tournament held at WMA2000, Toronto, thus attaining the rank of Scholler thru a show of arms. Anton has attended several medieval martial events and workshops here as well as in Europe and has won the honors at two tournaments, one in Belgium and the USA. He has had influence in the European historical fencing field and continues a strong relationship with Compagnie Hackamores, a group based in Belgium.Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.

The AEMMA Instructors
Photo	Instruction	Bios
	Italian rapier, quarterstaff	Beau Brock, Scholler, is an instructor of Italian rapier, in the style of Capo Ferro at the Academy since 2008. He is also in his second year of working on his PhD in French at the University of Toronto. Beau began his study of historical fencing in Vancouver in the fall of 2006, where he was introduced to the martial arts of the later Renaissance, specifically, Ridolfo Capo Ferro, Achille Marozzo and Joseph Swetnam. He became an assistant instructor at Academie Duello in a little over a year, and has spent the better part of the last two years interpreting Giovanni Dall'Agocchie's fencing treatise entitled "Dell'Arte di Scrimia". He is presently working towards completing the requirements for the rank of Free Scholler, with the expectation of challenging sometime in 2010. Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
	Fiore system: abrazare, daga, spada, azza, lanza	Kelly Rekuta, Free Scholler, joined the Academy in September of 2001, and successfully achieved the rank of Scholler in April 2002. He later challenged for his Free Scholler in October of 2005. Kel had been involved with the Society of Creative Anachronism for more than 30 years prior to joining the Academy, and excelled at the SCA style of fighting with sword & shield and poleweapons. Kel is also skilled at wood working and leather work, providing the Academy with a number of "standard" items, such as the traditional sword holster belt, leather gauntlets, and periodically, creates period appropriate arms for members of the Academy. He is also proficient in armoured combat, regularly participating in tournaments and pas d'armes organized by AEMMA. Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
	Fiore system abrazare, daga, spada	Aldo Valente, Free Scholler, discovered the AEMMA website in 2004 and learned about an AEMMA presentation at the Royal Ontario Museum in March of 2004, entitled "How a Man Shall be Armed in the 14th Century" and decided then and there to join the Academy. Aldo formally joined AEMMA on March 29, 2004 and later, successfully played for the prize of Scholler rank on may 29, 2005. He has experience with Western boxing at an amateur level and is interested in all things historical, particularly, military history. He frequents and enjoys workshops, such as the WMAW and ISMAC. Aldo successfully played for the prize of Free Scholler rank on March 1, 2009.Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
	Traditional Archery: longbow, recurve	Paul Micallef studied medieval and renaissance history at University of Toronto and joined the archery club at Hart House. Joining AEMMA, he found a group of like-minded people who also were interested in the longbow's simplicity and challenge. Currently, Paul organizes and instructs the AEMMA archery group and the Royal Ontario Museum Medieval Longbow course. He still takes great pleasure in experimenting with and building primitive and medieval archery tackle. Paul helped start two archery clubs in BC and also gave seminars showing camp instructors how to teach archery. By then, Paul was an experienced woodworker, yet he found making archery tackle still pleasantly challenging.Click on the photo on the left to view complete biography.
* * * Other instructors include: David M. Cvet, Brian A. McIlmoyle, David B. Murphy and Frank T. Williams * * * * * * who are listed under "AEMMA Exective" * * *

Academic Advisors
Photo	Bios
	is Paul S. Morgan Curator at the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Adjunct Associate Professor of History at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His academic work specializes in European martial arts treatises of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. He has written several books including The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship: A Facsimile and Translation of Europe’s Oldest Personal Combat Treatise, Royal Armouries MS. I.33 (2003), and The Art of Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise of 1570 (2006). His forthcoming projects include Hans Lecküchner’s Art of Falchion Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise of 1482, Paulus Hector Mair’s Treatise on the Martial Arts (c. 1555); and Pedro Monte’s Collectanea. Jeffrey had also founded the Higgins Armory Sword Guild which researches and practices techniques based on historical combat manuals. Areas of focus include the longsword (also called the hand-and-a-half sword or bastard sword), staff weapons, dagger, sword and shield, rapier, smallsword, and saber.
	was born in 1950 in Freiburg, Germany. Between the period of 1970-74, he studied for a teaching profession. Following that, from 1974-79, he held a teacher's assistant position at the University of Freiburg. In 1981, he assumed a teaching position and in 1984 received his doctorate based on this dissertation at the University of Freiburg entitled "Meister Johann Liechtenauers Kunst des langen Schwertes".
	is currently Professor of Military History at American Military University in Virginia. Lindgren teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in religious military orders, heraldic history, Church history, and chivalry. Lindgren attended the University of Mississippi between 1970-72 earning his B.A.E. (Bachelor of Arts in Education). He continued his studies at the University and earned his M.Ed. in 1977 in history and education. During this time he was an E.D.P.A. Graduate Fellow (government fellowship) and became a Fellow of the Robert A. Taft Institute of Government in 1977. Later he received his Specialist in Education (S.Ed.) from the University in curriculum and instruction. In 1989 he entered the College of Preceptors in Essex, England and in 1993 earned his Fellowship (F.C.P.) diploma (eq. M.Phil) in educational history. Lindgren is Co-founder and Past President (1974-77, 1990-93, 1999-2002) of the American Academy for Medieval and Chivalric Research. Some of Lindgren's honours received: an Ecclesiastical Decoration from the Patriarchate of Antioch (i.e. Venerable Order of Saint Ignatius of Antioch - Chevalier de Commende du Venerable Ordre Patriarcal de S. Ignace d' Antioche) and member of the Noble Compania de Ballesteros Hijosdalgo de San Felipe y Santiago or The Noble Company of Knights Arballisters of Saint Philip and Saint James.
	is an archaeologist in the Royal Ontario Museum's (ROM) Near Eastern and Asian Civilizations collection. Robert's research interests cover ancient technology, trade and industry from the beginnings of time to the industrial revolution. Although his research covers the globe, his current field work is in Syria, where he studies high-technology pottery and castles of the mediaeval period. He received a doctorate in archaeological science from the University of Oxford, and a B.A in anthropology and geology from the University of Toronto. Robert is also cross-appointed to the University of Toronto.
	is an Associate Professor of History at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario. His doctoral studies at the University of Toronto were in the field of late ancient and early medieval chronicles. His current research concerns the function of jousts and other formal combats in late medieval society. He is the author of Jousts and Tournaments (2003) and the forthcoming Deeds of Arms, both published by Chivalry Bookshelf.
	is currently the Vice-President, Content Communication, Governor's Office at the Royal Ontario Museum. Prior to this position, he was Head of Broadcast and Narrative Development at the Science Museum, London, UK. He received a BA (Hons) and MA in archaeology from the Institute of Archaeology, London University, and in 1997, a Ph.D. in prehistoric archaeology from the University of Toronto. Over the last five years he has taught undergraduate courses in archaeology at the University of Toronto, Trent University and the Universite Canadienne en France, in Nice. Involved in archaeology since the age of thirteen, he has been on numerous excavations in England, France, Israel and Jordan. His primary interest is ancient archery with a particular focus on the Medieval English Longbow.

Fencing Advisors
Photo	Bios
	began her training under the tutelage of Maître dArmes Frederick Rohdes, and after his death in 1983, continued with his protege Maestro Ramon Martinez. In all, she has spent a total of 18 years studying traditional fencing, both classical and historical. She received a master's certification from the Martinez Academy of Arms the following November, thus becoming the only other Master certified to teach the Rohdes system of classical fencing and the Martinez system of Spanish Rapier fence. Maestro Acosta-Martinez is also the Vice President of the Association for Historical Fencing (AHF).
	BA, BA, was born in 1964 in Florence and has been training in traditional fencing for over 17 years. He was a student of traditional Italian Rapier (Striscia da Duello) for ten years under the late Maestro H. Le Squezec, and later studied under Maestro Italo Manusardi. Maestro Lupo-Sinclair is the founder & technical director of Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica (FISAS), the Italian Ancient & Historical Fencing Federation. Maestro Lupo-Sinclair is a member of the Martinez Academy of Arms and Association for Historical Fencing (USA), and British Federation for Historical Swordplay (UK).
	was born in 1972 in the West Highland village of Glenuig, Moidart, Scotland. He began his study of fencing in the 1992 at Napier University, in Edinburgh. With a keen interest in historial swordsmanship, he founded the Dawn Duellists Society in 1994. During this same period he became a fencing instructor at Napier University. In 1995 Maestro Macdonald definitively ceased his sport fencing, dedicating himself solely to traditional fencing. In 1999, he helped to found the British Federation for Historical Swordplay (BFHS) becoming its president. After extensive study and training in sword making, Maestro Macdonald established Macdonald Armoury in 1998. His work as a swordsmith is highly regarded for its high level of quality and historical accuracy. Maestro Macdonald is a member of the Association for Historical Fencing and has given instruction at the Martinez Academy of Arms and the Italian Ancient & Historical Fencing Federation.
	BA, began his 29 year study of both classical and historical fencing under the tutelage of the late Maître d'Armes Frederick Rohdes in New York City. Maître Rohdes (see bio) was one of the last fencing masters to teach fencing as a martial art. During his ten years of study Mr. Martinez became assistant and protege of Maître Rohdes and was the only one of his pupils permitted to teach with full authorization at the Rohdes Academy. In late 1982, shortly before his death, Maître Rohdes conferred the rank of Fencing Master on Mr. Martinez. Maestro Martinez is the founder and director of Martinez Academy of Arms. He is associated with the Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica (FISAS) and the British Federation for Historical Swordplay. He is the current president of the Association for Historical Fencing (AHF), founded to promote, preserve and revive classical and historical fencing.

Research Associates
Photo	Bios
	has studied Japanese martial arts off and on since 1967 to this day, and a medieval reenactor until he began his serious research into the history and practice of European martial arts in the late 1980s when he decided to stop fooling around.

1. l´arte dell´armizare The name l´arte dell´armizare or simply armizare identifies this particular form of Western Martial Art, which is based on the tradition of Fiore dei Liberi. In the three versions of the Liberi treatise, it is referred to as:
   • Getty: "armiçare arte de combatter"
   • Morgan: "armizare e arte de combater"
   • Pisani-Dossi: "armiçar e de conbatere"
   The term "armizare" is derived from the above examples, and is felt that it uniquely identifies this art. Liberi in his texts would often refer to this as simply "the art".
    
2. Early Period Fencing (XIV and XV Centuries) a periodization for the classification of the eras of the history of fencing based on the various periods in the development of the historical European fighting arts.