Affiliations

YORK SCHOOL OF DEFENCE

Hotspur's sister school in the south...
VISIT THE YSD

BFHS

The British Federation for Historical Swordplay is a national, independent umbrella group for any individual UK societies involved in the research, study and practice of historical fencing and the European martial arts. Founded in 1998.
VISIT THE BFHS

CFAA

Founded in 2011, the Chivalric Fighting Arts Association (CFAA) is an international organization of schools and clubs devoted to the study of historical European martial arts, particularly those practiced in a chivalric context, used in war, the tournament, and the duel.
VISIT THE CFAA

NEUE MARXBRÜDER

Re-established after a 300 year absence, the Neue Marxbrüder engages in the research and practice of HEMA in the spirit of the historic Frankfurt Fencing Association of Marxbrüder, St Marco and Löwenberg. Hans Talhoffer himself is believed to have been a member of the Association, perhaps even a founder, as the Lion of St Mark appears in his personal coat of arms displayed in his 1459 fechtbuch.
VISIT THE NEUE MARXBRÜDER

Friends

Club de Esgrima Falcata

Our wonderful and highly-recommended friends based in Vigo, Galicia, Northern Spain, who study HEMA and traditional European fighting arts, including medieval longsword, sword and buckler, dagger, rapier, smallsword, sabre and Galician stick-fighting. Club Falcata hosted members of the Hotspur School of Defence for a pollaxe seminar in December 2016.
VISIT CLUB FALCATA

DIE FREIFECHTER

Our most excellent friends in Germany, who study a wide field of German swordsmanship including longsword, messer and sabre.
VISIT DIE FREIFECHTER

SCHOOL OF EUROPEAN SWORDSMANSHIP HELSINKI

The school of Guy Windsor, one of the most widely-published and respected HEMA practitioners in the world today and a great friend to the HSD.
VISIT SESH

MACDONALD ACADEMY OF ARMS

Run by our excellent friend and master swordmaker, Maestro Paul Macdonald, based in Edinburgh.
VISIT MAA

RAZMAFZAR

Led by internationally-acclaimed Professor Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, Razmafzar has produced ground-breaking work in the reconstruction of Historical Persian Martial Arts.
VISIT RAZMAFZAR

F.I.S.A.S

Our great friends in Italy, the Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica (Italian Ancient and Historical Fencing Federation) is one of the oldest national organisations in the world and is famous for its superb annual gathering.
VISIT F.I.S.A.S

M.F.H.A

Founded in 2009 and launched to the public in 2011, The Malta Historical Fencing Association was set up to further the study, research and practice of Historical Fencing, and the rediscovery of the European martial arts traditions that were practiced in the Maltese islands through the ages.
VISIT M.F.H.A

M.A.C.S

The Medieval Armed Combat Society (MACS) was established in South Africa in 2001, and is dedicated to accurate recreation of Medieval and Early Modern fighting styles. In 2015, MACS hosted the HSD for three weeks to deliver workshops covering Messer and Pollaxe, and a firm friendship between the schools was founded. The MACS website also hosts a wide array of excellent research and topical articles.
VISIT M.A.C.S
 

Internationally recognised