Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles
available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Gérard (or
Girard) Thibault d'Anvers (ca. 1574-1627) was a Dutch fencing master and
author of the 1630 rapier manual Academie de l'Espée. His manual is one
of the most detailed and elaborate extant sources on rapier combat,
painstakingly utilizing geometry and logic to defend his unorthodox
style of swordsmanship. Academie de l'Espée describes a unique system of
combat whose closest known relative is the contemporary Spanish school
of swordsmanship, also known as La Verdadera Destreza, as taught by
masters such as Don Jerónimo Sánchez de Carranza and Don Luis Pacheco de
Narváez. Not unlike the Spanish, Thibault advocated the use of the
rapier with the sword arm almost fully extended during most actions.
However, Thibault differed from his Spanish counterparts in many areas,
including his preferred stance and grip.
