Achille Marozzo

Achille Marozzo – a Bolognese with a school in Venice Italy-  published his ‘Opera Nova’ in 1536 with a dedication to Count Rangoni.  His reputation was very great and five editions of this text were published between 1536 and 1615.  Morozzo was born in San Giovanni in Persiceto (a possession of Bologna) to Lodovico Marozzo in 1484. He studied fencing after the Dardi style Under the tutelage of the great Bolognese master Guido Antonio di Luca, where he may have known fellow student and future fencing master Antonio Manciolino.

Marozzo was a military man who used a system in the Bardi/Dardi tradition of Italian fencing using primarily the cut and thrust sword - largely known today as the sidesword.  The system however covers much more than just one handed swordplay as Marozzo was a professional military man with a love for the older tradition of the “Knights of Arms.”  The system covers the use of sword and buckler, single sword, two handed swords, pole arms and knife fighting.  This is an elegant, brutal and dynamic system of martial arts.

The text is written in a form of instruction to his students on how to teach. Marozzo's students included Giovanni Battista da i Letti, Giacomo Crafter d'Agusta, and his son Sebastiano Marozzo. Achille Marozzo died in 1553 and is buried at the military hospital in Bologna.

This class covers the basics of angles and unbalancing working from the basic grappling principles unarmed and against a knife wielding opponent, providing tools that can be used in modern self defense.  These principles will them be applied to a study of knife fighting, single sword, sword and buckler and the longsword.

Captain Alfred Hutton would include teachings from Marozzo in his works to teach British soldiers. Old Sword Play can be purchased here.