author
maître d'armes Labat
A French fencing master from Toulouse, he is remembered for clear, practical manuals on swordsmanship that helped preserve the techniques of the small sword. His work opens a window onto the culture of dueling and martial training in early modern France.
1 Audiobook
The Art of Fencing; Or, The Use of the Small Sword
by maître d'armes Labat
About the author
Very little biographical information about Labat survives, but library and historical records identify him as a French maître d'armes linked to Toulouse. A 1701 edition of Questions sur l'art en fait d'armes, ou de l'épée describes him as a master of the art in the city and academy of Toulouse.
He is best known today for The Art of Fencing; Or, The Use of the Small Sword, an English translation of a French fencing treatise attributed to the "late celebrated Monsieur l'Abbat," presented as master of that art at the Academy of Toulouse. The book explains guards, attacks, timing, and footwork in a direct, instructional style that still interests readers of martial history.
Because so few personal details are firmly documented, his reputation rests mainly on the fencing books connected with his name. Even so, those works have given him a lasting place in the history of European swordsmanship, especially among readers curious about how the small sword was taught and practiced.