maître d'armes Labat

Jean Labat was a French maître d'armes based in Toulouse. Sources found during this search describe him as the author of three fencing treatises: Abrégé de l'art en fait d'armes (1682), L'art en fait d'armes, ou de l'épée seule (1696), and Questions sur l'art en fait d'armes, ou de l'épée (1701).

He appears in historical fencing references as a teacher tied to the city and academy of Toulouse, and later writers drew on his work. An English-language fencing book sometimes cataloged under "Labat, maître d'armes" is actually presented in its own text as a translation of rules by Monsieur L'Abbat, so it is best not to treat that edition as securely biographical evidence about Jean Labat himself.

Very little personal detail was confirmed beyond his role as a fencing master and author. Even so, his manuals matter because they preserve a clear, early French view of smallsword instruction and the teaching culture around fencing in his time.