AGEA Editora hosts here, by way of public service, a digital copy of the following document.
At the end you will find a contact form to add your support, should you want to.
AGEA Editora hosts here, by way of public service, a digital copy of the following document.
At the end you will find a contact form to add your support, should you want to.
In order to unite our community and strengthen ties, we develop and promote the adoption of our activity in the following
As a whole, we understand “Historical European Martial Arts” as the union of two facets: the arts that were practiced; and their current study and reconstruction, for a cultural, martial, sporting, recreational, and responsible practice, from a contemporary perspective and values.
We understand that the practice of Historical European Martial Arts involves research and work based on historically documented sources, based on scientific grounds, and the aspiration to understand and integrate them into current practice.
We understand that the practice of Historical European Martial Arts involves, where necessary, the use of weapon simulators that, in a manner safe for current practice, are faithful to their historical counterparts and reflect those used in their corresponding time period.
We also understand that Historical European Martial Arts, as a contact activity, demand responsible and safe practice, which can incorporate the use of appropriate current protections.
To sum up, we understand that groups and individuals who practice Historical European Martial Arts engage in a contemporary activity based on a historical study of extinct martial traditions, and that we seek to reproduce adapted to the present, using tools and equipment as faithful as possible to those used at their heydays.
The origins of the reconstruction of martial arts from the past in Europe have older roots than might appear at first glance.
The first recorded project in Spain is that of the historian, art critic, journalist, and politician Gregorio Cruzada Villaamil and the creation of the Sala Rada in 1855, at number 2 Lope de Vega Street in Madrid, recovering the practice of the famous late 17th and early 18th century master Francisco Lorenz de Rada, a practitioner of the Verdadera Destreza school.
The publication by Baron Leguina of several 17th and 18th century works on the subject constitutes the next foray into the recovery of martial heritage.
However, like other attempts in other European countries (Hutton and Castle in the United Kingdom, Wassmannsdorf and Hergsell in Germany, Jacopo Gelli, Novati in Italy, etc.), they were short-lived due to political and social developments.
It was not until the late 20th and early 21st centuries that studies on the ancient techniques preserved in the treatises of previous centuries and their practice were taken up by new researchers and martial artists in Spain. The publications of Ricard Pous Cuberes and Rosa María Laborda, along with the latter’s creation in 1995 of the Bracamarte association and Aryar historical martial arts group, constitute the first contemporary approach in Spain, already preceded by some European and North American countries.
Contact with these entities — especially Italy — in the early 2000s contributed to the creation of a new group in the country dedicated to the reconstruction of our arts: the Asociación Española de Esgrima Antigua. In 2002, with the creation of a forum on its website, it bootstrapped a network of contacts that would promote the knowledge and expansion of this new practice throughout Spanish territory. This process culminated in 2006 with a state-wide meeting sponsored by the AEEA in Bustarviejo, attended by more than a hundred participants from all regions.
The creation of other large collaborative associations, such as the Federación Española de Salas de Armas (FESA), and new independent groups, was immediate, and with the help of the internet, over the following years, European historical martial arts were present with at least one group in most provinces.
Despite vicissitudes that broadly affected all leisure activities, such as the 2008 economic crisis or the 2019 COVID pandemic, growth in Spain has continued exponentially, and many of these groups have created branches in nearby towns, in addition to the new associations that subsequently emerged in many cities and towns, reaching well over a hundred groups today.
This large number of both groups and practitioners reflects the enormous diversity conveyed by European literature: in their origins, with geographically localized traditions (Italic, Germanic or Hispanic schools, etc.); in their time periods (13th to 19th centuries); in their different modalities and tools used (bare-handed fighting, use of sticks, knives and daggers, swords, polearms, armoured combat, etc.); or in the objectives of different approaches, such as competitive development of traditional or modern origins, the recreation of movement forms comparable to Asian katas, taos, or punses, versus their application in more realistic combat — to name a few of the possibilities we may encounter.
As we have said, our community is not alone in this resurgence, but has connected from the beginning with European and American groups and large international coalitions such as HEMAC, HEMA Alliance, or IFHEMA, interacting continuously with them, attending and hosting international meetings, and weaving a network that transcends political and cultural borders. We must add that, today, these relationships extend to the rest of the world, as the activity experiences continuous growth in Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
Martial traditions of Hispanic origin, formerly dismissed due to the dense and complex language of their treatises, the scarcity of illustrations, and the predominance of text, are experiencing a flourishing moment after years of study and practice. Currently, they are spreading throughout the world with great success, with the indigenous “Verdadera Destreza de las Armas” being one of the most valued and practiced branches in the world of HEMA. Today, several Spanish schools export their projects to more than 40 locations throughout Europe, Asia, and America.
The events and meetings that mark the national scene already have a long and unbroken tradition: the «Torre de Hércules» HEMA Gathering has been held without interruption since 2008, as has the Albacete gathering which begun a year later; the Kingdom of Castile annually brings together more than 250 practitioners; and the Ibero-American Panoply attracts and creates bonds bewteen people on both sides of the Atlantic — to cite a few notable extant examples. These events have not come this far alone: we cannot forget highly significant past experiences, such as the many AEEA Meetings in El Escorial/Toledo, the Barcelona HEMA Meeting, or the also long-running Bilbao Armata, to name a few examples across the Iberian Peninsula. Currently, the surge of new events with large participation is notable, reflecting constant growth.
Furthermore, the research and publication of specialized works, one of the pillars defining European historical martial arts, has been a constant throughout this period. Along with other publications, the important role of AGEA Editora is worth highlighting. Its research team, in constant communication with academics, libraries, and museums around the world, has produced a catalog of more than 25 titles — mainly critical studies of Iberian texts — making it the most respected publishing house in its field worldwide.
The activity globally referred to as HEMA, AMHE, or Historical European Martial Arts, has in Spain a consolidated, healthy, and diverse community, with a history of three decades of sustained growth behind it, and a future that only promises to be bigger and better.
It is a community with its own identity and self-awareness, with its own parameters for work, development, and recognition of merit. It has managed to jointly develop, although not without difficulties, a new activity in the 21st century, taking as its starting point theories and practices developed centuries ago.
It forms a movement that was born, grew, and continues to grow as a grassroots recreational activity — cultural and sporting — organically connecting many individual and group initiatives, and which has succeeded in managing itself well enough to claim its own space and recognition in today’s society.
This is why, now, at what might be considered the beginning of the mature stage of Historical European Martial Arts, we encourage individuals, groups, clubs, and associations to formally recognize themselves and disseminate and promote the self-definition that we have developed, with a desire for universality.
This document, written on September 8, 2025, is available to our community through the generosity of AGEA Editora at the address:
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