Academy of Historical Arts

The Academy of Historical Arts exists to promote the study of history through the medium of the historical, martial and creative arts.

We are an umbrella organisation to coordinate and aid the research and practices undertaken by our component groups and societies. Our belief is that if many like-minded groups work together towards a common goal then the end result is so much greater than if every group tries to work alone.

Several different activities are studied and taught in the Academy, including historical fencing (with medieval, renaissance and early modern weapons), heritage crafting, musical tuition and personal development. We organise and run several events throughout Scotland every year, and we work closely with museums, universities and schools.

Academy of Historical Arts in Glasgow

We run regular classes, seminars and other events in The Vanguard Centre, our full-time training venue in Glasgow city centre. Just south of the Clyde, within 10 minutes walking distance of Central Station, our venue is well-situated and easy to reach. Our attendance fees are very competitive, and we have an onsite shop where you can see, handle, and try on gear before making any commitments to purchase anything.

We have our own indoor archery range, letting us offer archery in Glasgow city centre. We also teach various forms of medieval and renaissance sword fighting, as part of the British historical fencing community. Our instructors are experienced and well-recognised across the UK, and even further abroad.

We also run courses demonstrating various forms of traditional crafting, including blacksmithing - we have our own forge, so we can teach this ancient skill.

Most Common Disciplines

In the Academy of Historical Arts, the most common disciplines are longsword (some clubs working with Ringeck's gloss, others working with Meyer) and the Scottish basket-hilted broadsword (mainly using Roworth, Angelo, Thomas Page and Donald McBane for source material). Some clubs work with messer (according to the Glasgow Fechtbuch and Lecküchner) or with sword and buckler (using MS I.33 and Lignitzer for their source material). Across the organisation, most HEMA disciplines are represented in some capacity!

Large Events

The Academy of Historical Arts runs several events throughout the year, but the two largest and most international of these are the annual HEMAC Glasgow event and the Real Fighting Stuff Conference that runs every two to three years.