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Jean-Louis Michel (fencing)
Encyclopedia
Jean-Louis Michel was a fencing master, sometimes hailed as the foremost exponent of the art of fencing in the nineteenth century.
(now Haiti
) in 1785. In his youth, Jean Louis took part in a winner take all tournament to the death. In the final Jean-Louis, a slight man of around 5' 2", duelled for 1 whole hour with a Spanish opponent who was 6 ft tall. Then as the Spaniard lost concentration Jean-Louis finished him.
He was most famous for a series of regimental duel
s held outside Madrid
, Spain, in 1814. Italian soldiers from the 1st Regiment and French soldiers from the 32nd Regiment of the 3rd Division of the French Army quarreled. Within 40 minutes, Jean-Louis is reputed to have killed three Italian masters including the Florentine master, Giacomo Ferrari, and wounded 10 others with 27 thrusts.
On another occasion, having been subject to repeated insults, he insisted in defending himself using only a training foil against a larger opponent armed with a rapier. Jean Louis adopted the most familiar tactic of retreating until his opponent tired himself with a series of clumsy attacks, whereupon he suddenly parried strongly and riposted with a wicked slash to the face, thereby teaching him a lesson in humility.
, where he opened a fencing school. In later life he taught that fencing to the death was a blight on society.
He is credited with the sayings, "A foil should be held as one holds a little bird; not so tightly as to crush it, but just enough to prevent it escaping from the hand.", and "Fencing is the art of conciliation."
Vigeant said of him "Jean-Louis' face which appeared hard at first meeting, hid a soul of great goodness and generosity."
The New Zealand
fencing club, Salle Jean Louis, has a direct link to Jean Louis himself, through his Prevost, one Emmanuel Broutin
to his son C. Leon Broutin
, to two English fencers (John and Victor Millard), to Bert Raper. Salle Jean Louis was founded in Auckland by Bert Raper in 1955. He in turn instructed Brian Pickworth and Dot Guard.
Early life
Jean-Louis was born in Saint-DomingueSaint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
(now Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
) in 1785. In his youth, Jean Louis took part in a winner take all tournament to the death. In the final Jean-Louis, a slight man of around 5' 2", duelled for 1 whole hour with a Spanish opponent who was 6 ft tall. Then as the Spaniard lost concentration Jean-Louis finished him.
In Napoleon's Army
Jean-Louis served as a soldier in the French army under Napoleon.He was most famous for a series of regimental duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
s held outside Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain, in 1814. Italian soldiers from the 1st Regiment and French soldiers from the 32nd Regiment of the 3rd Division of the French Army quarreled. Within 40 minutes, Jean-Louis is reputed to have killed three Italian masters including the Florentine master, Giacomo Ferrari, and wounded 10 others with 27 thrusts.
On another occasion, having been subject to repeated insults, he insisted in defending himself using only a training foil against a larger opponent armed with a rapier. Jean Louis adopted the most familiar tactic of retreating until his opponent tired himself with a series of clumsy attacks, whereupon he suddenly parried strongly and riposted with a wicked slash to the face, thereby teaching him a lesson in humility.
Retirement
He refused a commission, and in 1830, he retired to MontpellierMontpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, where he opened a fencing school. In later life he taught that fencing to the death was a blight on society.
Legacy
His style, which emphasised the conservation of movement, was a major influence on the French school of fencing, despite leaving no written record. This also led to his attempts to remove tierce from the classic parries.He is credited with the sayings, "A foil should be held as one holds a little bird; not so tightly as to crush it, but just enough to prevent it escaping from the hand.", and "Fencing is the art of conciliation."
Vigeant said of him "Jean-Louis' face which appeared hard at first meeting, hid a soul of great goodness and generosity."
The New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
fencing club, Salle Jean Louis, has a direct link to Jean Louis himself, through his Prevost, one Emmanuel Broutin
Emmanuel Broutin
Emmanuel Broutin is a French fencing master, sergeant of the imperial army, emigrated to Spain where he proceeded his career for the queen Isabella II of Spain before managing his fencing hall in Madrid.-Biography:...
to his son C. Leon Broutin
C. Leon Broutin
Claude Leon Broutin is a French fencing master, emigrated to Spain, author of a treaty of fencing.-Biography:C. Leon Broutin is born in Metz, in 1859. He is son of Emmanuel Broutin , fencing master and Marie-Louise Pasquier, dressmaker...
, to two English fencers (John and Victor Millard), to Bert Raper. Salle Jean Louis was founded in Auckland by Bert Raper in 1955. He in turn instructed Brian Pickworth and Dot Guard.