Tommaso Leoni. Photo courtesy of Order of the Seven Hearts.
The International Swordfighting and Martial Arts Convention
Biography Page for

Tommaso Leoni
Order of the Seven Hearts



Tom was born in Locarno, Switzerland and grew up in the Brianza region of Northern Italy. His extensive education in the humanities included the study of Latin, ancient Greek, history, philosophy, Early Music and philology. Tom continued his academic studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland) and then at Texas Christian University where he earned a Bachelor's degree cum laude in classical music composition and a Master's in business administration.

Tom's interest in swordsmanship began in the early Nineties, at which time he started a serious and thorough investigation of most extant primary sources from 16th and 17th century Italy. This analysis led him to a lifelong commitment to the rapier system of Salvator Fabris (1544-1618). Thanks in great part to Tom's research, Fabris is emerging from the mists of history as one of the most celebrated rapierists of his time and the founder of a long and illustrious fencing lineage traceable well into the 18th century.

Tom's methodology as a researcher and a teacher is strongly philological, and relies on the direct and precise analysis of the period texts within their cultural context. Thanks to this approach, he and his students have been recognized as being singularly true to their source and "looking like the book." As the leading researcher of the rapier system of Fabris, Tom has published the first complete critical English translation of Lo Schermo, overo Scienza D'Arme (1606) through Chivalry Bookshelf. Also, he operates as a consultant on other research projects throughout the WMA community.

Besides the rapier, Tom's other martial interests center around the 16th Century Bolognese tradition, French smallsword and Classical fencing. Tom lives in Alexandria, Virginia, where he runs the school he founded, the Order of the Seven Hearts. By day, he is marketing manager for a prestigious International sporting-goods brand.