Were people good at fencing in the Middle Ages?

Firstly, virtually no movies about the Middle Ages are "very realistic". Most are little more than fantasies minus the dragons, with costumes, weapons and settings completely made up by the film makers with some kind of vaguely "medieval" theme in their heads. read more

People in the Middle Ages were not generally good at fencing, mainly because very few people had swords or the time or the ability or NEED to learn how to use one. Based on some very rough maths, worked through below, you can estimate that maybe 3% of the population ever fought or trained with a sword. read more

In the early Middle Ages, it was not unusual for a bishop to lead his own knights into battle. Priests provided spiritual instruction and conducted religious ceremonies in local, or parish, churches. Monks and nuns were men and women who gave up their possessions and left ordinary life to live in monasteries and convents. read more