The founding of Radaelli's Scuola Magistrale

Here I have collected a few excerpts relating to the founding of what became the Scuola Magistrale in Milan, directed by Giuseppe Radaelli, starting with the first 'special courses' in 1868 up to its official founding in 1874.

L'Emporio Pittoresco, 10-16th January 1869, published in Milan:

In recent days at the depot of the Lucca Lancers, stationed in our city, a fencing course has been opened for lower officers of the army in order to provide the army with distinguished instructors.
We praise the minister of war highly for having founded this school and we commend the choice of city, because Milan and Naples are the sole population centres in Italy where this science, so useful and beneficial for the physical and moral development of the youth, is cultivated. The distinguished Maestro Radaelli has taken on the commitment of this teaching with the system he used in his well-known fencing hall.

Annuario Militare del Regno d'Italia, published on the 3rd February 1869:

Special point and sabre fencing courses.

In order to provide the army corps with able fencing masters, and through this promote in these corps the good principles of this art, 3 special courses were founded, one in Milan, under the management of the territorial cavalry command, for NCOs, corporals, and soldiers of the cavalry regiments and those of the field artillery; there the course will last 2 to 3 years.

One in Modena, at the Military School of Infantry and Cavalry, for 25 infantry and Bersaglieri NCOs; and another in Parma, at the Normal School of Infantry, for another 25 infantry NCOs. The duration of these two courses was fixed at around 9 months, that is from the 1st November 1868 to the 31st July 1869; and it is understood that after this course the same number of NCOs will be called until all the corps have fencing masters.

Those who have successfully completed the course will be issued with a license, by the Ministry of War, as military maestri for point and sabre fencing, and as such they will be recognised and adopted in their respective corps.

Similarly the Monferrato Light Cavalry Regiment was charged with teaching four low-ranking military men of each of the light cavalry regiments in a special method of handling the sabre both on foot and on horseback, which will then have to be adopted by all the cavalry regiments of the army.

The same text lists Cesare Enrichetti as being the 'Maestro for fencing' at the Modena military school, having attained that position on the 28th January 1865. It also lists as "Assistant maestri for fencing" Antonio Tinti, Alessandro Pavia, Felice Defilippi, Regolo Luppi, and Achille Tinti. A fencing master is not explicitly listed for the Parma normal school.

Annuario Militare del Regno d'Italia, published on the 3rd February 1870:

Special course on sabre handling and fencing with the Monferrato Light Cavalry Regiment.

In view of the good results obtained by the special course on sabre handling and fencing, which took place last year with the Monferrato Light Cavalry Regiment for 4 NCOs, corporals, or soldiers of each light cavalry regiment, the same course was renewed for the same number of NCOs, corporals, or soldiers for each regiment of lancers.

The course began on the 16th November 1869, and should end on the 30th April 1870.

A notice in this text states that the Parma Normal School of Infantry is now the 'Central School of Shooting, Gymnastics, Fencing for the Infantry', and lists Cesare Enrichetti as its head fencing master. The 'Maestro for fencing' at the Modena Military School of Infantry and Cavalry is listed as Agostino Gioberti. The same Gioberti was listed as just an instructor in the previous year's Annuario Militare for the Parma normal school, so it seems like a safe assumption that he was initially directing the special fencing course at Parma from November 1868.

In the Ministry of War's act no. 251 from the 6th December 1874, published in Giornale Militare, the Scuola Magistrale di Scherma in Milan is officially founded:

1. In the Milan military district a Scuola Magistrale of fencing has been founded in order to train NCO fencing instructors and assistant fencing instructors for the Army.
2. The direction of this school will be entrusted by the general commander to a brigade commander of the Milan garrison, and the instruction will be given by the professor of fencing Mr. Giuseppe Radaelli.
3. Both the students sent to this school and its required personnel will remain active in the corps to which they belong, and during their stay at the school they will be included in the Milan district.