Patri J. Pugliese (May 11, 1950 – February 11, 2007) was an American historian of science, dance, and fencing, as well as a teacher of historical dance. He is widely regarded as a foundational figure in the modern study of the history of European swordsmanship.
Education and Career
Pugliese received his Ph.D. in the History of Science from Harvard University in 1982. Professionally, he worked at Dragon Systems, a speech-recognition technology company. Despite his academic training in the history of science, he became best known for his work as a dance historian specializing in the 19th century and for his dissemination of facsimiles of once exceedingly rare historical works on fencing.
Contributions to Historical Swordsmanship
Through his efforts in reproducing and distributing facsimiles of historical fencing treatises, Pugliese introduced many scholars and practitioners to the importance of martial expression in early modern culture. He is often considered the father of the modern study of the history of European swordsmanship, as the texts he provided were foundational to the development of the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) community.
Dance and Reenactment
Pugliese was a founding member of the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers in Boston, a group dedicated to the performance and preservation of 19th-century social dance. He was also active as a Civil War reenactor, commanding the Salem Zouaves, a reenactment unit he co-founded in 2000.
Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)
Pugliese was a long-time participant in the Society for Creative Anachronism. He co-founded the Boston chapter of the SCA and served as the Baron of Carolingia (the SCA's Boston-area branch) from 1979 to 1996. Within the SCA, he was known as Patri du Chat Gris.
Higgins Sword Guild
He was a founding member of the Higgins Sword Guild at the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, an organization dedicated to the study and practice of historical fencing.
Family
His mother, Julia Jones-Pugliese, was the first U.S. women's intercollegiate fencing champion in 1929 and worked as a professional fencing coach until 1993. His father was Anthony Pugliese.
Death
Pugliese died on February 11, 2007, at his home in Medford, Massachusetts, after a year-long battle with liver cancer. He was 56 years old. He was survived by his wife Barbara and two daughters.
