sulla scherma francese del periodo classico: "To examine the origins of epée fencing, one must first – briefly – look at the development of foil. The conventions of foil were introduced in mid-17th century France as a means of demonstrating skilled swordplay in safety, before the invention of the wire mask. By the time the mask appeared at the end of the 18th century, fencing had become a formal academic exercise involving an increasingly intricate series of movements.
It was the adoption of the mask that led to epée fencing. Although duelling had been outlawed for centuries, it continued to take place, particularly in France, where fencing masters would adapt their foil lessons to the practical preparation for a serious encounter with swords. The two forms of fencing, were of course, quite different, but the more mobile and dynamic form of foil that evolved after the invention of the mask blurred this distinction and led some fencers to believe that foil technique was sufficient preparation for duelling. By the mid-19th century a group of Parisian fencers began to rebel against conventional foil teaching, which left many competent foilists dead or wounded when involved in a duel."