Swordsmanship

Swordsman redirects here. For the comic book characters, see Swordsman (comics).

Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in fencing with a sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to European Medieval warfare. Swordsman translates gladiator, the term for the professional fencers of Ancient Rome.

Several modern sports and martial arts have components based upon older principles of swordfighting. Among these are fencing, kendo, iaido, Battojutsu, kenjutsu, escrima, aikido and some variants of kung fu.

This article will treat only Western swordsmanship as developed in Europe; see Kenjutsu for Japanese Swordsmanship and kung fu for the weaponry in Chinese martial arts.

Styles of swordfighting

Sword and shield

The early medieval single-handed sword descended from the spatha was designed for combined use with a shield in hand-to-hand combat. See Viking Age arms and armour, Holmgang. Until the High Middle-Ages (13th century), this combination remained common, and was continued into early modern times in the form of combat with a sword or a grosses messer and a buckler. The earliest fechtbuch known, the I.33 manuscript of ca. 1300 deals with sword and buckler techniques. Also, the use of the one handed swords was most commonly used because it was light and quite simple to use.

Two-handed sword

Although occasional two-handed use is attested from at least the 13th century, swords designed for two-handed use appear relatively late. These are the German langes schwert and the Italian spadone, taught in the German and Italian schools of swordsmanship, see also fechtbuch.

A similar type of sword is the Scottish claymore. There are no surviving manuals or schools dealing with the two-handed claymore, although singlestick is thought to be a sports combat form descended from the use of the later single-handed claymore.

No evidence of actual fencing with the German Zweihänder survives, although some Western martial artists believe that some German langes schwert techniques are applicable to the weapon. Also, the use of the one handed swords was most commonly used because it was light and quite simple to use. Unfortunatly, a single handed sword lacked the power provided in a larger, two handed blade, but some prefered the single handed weapon for simple manuverability and speed.

Chronology

Middle ages

Little is known about early medieval fencing technique but what may be concluded from archaeological evidence and artistic depiction (see Viking Age arms and armour). The earliest known treatises are from 14th century Germany (see I.33, Johannes Liechtenauer, 3227a). The German school of swordsmanship is well attested from the 15th century in fechtbuchs ("fighting manuals"). German masters of the 15th century include Sigmund Ringeck, Hans Talhoffer, Peter von Danzig and Paulus Kal.

Renaissance

The German school of swordsmanship declined during the 16th century. The compendia compiled by Paulus Hector Mair in the 1540s look back to the preceding century and are an attempt to reconstruct and preserve a failing art.

The treatise by Joachim Meyer, dating to the 1570s, notable for its scientific and complete approach to the style (it is suggested that Meyer's students came to him with less military knowledge and therefore required more basic instruction), is the last major account of the German school, and its context is now almost entirely sportive.

Also from the 15th century, a separate Italian style of swordsmanship began to develop, originally probably dependent on the German school. Fiore dei Liberi's manual, the Flos Duellatorum dates to around 1410, and is noted for not only presenting a complete system of combat with the longsword in two hands, but also covering wrestling, dagger, quarterstaff, spear, and poleaxe technique, the longsword in one hand, and in two hands while armored.

The Italian, French and Spanish schools developed into systems of rapier fencing.

Renaissance Italian masters include Achille Marozzo (1536), Camillo Agrippa (1553), Salvator Fabris (1606), Ridolfo Capo Ferro (1610), Francesco Alfieri (1640), and Francesco Marcelli (1686).