Swordsmanship

Angampora (Sri Lankan martial art) swordsmen

Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman. It is a modern term mainly used to refer to small sword fencing. But it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword. The English word "swordsman" is parallel to the Latin word gladiator.[1] This was a professional fighter who fought against other fighters and others for the entertainment of spectators in the Roman Colosseum. The word gladiator itself comes from the Latin word gladius, meaning "sword".[1]

Noted swordsmen

Japan's greatest swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi won sixty duels.[2] His classic book on swordsmanship is called the Book of Five Rings, written about 1645.[2]

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke was called "the greatest knight who ever lived". He was one of England's greatest swordsmen.[3]

Guy Chabot, Seigneur de Jarnac was famous as France's finest swordsman. He won by a slashing blow to his opponent's buttocks so he could no longer stand. Winning a duel using this method has since been called a coup de Jarnac.[4]

Italo Santelli was a great Italian fencing master (teacher).[5] His fencing styles made Italians the best swordsmen in Europe by the end of the 19th century.[5] He established and taught fencing in Hungary for over fifty years. By the 20th century his Hungarian fencers were the best in Europe.[5] He was given a knighthood for his contributions to the sport in Hungary.[5]

Swordsmanship Media

Related pages

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Douglas Harper, Etymology Online (2014), accessed 3 August 2014
  2. 2.0 2.1 Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995), p. 318
  3. "Famous Swordsmen in History". Famous Things, People and Events. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  4. Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995), p. 320
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995), p. 527

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