Editing Swordsmanship (section)

==Europe==
{{further|Historical European martial arts}}

===Classical history===
[[File:The Gladius Sword.jpg|thumb|left|Re-enactor with a Roman gladius]]
The Roman [[legionary|legionaries]] and other forces of the [[Roman military]], until the 2nd century A.D., used the [[gladius]] as a short thrusting sword effectively with the ''[[Scutum (shield)|scutum]]'', a type of [[shield]], in battle. According to [[Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus|Vegetius]], the Romans mainly used underhanded stabs and thrusts, because one thrust into the gut would kill an enemy faster than slashes or cutting. However, some depictions of Roman soldiers show them using slashing and cuts.<ref>Fields, Nic (2010-02-01). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=dVtuQidyB0sC&dq=Swordsmanship+of+Rome&pg=PA24 Warlords of Republican Rome: Caesar Against Pompey]''. Casemate Publishers. {{ISBN|978-1-935149-06-4}}.</ref><ref>Anglim, Simon; Rice, Rob S.; Jestice, Phyllis; Rusch, Scott; Serrati, John (2003). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=13SV4nOCLHsC&q=Gladius Fighting Techniques of the Ancient World (3000 B.C. to 500 A.D.): Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics]''. Macmillan.</ref><ref>Goldsworthy, Adrian Keith (1998). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=55KE-nNtTRUC&q=Swordsmanship+of+the+Roman+Army&pg=PA217 The Roman Army at War: 100 BC-AD 200]''. Clarendon Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-815090-9}}.</ref> [[Gladiator]]s used a shorter gladius than the military. The [[spatha]] was a longer double-edged sword initially used only by Celtic soldiers, later incorporated as auxilia into Roman Cavalry units; however by the 2nd century A.D. the spatha was used throughout much of the [[Roman Empire]].

The Empire's legionary soldiers were heavily trained and prided themselves on their disciplinary skills. This probably carried over to their training with weaponry, no Roman manuals of swordsmanship have survived. One translation of [[Satires of Juvenal|Juvenal's poetry]] by [[Barten Holyday]] in 1661 makes note that the Roman trainees learned to fight with the wooden [[waster]]s before moving on to the use of sharpened steel. In fact, it is also found that Roman gladiators trained with a wooden sword, which was weighted with lead, against a straw man or a wooden pole known as a ''palus'' (an early relative of the later wooden ''pell'').<ref>L. Friedlander-Drexel. ''Darstellungen aus der Sittengeschichte Roms'' per Michael Grant. ''Gladiators'' page 40. Barnes and Noble, 1967. Mention from Clements, John. ''Get thee a waster!''</ref> This training would have provided the Roman soldier with a good foundation of skill, to be improved upon from practical experience or further advanced training.

===Post-classical history===
{{further|German school of swordsmanship|Italian school of swordsmanship}}

Little is known about early medieval fencing techniques save for what may be concluded from archaeological evidence and artistic depiction (see [[Viking Age arms and armour]]). What little has been found, however, shows the use of the sword was limited during the Viking age, especially among the Vikings themselves and other northern Germanic tribes. Here, the spear, axe, and shield were prominent weapons, with only wealthy individuals owning swords. These weapons, based on the early Germanic ''spatha'', were made very well. The technique of [[pattern welding]] of composite metals, invented in the Roman Empire around the end of the 2nd century A.D., provided some of these northern weapons superior properties in strength and resilience to the iron gladius of early Rome.
[[File:Ms I33 fol 04v.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The [[I.33|MS I.33]] manuscript, dated to ca. 1290, shows fencing with the arming sword and the [[buckler]].]]
As time passed, the ''spatha'' evolved into the [[arming sword]], a weapon with a notable cruciform [[hilt]] common among [[knight]]s in the Medieval Age. Some time after this evolution, the earliest known treatises ''([[Fechtbuch|Fechtbücher]]'') were written, dealing primarily with arming sword and [[buckler]] combat. Among these examples is the [[I.33]], the earliest known ''Fechtbuch''. The [[German school of swordsmanship]] can trace itself most closely to [[Johannes Liechtenauer]] and his students, who later became the German masters of the 15th century, including [[Sigmund Ringeck]], [[Hans Talhoffer]], [[Peter von Danzig (fencer)|Peter von Danzig]] and [[Paulus Kal]]. It is possible that the Italian fencing treatise [[Flos Duellatorum]], written by the Italian swordmaster [[Fiore dei Liberi]] around 1410, has ties to the German school.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}  During this period of time, the [[longsword]] grew out of the arming sword, eventually resulting in a blade comfortably wielded in both hands at once. Armour technology also evolved, leading to the advent of [[plate armour]], and thus swordsmanship was further pressed to meet the demands of killing a very well protected enemy.

For much of the early medieval period, the sword continued to remain a symbol of status. During later years, production techniques became more efficient, and so, while the sword remained a privilege, it was not so heavily confined to only the richest individuals, but rather to the richest classes.

===Modern history===
The military importance of swordsmanship rapidly diminished in the 16th century with the advent of [[firearm]]s. The last prominent battlefield sword to be used was the [[backsword]]. Although it was not a new invention, it managed to outlast other forms of war swords, being used by [[cavalry]] units and officers.

The power, accuracy, and reliability of firearms continued to improve, however, and soon swords had little place on the battlefield aside from ceremonial purposes. The preferred civilian dueling weapon shifted from the rapier to the faster but shorter [[smallsword]], and eventually shifted totally away from swords to the [[pistol]], following developments in firearm technology. The civilian affair of dueling was banned in most areas, but persisted to some degree regardless of law, until well into the 20th century.

====Renaissance====
{{further|Italian school of swordsmanship|Spanish school of swordsmanship|European dueling sword}}

[[File:Mühlberg - Säbelmensur.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Sabre]] duel of German students, around 1900, painting by [[Georg Mühlberg]] (1863–1925)]]
The German school of swordsmanship, in general, faced a decline during the Renaissance as the Italian and Spanish schools, which tilted more toward the [[rapier]] and civilian [[duel]]ing, took the forefront. The compendium compiled by [[Paulus Hector Mair]] in the 1540s looks back to the preceding century of work and attempts to reconstruct and preserve a failing art. The treatise by [[Joachim Meyer]], dating to the 1570s and 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.

The use of the longsword continued to decline throughout the Renaissance period, marked by the increased effectiveness of the [[arquebus]] and the use of [[pike square]]s as a powerful implement of battle. During this time, civilian swords evolved to [[side-sword]]s, also known as "cut and thrust" swords, and progressed towards the thicker, tapering sword that eventually became the 17th century [[rapier]]. This new weapon was popular for both protection on the street and as a tool in the [[duel]], but found little success on the battlefield. The Italian, French, and Spanish schools embraced this change in civilian armament and developed systems of [[rapier]] fencing. The German school, however, provides little on this weapon and ceases its prevalence thereafter.

====Development into a sport====
{{Main|Fencing}}
[[File:Angelo Domenico Malevolti Fencing Print, 1763.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|1763 fencing print from [[Domenico Angelo]]'s instruction book. Angelo was instrumental in turning fencing into an athletic sport.]]
The need to train swordsmen for combat in a nonlethal manner led fencing and swordsmanship to include a sport aspect from its beginnings, from before the medieval tournament right up to the modern age.<ref>Antonio Manciolino, in the beginning of his 1531 manual, gives point values for the various body parts. [[Masaniello Parise]] supplemented his 1884 fencing manual with a small work, ''Spada da Terreno'' in which he gave the reader some general advice for the duel as well as covering which techniques most appropriate to use.</ref>

The shift towards fencing as a sport rather than as military training happened from the mid-18th century, and was led by [[Domenico Angelo]], who established a fencing academy, Angelo's School of Arms, in [[Carlisle House, Soho#Carlisle House, Carlisle Street|Carlisle House]], [[Soho]], [[London]] in 1763.<ref>F.H.W. Sheppard, ed. ''Survey of London'' volume 33 ''The Parish of St. Anne, Soho (north of Shaftesbury Avenue)'', [[London County Council]], London: University of London, 1966, pp. 143–48, [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41071 online at British History Online].</ref> There, he taught the [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocracy]] the fashionable art of swordsmanship which they had previously had to go the [[Continental Europe|continent]] to learn, and also set up a riding school in the former rear garden of the house. He was fencing instructor to the [[Royal Family]]. With the help of artist Gwyn Delin, he had an instruction book published in England in 1763, which had 25 engraved plates demonstrating classic positions from the old schools of fencing. His school was run by three generations of his family and dominated the art of European fencing for almost a century.
<ref name="Evangelista">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TyJ8ebnS1HMC|title=The Encyclopedia of the Sword|author=Nick Evangelista|year=1995|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|pages=20–23|isbn=978-0-313-27896-9}}</ref>

He established the essential rules of [[Human position|posture]] and [[Footwork (martial arts)|footwork]] that still govern modern [[sport fencing]], although his attacking and [[Parry (fencing)|parry]]ing methods were still much different from current practice. Although he intended to prepare his students for real combat, he was the first fencing master yet to emphasize the health and sporting benefits of fencing more than its use as a killing art, particularly in his influential book 'L'École des armes'' (''The School of Fencing''), published in 1763.<ref name="Evangelista"/> According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', "Angelo was the first to emphasize fencing as a means of developing health, poise, and grace. As a result of his insight and influence, fencing changed from an art of war to a sport."<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1394237/Domenico-Angelo Domenico Angelo] at Encyclopædia Britannica.com.</ref>

As fencing progressed, the combat aspect slowly faded until only the rules of the [[sport]] remained. While fencing taught in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was intended to serve both for competition and the [[duel]] (while understanding the differences between the two situations), the type of fencing taught in a modern [[fencing (sport)|sport fencing]] salle is intended only to train the student to compete in the most effective manner within the rules of the sport.

As this evolution has continued, the training and techniques have become increasingly further removed from their [[martial arts|martial roots]]. 

=====Historical fencing=====
{{Main|Historical European martial arts}}
[[File:Fencing display at Bath club.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|Advertisement for [[Alfred Hutton]]'s swordsmanship show at the [[Bath Club]].]]
As early as 1880, attempts were made to recreate the older German, Italian, and Spanish schools of swordsmanship. The movement was led in England by the soldier, writer, antiquarian, and swordsman, [[Alfred Hutton]]. In 1862, he organized in his regiment stationed in [[British India|India]] the Cameron Fencing Club, for which he prepared his first work, a 12-page booklet entitled ''Swordsmanship''.<ref>[http://www.fioredeiliberi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=133&p=3679 Sources in the V&A Museum's library]</ref>

After returning from India in 1865, Hutton focused on the study and revival of older fencing systems and schools. He began tutoring groups of students in the art of 'ancient swordplay' at a club attached to the London Rifle Brigade School of Arms in the 1880s. In 1889, Hutton published his most influential work ''Cold Steel: A Practical Treatise on the Sabre'', which presented the historical method of military sabre use on foot, combining the 18th century English [[backsword]] with modern Italian duelling [[sabre]].

Hutton's pioneering advocacy and practice of [[historical fencing]] included reconstructions of the fencing systems of several historical masters including [[George Silver]] and [[Achille Marozzo]]. He delivered numerous practical demonstrations with his colleague [[Egerton Castle]] of these systems during the 1890s, both in order to benefit various military charities and to encourage patronage of the contemporary methods of competitive fencing. Exhibitions were held at the [[Bath Club]] and a fund-raising event was arranged at [[Guy's Hospital]].

Despite this revival, the practice died out soon after the death of Hutton in 1910. Interest in the physical application of historical fencing techniques remained largely dormant during the first half of the 20th century, and only revived near the end of the 20th century.

===== Classical fencing =====
{{main|Classical fencing}}
Practitioners of modern fencing, who were unsatisfied with the exclusive sports emphasis that modern fencing had, took steps to preserve the principles of [[dueling]] and fencing as practiced in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Classical fencing uses the foil, épée, and sabre according to these older practices.

Fencing and sword fighting have been incorporated into films as part of cinematic action sequences. Usually choreographed, these scenes are designed for [[entertainment]] but often demonstrate a high level of skill. Actor [[Errol Flynn]] became known for his sword-fighting scenes, such as in [[The Adventures of Robin Hood (film)|''The Adventures of Robin Hood'']] (1938). Other examples include [[The Princess Bride (film)|''The Princess Bride'']] (1987), ''[[Rob Roy (1995 film)|Rob Roy]]'' (1995), and ''[[Die Another Day]]'' (2002).<ref name=STC>{{cite web|title=Video: Great Sword Fights|url=https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/magazine/posts/2014/november/video-great-sword-fights|date=7 November 2014|publisher=[[Sydney Theatre Company]]|access-date=13 November 2014}}</ref>