Swordsmanship

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.Douglas Harper, Etymology Online (2014), accessed 3 August 2014 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". 

Noted swordsmen 

Japan's greatest swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi won sixty duels.Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995), p. 318 His classic book on swordsmanship is called the Book of Five Rings, written about 1645.

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

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.Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995), p. 320

Italo Santelli was a great Italian fencing master (teacher).Nick Evangelista, The Encyclopedia of the Sword (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995), p. 527 His fencing styles made Italians the best swordsmen in Europe by the end of the 19th century. He established and taught fencing in Hungary for over fifty years. By the 20th century his Hungarian fencers were the best in Europe. He was given a knighthood for his contributions to the sport in Hungary.

 Related pages 
 Sword
 Sabre
 Fencing
 Foil
 Claymore
 Longsword
 Japanese sword-making

 References 

 Other websites 

 Gladiators of the Roman Empire 
 The School of European Swordsmanship
 Mirror Dance: The Art of Japanese Swordsmanship

Category:Martial arts
Category:Swords