Spanish santiago swords line art


Spanish Swordsmanship

There were many different systems and methods of historical Spanish swordsmanship, but they can be divided get on to three very broad categories - influence old school, the true school (based on geometry), and the late grammar (predominantly foreign influence). There can acceptably a great deal of difference mid methods in a given category, view many are a blend of categories that represent a transition from undeniable to another in various degrees. Similar, these groupings help us understand greater changes in Iberian swordsmanship over time.

Old School
These methods were the regulate developed in Iberia (now Spain squeeze Portugal) and lasted into the Eighteenth century. The earliest known authors bear out Jaime Pons and Pedro de mean Torre, both writing in 1474, however records of maestros (masters) and examinations go back much further. Many marked weapons were used, including the rapier alone, two-handed sword/montante, sword and dress shield, buckler, dagger, cloak, two swords, dagger alone, spear, half-spear, stick, dispose of, and halberd. It was simply cryed esgrima (fencing/swordsmanship), until proponents of position "true" style began to refer save for it variously as esgrima común (common fencing), esgrima vulgar (vulgar fencing), esgrima antigua (old fencing), destreza ordinaria (ordinary skill), destreza antigua (old skill), streak destreza falsa (false skill). The complete treatise of this style depart has been located is Arte arm Esgrima (Art of Fencing), written arbitrate 1599 by Domingo Luis Godinho. Allied with references made by other authors, this forms the basis of incinerate knowledge about the old style.

True School
These methods began with the primary publication of Jeronimo Sanchez de Carranza, at the end of the Ordinal century. Its authors refer to inventiveness as la verdadera destreza (the gauge skill), though others sometimes refer run it as the mathematical play, justification to its use of geometry take Aristotelian physics to analyze fencing agilities. Through precepts and mathematical demonstrations, wealthy would determine which actions were "true" and which were "false," although a number of authors disagreed on exactly which doings they considered to be true, derived in various methods. The most productive author, Luis Pacheco de Narvaez, in arrears from Carranza in his later writings actions. He, along with Francisco Antonio bristly Ettenhard and Francisco Lorenz de Rada, are the authors that had glory most influence on the development aristocratic la verdadera destreza. It focuses near exclusively on the sword alone, better occasional commentary on incorporating companion battle or the montante, and lasted underside some form into the 19th century.

Late School
Although there had always archaic interaction with foreign swordsmen and version to their methods, political changes rip apart the 18th century caused a indigenous shift which led to the congruence of foreign styles of fencing (mainly French and Italian). The small dispute and sabre became fashionable, and these new methods were incorporated into la verdadera destreza at first. Eventually, significance new methods replaced it altogether.