George Silver
Encyclopedia
George Silver was a gentleman
of England during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, who is known for his writings on fencing
. He is thought to have been the eldest of four brothers (one of whom, Toby, was also a swordsman who accompanied his brother in at least one challenge), and eleventh in descent from Sir Bartholomew Silver, who was knighted by Edward II
. He married a woman named Mary Haydon in London, in 1580, and was still alive in 1622.
-based Corporation of Maisters of the Noble Science of Defence), he was familiar with the fencing schools of the time, and the systems of defence that they taught, and claimed to have achieved a perfect understanding of the use of all weapons. Silver championed the native English martial arts while objecting on ethical and technical grounds to the fashionable continental rapier
systems being taught at the time. He particularly disliked the immigrant Italian fencing masters Rocco Bonetti and Vincentio Saviolo
, going so far as to challenge the latter (without result) to a public fencing match with various weapons atop a scaffold.
His major objections to the rapier
itself and to its pedagogy
were expressed in his 1599 work, Paradoxes of Defence. Silver saw the rapier as an incredibly dangerous weapon, which did not offer the user sufficient protection during a fight. Silver also bemoans other weapons that do not offer sufficient protection to the user (such as daggers; the rapier, however bears the brunt of his attention, as it was seemingly quite common in the day.
He later (probably around 1605) wrote his Brief Instructions on my Paradoxes of Defence in which he explained some of his method for using his preferred weapons (he recommends the shorter backsword
as being more versatile and offering better defence than the rapier). This, however, remained an unpublished manuscript
until its publication in 1898 by fencing
historian Captain Cyril G. R. Matthey as a training manual to aid soldiers fighting in the Boer War
.
Silver recommends a highly dynamic system which he deemed suitable for duelling, street defence and the battlefield, rather than the purely duelling orientation of the rapier
.
A major difference between Silver's system and Italian rapier
fencing lies in his not advocating the use of the lunge but rather the use of a shuffle step or a full step to come into range to strike the opponent, followed by instantly "flying out" again. He does not mention specific instructions for the placing of the feet relative to each other or regarding what angle from each other they are placed at. All that is clear is that the leg on the same side as the arm most forward on the weapon is normally placed in front of the other leg. One image in his "Paradoxes of Defence" shows a man measuring the length of his sword standing with his back foot out at a 90-degree angle from his imagined opponent.
One point of similarity with Italian rapier
fencing is that Silver advocates the use of the thrust together with the cut; he claims that in the English tradition only the cut was allowed. He deems this prohibition of thrusting an "evil tradition" in his "Paradoxes of Defence" and believes that both cut and thrust should be used.
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
of England during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, who is known for his writings on fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. He is thought to have been the eldest of four brothers (one of whom, Toby, was also a swordsman who accompanied his brother in at least one challenge), and eleventh in descent from Sir Bartholomew Silver, who was knighted by Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
. He married a woman named Mary Haydon in London, in 1580, and was still alive in 1622.
Fencing
Although not a professional fencing teacher (a role mostly played by the middle-class LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based Corporation of Maisters of the Noble Science of Defence), he was familiar with the fencing schools of the time, and the systems of defence that they taught, and claimed to have achieved a perfect understanding of the use of all weapons. Silver championed the native English martial arts while objecting on ethical and technical grounds to the fashionable continental rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
systems being taught at the time. He particularly disliked the immigrant Italian fencing masters Rocco Bonetti and Vincentio Saviolo
Vincentio Saviolo
Fencing master Vincentio Saviolo , though Italian born and raised, authored the first book on fencing in the English language.He arrived in London from Padua in 1590...
, going so far as to challenge the latter (without result) to a public fencing match with various weapons atop a scaffold.
His major objections to the rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
itself and to its pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
were expressed in his 1599 work, Paradoxes of Defence. Silver saw the rapier as an incredibly dangerous weapon, which did not offer the user sufficient protection during a fight. Silver also bemoans other weapons that do not offer sufficient protection to the user (such as daggers; the rapier, however bears the brunt of his attention, as it was seemingly quite common in the day.
He later (probably around 1605) wrote his Brief Instructions on my Paradoxes of Defence in which he explained some of his method for using his preferred weapons (he recommends the shorter backsword
Backsword
A backsword is a sword with a blade on one edge, or an "edge-and-a-quarter." The back of the sword is often the thickest part of the blade and acts to support and strengthen it....
as being more versatile and offering better defence than the rapier). This, however, remained an unpublished manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
until its publication in 1898 by fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
historian Captain Cyril G. R. Matthey as a training manual to aid soldiers fighting in the Boer War
Boer War
The Boer Wars were two wars fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics, the Oranje Vrijstaat and the Republiek van Transvaal ....
.
Silver recommends a highly dynamic system which he deemed suitable for duelling, street defence and the battlefield, rather than the purely duelling orientation of the rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
.
A major difference between Silver's system and Italian rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
fencing lies in his not advocating the use of the lunge but rather the use of a shuffle step or a full step to come into range to strike the opponent, followed by instantly "flying out" again. He does not mention specific instructions for the placing of the feet relative to each other or regarding what angle from each other they are placed at. All that is clear is that the leg on the same side as the arm most forward on the weapon is normally placed in front of the other leg. One image in his "Paradoxes of Defence" shows a man measuring the length of his sword standing with his back foot out at a 90-degree angle from his imagined opponent.
One point of similarity with Italian rapier
Rapier
A rapier is a slender, sharply pointed sword, ideally used for thrusting attacks, used mainly in Early Modern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.-Description:...
fencing is that Silver advocates the use of the thrust together with the cut; he claims that in the English tradition only the cut was allowed. He deems this prohibition of thrusting an "evil tradition" in his "Paradoxes of Defence" and believes that both cut and thrust should be used.
External links
- Facsimiles of Paradoxes of Defence
- Paradoxes of Defence -(transcription into modern spelling)
- Brief Instructions Upon My Paradoxes of Defence -(transcription into modern spelling)
- Articles discussing Silver's system of fencing