George Silver facts for kids
George Silver was an English gentleman who lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s. He is famous for writing about swordplay, which is the art of fighting with swords. He was the oldest of four brothers, and his brother Toby was also a swordsman. George Silver married Mary Haydon in London in 1580.
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George Silver's Fencing Style
George Silver was not a professional fencing teacher. Instead, he was a gentleman who knew a lot about sword fighting. He was familiar with the fencing schools of his time. He believed he understood how to use all kinds of weapons perfectly.
English vs. Italian Swords
Silver strongly supported traditional English martial arts. He did not like the popular Italian rapier sword fighting styles. He thought the rapier was very dangerous. He felt it did not protect the person using it enough during a fight.
He especially disliked two Italian fencing masters, Rocco Bonetti and Vincentio Saviolo. Silver even tried to challenge Saviolo to a public sword fight. He and his brother Toby put up posters about the challenge. They even delivered one to Saviolo's school. But Saviolo never showed up for the fight.
Silver's Books on Defence
In 1599, Silver wrote a book called Paradoxes of Defence. In this book, he explained why he disliked the rapier. He also complained about other weapons that didn't offer enough protection.
Later, he wrote another book called Bref Instructions on my Paradoxes of Defence. This book explained his own methods for using his favorite weapons. He suggested using the shorter backsword. He thought it was more useful and offered better protection than the rapier. This book was not published until 1898.
How Silver's System Worked
Silver's system was very active and fast. He thought it was good for duels, street fights, and even battlefields. This was different from the rapier style, which was mostly for dueling.
A big difference in Silver's system was how people moved. He did not teach the "lunge" move. Instead, he taught fighters to step forward to strike. Then, they would quickly "fly out" or move back again.
Silver believed that both thrusts (stabbing) and cuts (slashing) were important. He said that in English tradition, thrusts were sometimes not allowed with swords. And cuts were sometimes not allowed with rapiers. But Silver thought that "no fight is perfect without both blow and thrust."
See also
- Alfred Hutton
- Historical European martial arts
Additional Resources
- Silver, George. The Works of George Silver. Ed. Cyril G. R. Matthey. London: George Bell and Sons, 1898.
Schools that Teach Silver's Swordsmanship
- Terry Brown English Martial Arts
- English Martial Arts
- Academy of Arms & Old English Martial Arts
- Backswording.co.uk
- Aisle O'Var Backswording Clubbe
- Stoccata School of Defence
- Silver School Bolton
