Tag Archives: Smallsword

The Bodleian Libraries Have a New Copy of Hope

Posted on July 31, 2021 by S
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Danet on the Demi-Volte

Posted on May 27, 2021 by S

“In smallsword, the volte is a movement that is an evasive action—that is, an esquive—that sidesteps an attack while simultaneously thrusting into the opponent. When one executes this advanced move, one is simultaneously attacking and defending at the same time. … Continue reading →

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McArthur’s 1780 Manuscript Transcribed

Posted on February 21, 2018 by S

Jamson and Crawley have teamed up to transcribe and digitally present a legible edition to McArthur’s 1780 smallsword manual.  Crawley states, “McArthur is the most accessible smallsword treatise for starting out yet the least available” so he and Jamson have … Continue reading →

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Rococo smallsword with foliate and spiral motifs, ca. 1755

Posted on February 18, 2018 by S
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Angelo’s Plates I-XV from Escrime in the Encyclopédie, 1765

Posted on February 17, 2018 by S

Domenico Angelo rocked the fencing world.  He was an Italian trained in France, appointed as Royal Fencing Instructor by George II where trained the future King, George III, in escrime.  In 1763, working with artist Gwyn Delin, he published L’Ecole … Continue reading →

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Evolution of Straight Form Swords

Posted on February 10, 2018 by S

The fast and agile smallsword, also known as  the court sword, is the culmination of a long and rich history. To view the smallsword’s development in context, explore our timeline.

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William H. Harrison’s Smallsword

Posted on February 6, 2017 by S

William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the United States, served only 31 days before dying of pneumonia in 1841.  Harrison’s portrait, painted by Rembrandt Peale, originally depicted Harrison in civilian clothes (painted after 1800).  However, after Harrison’s success in … Continue reading →

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Angelo on Elasticity and Recovery

Posted on November 21, 2015 by S

You ought to practice not only to make your thrusts with great quickness and vivacity, but also to deliver them with an elastic disengagement and disposition; and the motion of the body should appear like divers [sic] springs throughout the … Continue reading →

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Hope’s New Method vs Common Method

Posted on October 3, 2015 by S

Smallsword assault featuring Hope’s New Method versus the Common Method, 2014.

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