Vincentio Saviolo
Fencing master Vincentio Saviolo (d. 1598/9), though Italian born and raised, authored one of the first books on fencing in the English language.
He arrived in London from Padua in 1590. John Florio described Saviolo's fencing school being, in 1591, "in the little street where the well is...at the sign of the red Lyon." It was described by George Silver as being "within a bow shot" of what was later the Bell Savage or la Belle Sauvage, at this time "Savage's inn, otherwise called the Bell on the Hoop" ( Inns and Taverns of Old London by Henry C. Shelley, 1909), on Ludgate Hill. His particular nemesis among the Masters of Defence of the English school was this George Silver, who wrote his own book to attack Saviolo's systems.
Vincentio Saviolo, his practise, in two bookes, the first intreating of the use of the Rapier and Dagger, the second of Honor and honorable quarrels. London, printed by John Wolfe, 1595, undertakes to instruct in the rapier fencing techniques of his day. As was ordinary in that day, it was structured like a conversation between Saviolo and an imaginary student. The careful reader will notice the absence of the lunge.
The 1595 club (in London and Brighton) is the only modern organisation practicing Saviolo's techniques in the U.K.
References
External links
- Jared Kirby (ed.), A Gentleman's Guide to Duelling: Of Honour and Honourable Quarrels, Frontline Books (2014), ISBN 978-1848325272.
- An annotated version of Saviolo at ARMA.
- A non-annotated version, with an attached article explaining some of the terms used.
- An article on Saviolo in London
- A factual story out of Saviolo's career.http://web.archive.org/web/20060108152646/http://www.swordhistory.com/home.html
- 'the 1595', One of the only clubs to study Saviolo's techniques
- A demonstration of Saviolo's techniques by Chris Chatfield and Gray Morris of the 1595 club