On the Manner of Wearing a Sword

Greetings,

This is a subject which has been written on request from some of my readers. It is a subject which is often overlooked with regard to weapons, but is one which needs some attention paid to it. Some would think that this is a subject which the knowledge is automatic, but there is a great deal more attention that needs to be paid to it.

“The man dancing the Balletti gravi will wear the cloak, and the sword in the manner which is demonstrated in the design of the Balletto of the Bellezze d' Olimpia: and dancing Cascarde, or Gagliarda, they will carry that as is demonstrated in the design of the Cascarda Alta Regina: keeping it as most it will please him either under the right arm or under the left; which one does not matter much: neither dance without this ever, because it makes a most brutish sight. Dancing gagliarda, and finding the sword, he shall hold that with the left hand, such that he would not let it go wandering: and finding it again in the Ballo to have little field, keeping it with the hand, it will return some with the point towards the forward part, such that it not offend the bystanders.”
Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta (1581) Il Ballarino

Caroso in the above statement gives some very specific instructions for wearing the sword and cloak when dancing. Some of the information presented above will be re-presented below as it is applicable to the situation. Caroso's instruction is primarily discussing the wearing of the sword and cloak while dancing whereas this investigation will cover a much broader consideration of wearing the sword.

The object of this particular topic is to cover a rather broad and general appraisal of wearing the sword. Some of the information presented will be specific to the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), but for the most part it will address the concept of wearing a sword from a much more general approach. The discussion will be presented in terms of some general areas of discussion which will be covered in order to cover as much of the subject as possible.

There are times when it is appropriate to wear a sword and there are also times when it is most definitely not appropriate. It is important to be able to discuss and divide these so that the sword can be worn at the appropriate time and not at others. In this particular instance there are times in medieval and Renaissance instances, as they are being recreated, and times in the modern world when it is and is not appropriate to wear a sword, and the level of censure can be severe for some of these.

Most of the appropriateness of wearing a sword comes from the percieved social norms of the situation. It is not normal for a person to be seen walking down the street in the modern world with a sword, this would obviously be a breach of a social norm. More to the point in this particular situation a person could also be pulled up by the local constabulary and could be charged with "going armed in public with intent to cause fear", which while it is a misdemeanour is still a serious situation to put yourself in. However, should the same person be found wearing medieval or Renaissance dress and the appropriate weapon at a medieval or Renaissance fair, then the situation would be different and the person would blend in.

Weapons and alcohol simply do not mix. There are many stories of people being injured and/or killed when weapons and alcohol are mixed. The two should be kept from one another regardless of the social situation, thus it is advised that the weapon be put in a safe place before going anywhere near a bar or tavern. Wearing a sword into such a situation has too high a potential for causing issues.

Surprisingly enough, even when associating with a particular medieval or Renaissance recreation group the consideration of appropriateness still applies and needs to be considered. The first question that needs to be asked is whether the wearing of a sword is appropriate for the attire which is being worn in the first place. The common wearing of swords in a civilian situation did not really come about until the Renaissance period, and even in that it was not really until the later period that it became common.

With regard to the suitability of the attire for wearing a sword with it there is also the question of rank, or to be more general, social status. Rank is a question which will be discussed further along. Wearing a sword with a peasant outfit would look almost as out of place as being heavily jewelled. Thus we must consider whether the attire which is being worn is appropriate to be accompanied by such a weapon.

In the question of rank there are some obvious ranks which would carry swords as part of their outfits, these would be knights and the higher nobility. However there is also a lower rank that of the Award of Arms which it is also suitable to carry a sword, hence the title of the rank. The lower status of this rank ...

The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...

It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV

... or direct from the author.