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An early rapier or "side-sword" on exhibit in the Castle of Chillon. The spada da lato (Italian) or side-sword is a type of sword popular in Italy during the Renaissance. It is a continuation of the medieval knightly sword, and the immediate predecessor, or early form, of the rapier of the early modern period. Side-swords were used concurrently ...
A rapier (/ ˈ r eɪ p i ər /) is a type of sword originally used in Spain (known as espada ropera-' dress sword ') and Italy (known as spada da lato a striscia). [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. [ 4 ]
On the battlefield the so-called "Spada da Lato" or side-sword became the dominant sword type. At the same time in the cities of Italy the sidesword evolved into a new type of sword, used in a civilian setting for duelling. This civilian sword is known as "La Striscia" or Rapier in English. Frenchmen adopted the Italian duelling sword and ...
These are still considered side-swords and are sometimes labeled sword rapier or cutting rapier by modern collectors. Side-swords used in conjunction with bucklers became so popular that it caused the term swashbuckler to be coined. This word stems from the new fighting style of the side-sword and buckler which was filled with much "swashing ...
The term comes from the Basque city of Bilbao, [3] Bilbo in Basque, where the metal (bilbo steel) was extracted and later sent to Toledo, a city in the center of Spain, where these swords were forged and exported to the New World. These swords were also sold to merchants of every European nation, including England.
These new fencing methods quickly spread to the New World. Originally, this was the esgrima común, but eventually included destreza as well. Carranza himself was governor of Honduras for a time. Destreza authors and masters can be documented in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and the Philippines. Some degree of influence on the Philippine martial arts ...
The small sword or smallsword (also court sword or dress sword, French: épée de cour) [citation needed] is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting [citation needed] which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. [citation needed] The height of the small sword's popularity was between the mid-17th and late ...
Simultaneous use of two weapons is also frequently featured in fiction, particularly in video games, literature, and other media from the fantasy genre, where it is commonly dubbed "dual wielding". In the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), rapier combat makes use of various forms of off-hand device, including parrying daggers, batons ...