Description
A rapier () or espada ropera ("dress sword") is a type of sword used in Renaissance Spain to designate a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It was widely popular in Western Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries as a symbol of nobility or gentleman status.
It is called espada ropera because it was carried as an accessory to clothing, generally used for fashion and as a weapon for dueling, self-defense and as a military side arm. Its name is of Spanish origin and appears recorded for the first time in the Coplas de la panadera , by Juan de Mena, written approximately between 1445 and 1450:
Fencing spread throughout Western Europe and important sources for rapier fencing arose in Spain, known under the term of destreza ("dexterity"), in the Italian city-states and France. The French small sword or court sword of the 18th century was a direct continuation of this tradition of fencing, but was used only for dueling.
Rapier fencing forms part of Historical European Martial Arts.
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Tags ≈ Rapier
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