This article is about the bladed weapon. For the surface-to-air missile, see Rapier (missile). For other uses, see Rapier (disambiguation).
Rapier / Espada ropera
Espada ropera, first half of the 17th century
Type
Sword
Place of origin
Habsburg Spain
Production history
Designed
Around c. 1540
Specifications
Mass
avg. 1 kg (2.2 lb)
Blade length
avg. 104 cm (41 in)
Width
avg. 2.5 cm (0.98 in) to sharp point
Blade type
single- or double-edged, straight blade
Hilt type
complex, protective hilt
A rapier (/ˈreɪpiər/) or espada ropera ('dress sword') is a type of sword used in Renaissance Spain[1] to designate a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand.[2] 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.[3] 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:[4]
Say, baker.
A Wednesday that left
Prince Enrique
to look for some good bite
for his espada ropera,
he left without another wait
from Olmedo such a great company,
that with very beautiful skill
to the Port was withdrawn.
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 later used primarily for dueling, though self-defense certainly happened. The smallsword was also used in a limited military context.
Rapier fencing forms part of Historical European Martial Arts.[5]
^"The rapier sword". Aceros de Hispania. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^Pérez, Juan José. The rapier sword, 2003. Madrid, Spain.
Articles from the Spanish Antigua Fencing Association. http://www.esgrimaantigua.com/ArmasRopera.php. https://web.archive.org/web/20071221093653/http://www.esgrimaantigua.com/ArmasRopera.php
^Grimm, Deutsches Wörterbuch s.v. "Rapier" cites an Ordnance regulation of Speyer dated 1570 requiring all infantry to be equipped "with good, strong sidearms, namely, either two-handed [swords] or good rapiers" (mit guten starken seitenwehren, nemlich zu beiden händen, oder guten rappieren).
^Onrubia de Mendoza, Joseph (1975). Courtly poets of the 15th century, 1975. Barcelona, Editorial Bruguera, S. A. Bruguera. ISBN 84-02-04053-5.
^Wauters, Sean (2016). "Injury profile of Longsword fencing in Historical European Martial Arts". Journal of Combat Sports and Martial Arts. 7 (2): 81–87. doi:10.5604/20815735.1227843.
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