Rapier

Rapier/*Espada ropera*
Rapier/Espada ropera
	Espada ropera, first half of the 17th century
Type	Sword
Place of origin	Italy and 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/) is a type of sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand.^[1] It was widely popular in Western Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries as a symbol of nobility or gentleman status. The rapier originated in Italy and Spain during the Renaissance; its immediate predecessor, or early form, was the Italian spada da lato ('side-sword'), the Spanish equivalent being known as espada ropera ('dress sword') from which the name 'rapier' derives. Its successor was the French small sword of the 18th century.^[2]

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to the Port was withdrawn.

As Fencing spread throughout Western Europe important sources for rapier fencing arose in Italy, Spain (known under the term of destreza — "dexterity") and France. Rapier fencing forms part of Historical European Martial Arts.^[5]

^ 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
^ "The rapier sword". Aceros de Hispania. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
^ 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.

[1] 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

[2] "The rapier sword". Aceros de Hispania. Retrieved 23 November 2023.

[3] 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).

[4] Onrubia de Mendoza, Joseph (1975). Courtly poets of the 15th century, 1975. Barcelona, Editorial Bruguera, S. A. Bruguera. ISBN 84-02-04053-5.

[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.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]