| | | 16th Century Brass Basket Rapier | Both the reitschwert
and the rapier sprang
from the same root,
the mid-fifteenth-
century- arming-
sword. During the
1460s in the Iberian
peninsula this had
developed a hilt more
complex than the old
medieval cross hilt,
for at about that
time Spanish fighting
men had perceived
that the sword was
the only weapon which
could be used equally
well for defense and
attack. Because of
this, a man with a
sword could look
after himself even if
he wore no armor, for
he cold put aside all
attacks on him by
parrying the thrusts
or strokes of other
weapons with the
blade of his sword.
Such action, however,
had its own perils.
A sword held with the
fore-finger of the
right hand passed
over the outside arm
of the cross can be
controlled better and
used more powerfully,
particularly in
parrying, than if the
finger is safe inside
the guard of the
cross; but when it is
beyond this
protection there is a
risk that the parried
blade may slide down
the parrying one and
slice the finger
off. So an extra
guard, a small ring
or branch, was
devised just in front
of the cross to
protect the finger.
By the 1530s, extra
guards had been added
to the basic form of
the espada ropera
hilt, making a
simple, yet very
effective, hilt which
was still popular a
century later, when
it was often fitted
to the long rapier.
After 1550 more
elaborate guards came
into use, the
infinite complexities
of which baffle
description and defy
classification.
Manufactured by Deepeeka, this museum quality historic replica sword features a high carbon steel blade with a full tang.
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