SJ
Kathleen Bushnell
English Honors P.5
March 11, 2012
Rapiers and the Renaissance
Swords are a long metal blade with a handle, but rapiers are a skinnier, sharper blade with guided handles and a hand guard, much more agile, and much more effective for thrusting. The rapiers have been around since the early 1500’s and were invented by the Spaniards. Rapiers were not made by machines but hand-crafted by men with much effort and craftsmanship put into the piece, and some of them could have an illustration or precious gemstones.
The sword of choice during Renaissance was the rapier; arguably the most beautifully crafted sword of all time. The reason they were popular was because the rapiers were specifically made for two-on-two, or “duels.” Duels were a common solution if you and another man had a disagreement and couldn’t work it out with words. During duels, usually one man got out; the opponent was either killed in the duel or killed from a wound as a result of the vicious dual. Another reason rapiers were popular during the renaissance was these swords were a fashion trend. During this time, with a golden sword encrusted with gems, you would be the center of attention and you would obviously be a man of stature. Not everyone could carry around swords. The men who carried around swords were Kings, Noblemen, and Soldiers and it was very common to carry your side-arm in public, just in case you ran into someone who was not very fond of you.
The average common folk during the renaissance usually did not carry a rapier, due to the fact they couldn’t afford such a master-piece, and the average
