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The first purely civilian sword, developed during the late Renaissance as a light weapon that could be worn without discomfort off the battle field and maneuvered easily by even men of small stature. The Spanish built a cut and thrust weapon (which did neither well) and termed it the ‘espada ropera’, or dress sword as opposed to the arming sword. The English mispronounced the term until it became known as the ‘rapier’. At first merely variations on existing broadsword hilts, it eventually fully protected the hand. With wider blades, these hilts were still used in warfare. NOTE: we outfit the sword hilt with pommel and grip combinations which are not chosen by hilt style, but rather by the type of blade on which it is paired. The pommel and/or grip on your sword may be different than that shown on these images. ("what kind of blade do I need?") blade choices
These next two sword hilts are typical of the rapiers of Shakespeare’s time, when most civilian swords were merely lighter versions of common broadsword hilts.
And then finally, our most popular swords. These swept or open hilt styles. represent the rapier at its most artistic.
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The Textbook
of Theatrical Combat
by the mid-1600’s the civilian sword started losing some weight as it was being
used to both thrust and parry. This transitional rapier foreshadows the
development of the later smallsword. Another
Swordcrafters™
creation available exclusively through
Weapons of Choice,
this sword makes a great addition to your sword collection when you need full
guarded rapiers that can span a large time frame.
Compared with most other dish or cup hilts, the entire guard is one incredibly
strong unit of steel. An excellent all-around rapier.
the quintessential
cavalier rapier. Found throughout Europe by the 1600’s, especially popular among
soldiers because of the superior hand protection. Steel quillons and aluminum
guard.
the shallow dish/cup gives
good hand protection, but far lighter than the above Spanish Cup, giving superb
point mobility. Steel quillons and aluminum guard.
302 – JUSSAC - 
typical main gauche (left hand) parrying
dagger of the cavalier period, and also a great pirate cutlass or full rapier.
possibly the first true rapier, the guard is purely
broadsword, but reduced to its lightest possibility. This style is still found
in the bullrings of Andalusia.
this style was ordered
by the Armoury of the Council of Ten in Venice circa 1470, so is an excellent
choice for Othello, Romeo & Juliet, etc.
Perhaps the most popular of the open work hilt styles. Used throughout Europe not only as a
rapier guard but also by soldiers in the field. The complex steel design was meant to
trap an opponent’s blade. Visually striking and very strong.
A
user-friendly swept-hilt design? You bet! The full ring base helps keep your
partner’s sword tip from getting tangled during tight point-work.
Designed for us by
Swordcrafters
of San Diego as an alternative to the standard swept hilt above.
Amazingly light and elegant, the tip response
makes this everyone’s favorite as soon as it is held.
striking a balance
between the cup hilt layout and swept hilt styles of large guard rapiers; quite strong
and very responsive.
