Small sword

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The small sword or smallsword (also court sword, fr: L'épée de cour or dress sword) is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting. The smallsword evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. The height of the smallsword's popularity was between mid 17th and late 18th century. It is thought to have appeared in France and spread quickly across the rest of Europe. The comparative lightness of the smallsword and the resulting ease of manipulation led to the development of the sophisticated handwork and the linear footwork of modern fencing, and it can be considered as the immediate predecessor of the modern foil and épée.

The smallsword could, in the right hands, be a highly effective duelling weapon, but as with the rapier its function was often reduced to that of male jewelery. Many surviving examples carry elaborate baroque, rococo, or occasionally neoclassical decorations. The fashion for wearing swords with civilian dress rapidly declined at the end of the 18th century, and the use of the smallsword was subsequently restricted to certain ceremonial occasions.

As a rule, the blade of a smallsword is comparatively short (about 60-80 centimetres). It usually tapers to a sharp point but may lack a cutting edge. It is typically triangular in cross-section, although some of the early examples still have the rhombic and spindle-shaped cross-sections inherited from older weapons, like the rapier. This triangular cross-section may be hollow ground for additional lightness and stiffness. Many small swords of the period between the 17th and 18th centuries were found with colichemarde blades.

The guard is small (typically 3-5 inches in diameter), approximately flat and either round or composed of two oval lobes ("figure of eight"). There is usually a knuckle-bow and either one or two short quillons, used to strengthen the wielder's grip and provide increased points of control.