European dueling sword
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The European dueling sword in the narrow sense is a basket and cage hilted weapon in use specifically in duels from the late 17th to the 19th century. It evolved through several forms of the rapier to the smallsword — reflecting the evolution from a cutting style of swordplay to a thrusting style ('foining'). This was a result of increasing specialization in their use to the duelling field and the social stigma attached to carrying and using swords associated with the actual "work" of warfare. The smallsword and the last stage of the rapier were made possible only by metallurgical advances in the seventeenth century[citation needed].
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[edit] Off-hand weapons
During the arming sword and rapier periods, a weapon or object was generally held in the other hand from the sword for use in parrying attacks. The most common 'off-hand' objects used were the buckler, the dagger, and the cape. English fight master George Silver considered the buckler more effective against all weapons, the dagger was more effective against thrusting weapons, and the cape was better than nothing. When specifically designed for the purpose, the parrying dagger was sometimes called a main-gauche (French for 'left hand').
An edged off-hand weapon could also be used to strike. Especially in the era of longer rapiers, it was common for the weapons to become entangled. Many duels were ended by a timely strike with an off-hand dagger. They were also popular in areas where brawls were common.
Some duellists fought with two rapiers, called a 'case' of rapiers, though it was a very uncommon technique, appearing in only a handful of accounts of actual duels. It is assumed that the longer off-hand weapon was more useful for parrying attacks and less useful should the opponents be brought to close quarters, although Giacomo DiGrassi taught that a man who used two rapiers must be able to use either, indifferently, for offense or defense or he would betray himself in combat.
[edit] Single Time versus Double Time
The arming sword and the rapier were used with a typical strategy to respond to an attack with an action that simultaneously defended against the attack and also counter-attacked, referred to as 'single-time'. Swordplay was usually thought of as occurring in beats or tempos, and during a single tempo the swords could only perform a single action, thus only capable of an act in 'single time'. Ideally a swordsman could control timing and distance to simultaneously parry and counterattack or avoid the attack and counterattack. If an attack could be intercepted with the off-hand weapon, this meant that the main weapon could be used in that tempo for a counterattack, though this was difficult as off-hand items were smaller than the swords.
As swordplay developed and changed over time the parry-riposte action became more common, becoming the norm with the smallsword. The parry-riposte is where a parry is followed smoothly by an offensive action without delay. This is called 'double time', because a combatant attacks and defends in two beats. It is often suggested that decreases in the weight of weapons drove this change.
Modern fencing — and most sword fighting shown in movies — is done in double time.
[edit] Cutting versus Thrusting
Cutting -- striking with the edge, which causes percussive damage as well a possibly making a cut in the target -- and thrusting -- striking with the point to puncture -- have been shown to be essentially balanced modes of combat. However civilian dueling styles leaned more and more to the thrust over time. The reason for this progression is not known, though common arguments are discussed below. It is perhaps as simple as that the thrusting style allowed for lighter weapons.
It is possible that the single most important advantage of thrusting weapons was that in combat against a cutting weapon of a similar weight, the thrusting weapon -- especially with the lunge -- was useful from a greater range. The wielder of a cutting weapon must step in to strike, a predictable motion which would make him vulnerable to a time hit while his major weapon was necessarily out of line for defense. However the Victorian Captain A. Hutton repeatedly demonstrated that the cavalry sabre could hold its own against the smallsword or the épée of a similar length. His success can be attributed to his ability to use the thrusting swordsman's arm as a target, and that the lighter thrusting weapon is inadequate to parry the heavier sabre.
It is often said that the thrust is more dangerous than the cut because the vital organs may be struck at directly, and in fact a few duels were ended by a single lunge to the heart. However there are far more numerous recorded instances of both contestants being run through several times while the duel continued. Due to the limitations of medicine in that era, it often happened that a duelist would die of infections or internal bleeding from such a thrust long after the duel had concluded.
It is also alleged that thrusting weapons had various advantages in terms of speed of defense: because they were kept in line with the opponent while preparing to strike they were more available to defend. However it should be remembered that through most of the dueling era -- until the last stage of the rapier and the smallsword were developed -- an off hand weapon was used for defense.
[edit] Evolution of blades
The first swords carried by civilians for use in duels were generally arming swords. A military weapon turned to civilian use, they were generally less than 90 centimetres in length, relatively heavy (1000 - 2000 grams), and double-edged with a short point. The cross-section was varied with lenticular, hollow-ground, and flattened diamond and hexagon shapes.
Starting around 1500 CE, the arming sword began to be replaced by the spada da lato for war, and the rapier for civilians. Rapier is the British term for the sword, but they were used all across Europe where they were called simply 'dress swords', 'side swords', or just 'swords'. The rapier was more slender than the arming sword, and longer. Rapiers ranged from 90 centimetres to 130 centimetres, averaging about 107 centimetres. They weighed on average 1250 grams. Early side-swords retained their cutting edges, are at times incorrectly called 'cut and thrust rapiers' by modern enthusiasts, and were diamond in cross-section, though less of a flattened diamond than the arming sword. They generally had simple cross hilts similar to arming swords. This design eventually spawned the rapier proper. Many other cross-sections were tried in the attempt to minimize weight while maintaining strength. Since a popular grip involved wrapping the finger over the quillon, a finger guard was added to prevent injury when the rapier was parried.
The final period of the rapier is called the 'transitional' period, which lasted from about 1650 to 1680. This marked the shift into fighting in double time. Rapiers became shorter and lighter; the off hand weapon was abandoned in favor of the parry-riposte; and the cup-hilt became common. Also present during the transitional period is the Colichemarde, a sword with a heavier blade up to the mid-point and then a light blade up to the point.
The rapier was replaced by the smallsword, a very light weapon designed for fast double time fighting. Smallswords might be around 78 centimetres in length and weigh 500 grams, considerably lighter and shorter than the rapier. While any sword of that size was called a smallsword, there was a form specific to the smallsword: a blade that had a triangular cross-section, although some still had a diamond cross-section well into the 18th century.
[edit] Regional variations
In Scotland heavier cutting swords (broadswords or claymores) remained popular into the nineteenth century.
In southern Italy the off-hand dagger remained in use into the nineteenth century. Many Italian fencers also used a heavier version of the smallsword and continued to fight in single time.
