Renaissance Swords and
Accoutrements
Cut & Thrust Swords: ‘Spada da Lato’
The term "cut and
thrust sword" is a general one that can be applied to a
whole range of blade forms. However, the Renaissance
military sword is generally characterized by a swept or
compound-hilt, a narrow cut & thrust blade with stronger
cross-section, and tapering tip. A direct descendant of
the medieval knightly sword, the cut and thrust sword
was used by lightly armed footmen as well as civilians
in the 16th and 17th centuries. During this time they
were employed against a range of armored and unarmored
opponents. They were popular for sword & buckler and
sword & dagger fighting. They utilized an innovative
one-handed grip fingering the ricasso (a dull portion of
blade just above the guard). Renaissance cut & thrust
swords should not be referred to as "early Renaissance
swords" since they were actually in use throughout the
period. Military and civilian forms of them existed
before, during and after the development of the rapier.
For example, similar blades (with and without ricassos
and compound hilts) saw use in the English Civil War and
even later. They should also not be referred to as
"sword-rapiers" or "early rapiers", although in a sense,
some of them were. Renaissance cut & thrust swords were
their own distinct sword types. Sometimes considered a
"transition" form, as they were both the ancestor and
contemporary of the rapier for which they are often
misidentified.
The Rapier
Popular in the late
16th and early 17th centuries, the rapier was a dueling
weapon whose form was developed from cut and thrust
swords. Its use was more brutal and forceful than the
light sport fencing that we know of today. Originally,
starting about 1470, any civilian sword was often
referred to as simply a "rapier", but it quickly took on
the meaning of a slender, civilian thrusting sword.
There is also an English document from the 1500's that
uses the term "rapier-sword" for advising courtiers how
to be armed, indicating the understanding that there
were new slender blades coming into civilian use.
Eventually developing into an edgeless, ideal thrusting
weapon, the quick, innovative rapier superseded the
military cut & thrust sword for personal duel and urban
self-defense. Being capable of making only limited
lacerations, earlier varieties of rapier are still often
confused with the cut and thrust swords, which gave
gestation to their method. As a civilian weapon of urban
self-defense, a true rapier was a tip-based thrusting
sword that used stabbing and piercing, not slashing and
cleaving. True rapier blades ranged from early flatter
triangular blades to thicker, narrow hexagonal ones.
Rapier hilts range from swept styles, to later dishes
and cups.
The Small-Sword: ‘Stricia’
Sometimes known as a
"court-sword", a "walking-sword", or "town-sword",
small-swords developed in the late Renaissance as a
personal dueling tool and weapon of self-defense. Most
popular in the 1700's it is sometimes confused with the
rapier. It consisted almost exclusively of a sharp
pointed metal rod with a much smaller guard and
finger-rings. Its blade was typically a hollow
triangular shape and was much thicker at the hilt. Most
had no edge at all, and were merely rigid, pointed,
metal rods. They were popular with the upper classes
especially as decorative fashion accessories, worn like
jewelry. In a skilled hand the small sword was an
effective and deadly instrument. Until the early 1800s
it continued to be used even against older rapiers and
even some cutting swords. It is the small-sword rather
than the rapier which leads to the epee and foil of
modern sport fencing.
Daggers
A common long dagger
or "poignard" was a favored companion, carried
en-suite with a sword or rapier as a backup weapon
or even on its own. The dagger was lightweight, deadly,
and elegant. Used primarily as a defensive weapon,
dagger fighting was an art itself. Technically, a
poniard was square or triangular shaped with no edge,
while a dagger had a knife-like blade. Generally,
daggers in the Middle Ages were employed point down,
pommel up, while those in the Renaissance were used
point up with the thumb placed on the hilt. Many later
daggers for use with rapiers had elaborate guards and
were specially designed for trapping and parrying.
Bucklers
The buckler (or
Italian "rondash" or "bochiero") was a small, agile
hand-shield. Used since medieval times, bucklers were
round or even square, made of metal, wood, or metal
trimmed wood. A single handle (or enarme) was used to
hold it in a fist grip and smack, deflect or punch at
blows and thrusts. The edge could also be used to strike
and block. Some had long metal spikes on the front to
attack with. On some later bucklers metal hooks or bars
were placed on the front to trap the point of an
opponent's rapier. More popular for a method of 16th
century sword & buckler fighting, they declined in use
during the early 17th century as they were inconvenient
for urban wear and faster rapiers outmaneuvered them.
The Targe
A targe (or Italian "rondella")
was a small wooden shield with a leather cover and
leather or metal trim. Some were also covered with metal
studs or spikes. Unlike bucklers, targes were worn on
the arm as with typical shields. They were also usually
flat rather than convex. Though associated with the
Scots, the word "targe" actually comes from small
"targets" placed on archery practice dummies. Some forms
of medium sized steel shields from the Renaissance are
often classed as targes.
Sword Parts
Hilt
- The lower
portion of a sword consisting of the cross-guard,
handle/grip, and pommel (most Medieval swords have a
straight cross or cruciform-hilt).
Cross -
The typically straight
bar or "guard" of a Medieval sword, also called a
"cross-guard". A Renaissance term for the straight or
curved cross-guard was the quillons (possibly from an
old French or Latin term for a type of reed).
Quillions: A
Renaissance term for the two cross-guards (forward and
back) whether straight or curved. It is likely from an
old French or Latin term for a reed. On Medieval swords
the cross guard may be called simply the "cross", or
just the "guard".
Forte':
A Renaissance term for
the lower portion on a sword blade which has more
control and strength and which does most of the
parrying. Also called prime or fort.
Foible:
Term for the upper
portion on a sword blade, which is weaker (or "feeble")
but has more agility and speed and which does most of
the attacking.
Fuller -
A shallow central-groove
or channel on a blade which lightens it as well as
improves strength and flex. Sometimes mistakenly called
a "blood-run" or "blood-groove", it has nothing to do
with blood flow, cutting power, or a blade sticking. A
sword might have one, none, or several fullers running a
portion of its length, on either one or both sides.
Narrow deep fullers are also sometimes referred to as
flukes. The opposite of a fuller is a riser, which
improves rigidity.
Grip -
The handle of a sword,
usually made of leather, wire, bone, horn, or ivory
(also, a term for the method of holding the sword).
Pommel -
Latin for "little
apple", the counter-weight which secures the hilt to the
blade and allows the hand to either rest on it or grip
it. Sometimes it includes a small rivet (capstan rivet)
called a pommel nut, pommel bolt, or tang nut. On some
Medieval swords the pommel may be partially or fully
gripped and handled.
Ricasso -
The dull portion
of a blade just above the hilt. It is intended for
wrapping the index finger around to give greater tip
control (called "fingering"). Not all sword forms had
ricasso. They can be found on many Bastard-swords, most
cut & thrust swords and later rapiers. Those on
Two-Handed swords are sometimes called a "false-grip",
and usually allow the entire second had to grip and hold
on. The origin of the term is obscure.
Shoulder -
The corner
portion of a sword separating the blade from the tang.
Tang -
The un-edged hidden
portion or ("tongue") of a blade running through the
handle and to which the pommel is attached. The place
where the tang connects to the blade is called the
"shoulder". A sword's tang is sometimes of a different
temper than the blade itself. The origin of the term is
obscure.
Waisted-grip-
A specially
shaped handle on some bastard or hand-and-a-half swords,
consisting of a slightly wider middle and tapering
towards the pommel.
Annellet/Finger-Ring:
The small loops
extending toward the blade from the quillions intended
to protect a finger wrapped over the guard. They
developed in the Middle Ages and can be found on many
styles of Late-Medieval swords. They are common on
Renaissance cut & thrust swords and rapiers and also
small-swords.
Compound-Hilt/Complex-Guard:
A term used for
the various forms of hilt found on Renaissance and some
late-Medieval swords. They consist typically of
finger-rings, side-rings or ports, a knuckle-bar, and
counter-guard or back-guard. Swept-hilts, ring-hilts,
cage-hilts, and some basket-hilts are forms of
complex-guard.
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