European rapiers and smallswords
By the early seventeenth century, the rapier, a long slender thrusting sword, began to dominate as the gentleman’s weapon of choice. During the course of the century, however, as civilian fencing techniques became more specialized and refined, the rapier developed into a lighter, trimmed-down weapon known by about 1700 as the smallsword. (1- Russian smallsword, 1750; 2- Cup-hilt rapier, ca. 1650–75; 3- French smallsword with scabbard, hallmarked 1773–74; 4- Swept-hilt rapier).
