The rapier began to develop around 1500 as the Spanish espada ropera. The espada ropera was a cut-and-thrust civilian weapon for self-defense and the duel.
Allowing for fast reactions, and with a long reach, the rapier was well suited to civilian combat in the 16th–17th centuries. As military-style cutting and thrusting swords continued to evolve to meet needs on the battlefield, so did the rapier continue to evolve to meet the needs of civilian combat and decorum, eventually becoming lighter, shorter and less cumbersome to wear. This is when the rapier began to give way to the small sword
Our 3D Modeler, Fenix, just finished recreating the Spanish rapier, in the absence of texturing.
