Smallsword (Court Sword)
Thrusting weapon
Quick Facts
Martial Arts
OriginFrance / Europe (Baroque / Enlightenment (17th-18th C.))
Wield TypeSingle-handed
MaterialTriangular forged steel with dish hilt
Length80 - 95 cm cm
Weight0.4 - 0.6 kg kg
History
Elegant personal weapon of 18th-century nobility and officers. Developed in France from the heavier rapier. Its lightweight triangular blade laid the foundation for modern fencing foil and epee.
About
Lacks cutting edges; all kinetic speed is focused into lightning wrist thrusts, circular disengagements, and dish-hilt parries according to masters like Domenico Angelo.