Putting the cut back into cut and thrust.
this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2024
30 points (100.0% liked)
History
23071 readers
9 users here now
Welcome to c/history! History is written by the posters.
c/history is a comm for discussion about history so feel free to talk and post about articles, books, videos, events or historical figures you find interesting
Please read the Hexbear Code of Conduct and remember...we're all comrades here.
Do not post reactionary or imperialist takes (criticism is fine, but don't pull nonsense from whatever chud author is out there).
When sharing historical facts, remember to provide credible souces or citations.
Historical Disinformation will be removed
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
Is this like a personal defense sword someone might carry around the countryside?
I don't think it's a calvary sword. It's got fancy engravings but I don't know how common that was on swords in the 18th century. I think it was It was kind of uncommon on personal defense swords in the 17th century unless you were some rich dude
Mostly worn by Gentlemen, not for the hoi polloi. It’s a duelling sword / fashion accessory / symbol of rank depending on the time and the individual. Primarily worn at court and in town rather than on campaign though officers may have carried them on campaign, again as a symbol of rank.
Smallswords were an evolution of rapiers optimized for ease-of-carry, so kind of. They're definitely more associated with the aristocracy though, a regular guy at this point in time would probably be carrying something more like a hanger/cutlass:
