A rapier or espada ropera is a type of sword used in Renaissance Spain to designate a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. It was widely popular in Western Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries as a symbol of nobility or gentleman status.
Espada ropera, first half of the 17th century
Swept hilt, an Italian fashion
Swept hilt, an Italian fashion
Pappenheimer, a German innovation
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed tip. A slashing sword is more likely to be curved and to have a sharpened cutting edge on one or both sides of the blade. Many swords are designed for both thrusting and slashing. The precise definition of a sword varies by historical epoch and geographic region.
Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century
Western Han jian
Apa-type swords, 17th-century BC
The swords found together with the Nebra sky disk, c. 1600 BC