Side-sword

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Side-sword

Classification	Sword
Time Period	ca. 1450 - 1700
Avg. Length	38" (96.5 cm)
Avg. Weight	2.5 lb. (1.1 kg)
Blade Type	Double-edged, tapered
Hilt Type	One-handed compound, with pommel

A side-sword was a type of war swordSword Overview

Sword is a term for a long edged weapon, used by various civilizations throughout Eurasia and North Africa....
used by infantry during the RenaissanceRenaissance

In the traditional view, the Renaissance was understood as a historical age in Europe that followed the Middle Ages and ...
of EuropeEurope

Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth....
. This sword was a direct descendant of the arming swordArming sword

The arming sword is the single handed cruciform sword of the High Middle Ages, in common use between ca....
. Quite popular between the 16th and 17th centuries, they were ideal for handling the mix of armored and unarmored opponents of that time. Early versions look very much like an arming sword with an ornate hiltHilt

----The hilt of a sword is its handle, consisting of a guard,...
and ricassoRicasso

A ricasso is a part of a some sword and knife blades....
. A new technique of placing ones finger on the ricasso to improve the grip (a practice that would continue in the rapierFacts About Rapier

A rapier is a relatively slender, sharply pointed sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks, developed in Europe around the 1...
) led to the production of hilts with a guard for the finger. The term is a recently-coined calqueCalque

In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word trans...
of the Italian spada da lato and will not be found in any actual sources from the 16th or 17th centuries.

This sword design eventually led to the development of the civilian rapierRapier

A rapier is a relatively slender, sharply pointed sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks, developed in Europe around the 1...
, but it was not replaced by it, and the Side-sword continued to be used during the rapier's lifetime. As it could be used for both cutting and thrusting, the term cut and thrust sword is sometimes used interchangeably with side-sword. Also of note is that as rapiers became more popular, attempts were made to hybridize the blade, sacrificing the effectiveness found in each unique weapon design. These are still considered side-swords and are sometimes labeled sword rapier or cutting rapier by modern collectors. See European dueling swordEuropean dueling sword

The duel has its origins in judicial combat, a particular subset of trial by ordeal that formed in the so-called Dark Ages through...
for further history.

Also of note, side-swords used in conjunction with bucklerBuckler

A buckler is a small shield gripped in the fist -- it was generally used in hand-to-hand combat during the Middle Ages, as ...
s became so popular that it caused the term swashbucklerSwashbuckler

Swashbuckler is a term that came about in the 16th century and was applied to rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen....
to be coined. This word stems from the new fighting style of the side-sword and buckler which was filled with much "swashing and making a noise on the buckler".