Slamlander wrote:You forget about sword-rapiers, perhaps. They were really a light broadsword that handled like a rapier. They were popular among the higher classes in France, for while.DarkIntruder wrote:Except that rapiers weren't used on the battlefield. Ever. Too light, and it's very difficult to cut someone with it. Sabres were the weapon of cavalry, post- 1600, and infantry relied on fixed bayonets, which turned their firearms into short spears, or small chopping swords like cutlasses and hangers.
Hmm, never actually heard of that term. I looked it up, and it appears that what you refer to as a sword-rapier, I refer to as just either a light broadsword, or a heavy rapier. Yes, they were used during the 30 years war, so I would say that they were somewhat effective. I was referring to the light civilian rapier when I made the above statement.