Weapons, where would the human race be without them? One particular period in which weapons were of great significance, was an age in European history spanning the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, known as the Elizabethan Era. In this era, many new weapons were created, old ones revived and modified, and still many others became obsolete. The evolution of weapons and warfare during this period not only directly influenced the lives of those living in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but undoubtedly had a great impact on the weapons of the following centuries, even some of those used today.

             The most commonly used weapons varied in their usage. For example, some swords were used in a thrusting motion, while some other swords were used in a striking motion. But swords were not the only weapons of this time. There were also bows and arrows, as well as the weapons that knights used in battle, and even some early firearms found their roots in the Elizabethan Era.

             The swords of the Elizabethan Era were primarily of two types. The first type was with a thin, narrow, straight, and long blade, which was designed for stabbing in a thrusting motion. A classic example of a sword of this type was the rapier. The heaviest portion of this sword was the hilt or handle, allowing the sword to be maneuvered around quickly. The other type of sword had a thick blade with a sharp cutting edge. The heaviest portion of this sword was not the hilt as in the case of the rapier, but at the tip of the sword. This was to force the blow through as the sword would be used for both striking and slashing. An example of this type of sword was the saber. This sword often came with a variety of shapes. Unlike the rapier whose blade was almost always straight, the saber was either curved or straight, long or short, and with one cutting edge or two (Gonen 30-32). This sword was used by the military personnel of the cavalry (Knopf 44).