The second type of sword used in this period, the rapier, was first introduced into the Elizabethan Era about 1630. In the 1500s early predecessors of such thrusting swords became popular with civilians. Since they had relatively short grips, rapiers were almost impossible to hold with the entire hand. Therefore, rapiers had very decorative guards which protected the thumb and the forefinger by partially covering the fighter's own blade, adding to their function in protecting the fighter from his opponents blade. Fencing was indeed the art form of fighting with a rapier, but rapiers were also carried around for protection, for dueling, and as a dress sword especially by the aristocrats of this era (Knopf 42).

             The cavalries of this period often used unique swords especially designed for them. The European cavalries carried a versatile weapon commonly known as the backsword. This sword's origins can be traced to about 1620, just before the time of the rapier. This sword was used in both cutting and thrusting motions, making this weapon a combination of the two main types of swords (Knopf 44-45).

             Two-handed swords were also popular in this Era. A broadsword, which was used around 1610, was a two-handed, heavy, and double-edged sword. A similar sword was used by the cavaliers of the seventeenth century. While two-handed swords were relatively safe and simple, their use required a great amount of strength (Knopf 44-45). The Scottish Claymore, was a broadsword used by the Scottish in about 1620. Interestingly, the word Claymore means "great sword" (Knopf 17).

             While swords were frightening weapons capable of inflicting significant bodily harm in a single blow, they were indeed quite simple. During the sixteenth century, the designs of swords changed; some blades became narrower, longer, and more pointed, making them much like the rapier. Such swords were designed for gentlemen and aristocrats, not just for protection, rather for dueling.