sign marked its popularity and prosperity throughout the Medieval times and even in the present. Its stout hilt and elongated blade made the rapier an excellent offensive and defensive weapon. Its wide blade, usually 1 to 2 inches wide, made the rapier virtually unsnappable. When dueling or fighting with the rapier, fencing styles were used. But unlike a foil sword, with just a sharp tip, and not an actual blade, the rapier "mutated" the original fencing style. When the rapier was in use, certain alterations in attacking were applied because of the rapier’s sharp sided blade. By the late 16th century, the rapier’s popularity had spread, and rapiers were used throughout Europe.Designed in the rugged foothills of Italy by gypsy peasants in the 13th century, the morning star was a weapon unlike any other weapon anyone had ever seen before. Unlike common weapons, its makeup did not consist of a blade, but of a spiked iron ball, a 1 to 2 foot wooden or iron rod, and a chain the size of the size of the rod. One end of the chain was welded to the rod, and the other end was welded to the spiked ball. It weighed about ten pounds and was a hard weapon to control. Thought of by lords and nobles as a crude weapon, they underestimated its power. Thought of by most Europeans as only a scarring weapon and not a killing weapon, the gypsies who designed it knew of its deadly attributes. Unlike weapons that sliced and killed because of loss of blood, the morning star caused massive internal injuries and internal bleeding. When used, the morning star would be twirled like a lasso, and the ball would swing in a revolution. When the swiftly moving spiked ball would come in contact with a human body, it would crush and bruise the organ underneath the where the spiked ball struck, causing the organ to bleed. By the 14th century, the morning star’s power was understood, and it became a popular weapon of mercenaries. Although...
