Thank you so much for the very kind words Chris, and you bring up a most valid point, that monarchial changes were very much in play with the changes taking place in these times. The schools of fence were quite different over time in developing, and the French style drove the development of the smallsword from the walking swords already in use on the Continent.
With this very nice smallsword Jacques has shown, it is interesting to see the apparant hybridization of the earlier style Spanish blades being produced through the 18th century with the Tomas de Aiala name appearing on a French smallsword which would have had a quite different blade normally.
Tomas ceased making swords in around 1630, so it is clear he could not be the maker of a c.1765 blade on a French smallsword. His name by then had become a sort of trademark for a blade style produced by German makers.
All the best,
Jim
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