While Roman legionaries carried the short gladius, Roman cavalry carried a longer sword suitable for mounted soldiers—the spatha. The spatha, a double edged straight sword from 30 to 39 inches long, became the ancestor of the basic medieval blade, the arming sword, carried by medieval knights. Many swords were based on the arming sword, 27 to 32 inches long; other medieval or later swords developed in counterpoise to advances in medieval armor. This article considers the deadly swords of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Arming Sword
While many students of European weaponry make reference to broadswords, this is not a historically accurate term. That is, there was no category of medieval swords known as broadswords, at least, not at that time. …show more content…
By the 1300s, however, crossbows, longbows and pikes were changing the battlefield. More knights, nobles and men-at-arms were wearing plate armor, which developed to protect them from such dangers. A new sword morphed from the arming sword, a longer, heavier, diamond-shaped blade designed for thrusting and stabbing. The idea was to thrust the blade through the spaces between the plates of armor, such as the armpit, neck or groin. Longswords were also known as hand-and-a-half and bastard swords. An entire martial art of sword fighting in Germany developed around the …show more content…
Scottish claymores were greatswords. These swords appeared in the Renaissance and were used by German Landsknechte and Swiss mercenaries. Greatswords had a long hilt—up to 10 inches long—suitable for a two-handed grip. The sword was long, from 4 feet, 7 inches to 6 feet, and weighed about 5 to 8 pounds. They all had a secondary grip—the ricasso—above the cross guard. While occasionally used in duels, they were made to chop off the spearheads of pikes before barging in to break up pike
Arming Sword
While many students of European weaponry make reference to broadswords, this is not a historically accurate term. That is, there was no category of medieval swords known as broadswords, at least, not at that time. …show more content…
By the 1300s, however, crossbows, longbows and pikes were changing the battlefield. More knights, nobles and men-at-arms were wearing plate armor, which developed to protect them from such dangers. A new sword morphed from the arming sword, a longer, heavier, diamond-shaped blade designed for thrusting and stabbing. The idea was to thrust the blade through the spaces between the plates of armor, such as the armpit, neck or groin. Longswords were also known as hand-and-a-half and bastard swords. An entire martial art of sword fighting in Germany developed around the …show more content…
Scottish claymores were greatswords. These swords appeared in the Renaissance and were used by German Landsknechte and Swiss mercenaries. Greatswords had a long hilt—up to 10 inches long—suitable for a two-handed grip. The sword was long, from 4 feet, 7 inches to 6 feet, and weighed about 5 to 8 pounds. They all had a secondary grip—the ricasso—above the cross guard. While occasionally used in duels, they were made to chop off the spearheads of pikes before barging in to break up pike