The weapon was used in the half-sword, with one or both hands on the blade. This probably represents the differing tastes of current sword buyers from those of the Middle Ages. [5], The term "hand-and-a-half sword" is relatively modern (from the late 19th century);[6] Expand Favorite View PDF Fencing longsword ("hand-and-a-half" sword) Culture German Datelate 1500s Mediumsteel, wood and leather DimensionsOverall length: 141.5 cm (55 3/4 in.) Today, the two terms are used interchangeably, with some people referring to as a hand-and-a-half sword and others calling it a bastard sword. Glamdring (also called the Foe-hammer and the Beater) was a hand-and-a-half sword, forged for Turgon, the Elven King of Gondolin during the First Age, and much later owned by the wizard Gandalf . The Spartan version was typically only 3045 centimetres. Jun 13, 2018. These days, the term longsword most frequently refers to a late Medieval and Renaissance weapon designed for use with two hands. It is considered possible for strong blows of the sword against plate armour to damage the blade of the sword, potentially rendering it much less effective at cutting and producing only a concussive effect against the armoured opponent. [citation needed] In French, estoc also means thrust or point; and estoc et taille means cut and thrust. This balance made the hand-and-a-half sword a formidable weapon, as it was light enough to easily maneuver yet still heavy enough to inflict serious damage when wielded by a skilled swordsman. This sword is an extremely well proportioned and elegant example of a type that was in use throughout Western Europe from the late fourteenth through the fifteenth century. 4.14-3.1 cm, then sharp point. Handle Length. The Warspike combines the length of a long arming sword, the hilt of a small hand-and-a-half, and just a hint of a "tuck" thrusting blade. [4], The Panzerstecher ("armour stabber") is a German and East European weapon with a long, edgeless blade of square or triangular cross-section for penetrating armour. (M. Rector, Ed. Some of the earliest swords seemingly designed for two handed use are the "Grete Swords of War" of the 13thC. The Filipino islands are widely known for their vast assortment of edged weapons. . [citation needed]. [59][60] The scimitar proper was the Stradioti saber,[61][62] and the term was introduced into France by Philippe de Commines (1447 18 October 1511) as cimeterre,[63] Italy (especially the Venetian Republic who hired the stradioti as mercenaries) as scimitarra, and England as cimeter or scimitar via the French and Italian terms. In the UK, the swords were supposedly weapons of a long dead great grandfather in British Navy. In Athenian art, Spartan hoplites were often depicted using a kopis instead of the xiphos, as the kopis was seen as a quintessential "villain" weapon in Greek eyes.[46]. A longsword typically features a blade with a length of approximately 33 to 41 inches (85 to 110 cm). Leather / Wood Scabbard with Steel Fittings. Warspike Knight's Hand-and-a-Half (Bastard) Sword $95 In Stock! Access this answer and support the author as a Quora+ subscriber For example, there is a longsword in The Glasgow Art and History Museum, Labelled XIIIa. [25], The "Masters of Defence" competition organised by Henry VIII in July 1540 listed[26] "two hande sworde", "bastard sworde", and "longe sworde" as separate items (as it should in Joseph Swetnam's context). Two handed jians from the time of the Chu and Han Dynasty were up to 150cm (58in) long. Honestly, your best bet for undestanding the dimensions of a historically accurate sword would be to have a look at museum pieces and moder. 848 Groe Heidelberger Liederhandschrift(Codex Manesse) Zrich, 1305 bis 1340 321v: Herr Dietmar der Setzer. The Military History Book: The Ultimate Visual Guide to the Weapons that Shaped the World, Cut and Thrust: European Swords and Swordsmanship, Knight: The Warrior and World of Chivalry, Medieval Armies and Weapons in Western Europe: An Illustrated History, The Art of Sword Combat: A 1568 German Treatise on Swordsmanship. (J. L. Forgeng, Trans.). Most swords are intended for use either one or two hands. The French pe btarde and the English "bastard sword" originate in the 15th or 16th century, originally in the general sense of "irregular sword, sword of uncertain origin", but by the mid-16th century could refer to exceptionally large swords. Lengths usually ranged from 110 cm to 150 cm, with 120 to 125 cm probably being the median. After the mid-14th century, sword blades became more sharply tapered toward the point, with diamond or hexagonal cross-sections to increase their rigidity for thrusting. Therein the basics of combat were described and, in some cases, depicted. The backsword blade was cheaper to manufacture than a two-edged blade. The blade is 79cm in length and constructed from a rugged 1060 spring steel and through . From the late 15th century, however, it is also attested as being worn and used by unarmoured soldiers or mercenaries. The evolution of these swords and how they were used was a dynamic and vigorous interplay of weapons and armor development with the keenest minds of martial combat striving to define the new environment of plate armor and longsword. The hilt has a leather covered hardwood grip and forged hand guard. The two terms are largely equivalent to "unarmoured fighting" (blossfechten) and "armoured fencing" (fechten im harnisch). A Rare All-Steel Left-Hand DaggerThird Quarter Of The 16th Century, Probably Spanish. Properties. This could be a 5-inch handle with a pommel that accommodates being used as part of the grip to one that would have considerable room between the hands. These are single-cutting edged, usually thick or curved construction bladed swords, typically designed for slashing, chopping, severing limbs, tripping or broad sweeping techniques; but were often very poorly designed for stabbing. It was prevalent during the late medieval and Renaissance periods (approximately 1350 to 1550), with early and late use reaching into the 12th and 17th centuries. Historical (15th to 16th century) terms for this type of sword included Portuguese espada-de-armas, estoque or espada de duas mos for the version with longer handle used exclusively with both hands; Spanish espadn, montante, or mandoble, Italian spada longa (lunga) or spada due mani (Bolognese), and Middle French passot. ca. $440. In HEMA, the term longsword refers to all swords with grips long enough to accommodate two hands yet lightweight enough to wield in one hand. [24] The pe de passot was the sidearm of the franc-archers (French or Breton bowmen of the 15th and 16th centuries). 4 European Single Hand-and-a-half Sword. Weight ranged from 1 to 1.5 kg. When wielded two-handed, they become brutally effective slashing or chopping weapons. Perhaps. They had handles of roughly 17 to 25 centimeters (7 to 10 inches), excluding pommels, and weighed about 3 to 4 pounds. It was longer than the gladius, and had more reach, so the spatha was most popular with soldiers in the cavalry. [3] Ships in 3-7 days. A hand-and-a-half sword, however, falls somewhere between these two, with an average blade length of about 22 to 30 inches. With broad blade double-edged over half its length to the reinforced point and with pierced central fuller bordered by incised lines on each side and interrupted by small circular piercings, long ricasso in two stages with pierced and fluted fullers en suite . The hands and forearms are a frequent target of some cuts and slices in a defensive or offensive manoeuvre, serving both to disable an opponent and align the swordsman and his weapon for the next attack. These are double-edged, usually straight bladed swords, designed for optimized balance, reach and versatility. Hand-and-a-Half Sword. Pen & Sword Books Limited. [49] Modern versions of the katana are sometimes made using non-traditional materials and methods. Today, it is among the most common weapons used in HEMA. avg. Its handle featured a waisted shape, tapering towards shorter, thinner half-grips. The German school of swordsmanship includes the earliest known longsword Fechtbuch, a manual from approximately 1389, known as GNM 3227a. Sponsored. It could also be used one-handed against lightly armored archers from horseback and two-handed for thrusting attacks against heavily armored opponents. It was coined by modern collectors in the 19th century to refer to how the weapon is wielded. whinyard, whinger, cuttoe), wood-knife, or hunting sword is a long knife or short sword that hangs from the belt and was popular as both a hunting tool and weapon of war.[50][51]. [17]:7373,plate 67 The cross has been shown to be used as a hook for tripping or knocking an opponent off balance. Longsword, bastard sword, and hand-and-a-half sword are all names used to describe a variety of medieval European swords. It's not technically intended to be used with one and a half hands -- that doesn't make sense. It also allowed pommeling technique, in which the pommel is partially held in the palm of the other hand to execute more forceful thrusts into heavy armor. Over the next several centuries blade shapes varied but we see these swords in two hands being used across the Europe. Most hand-and-a-half swords had a diamond cross-section with a central ridge, creating a more rigid blade and specialized anti-armor tip for thrusting. [citation needed]. There are two late examples of longswords kept in the Swiss National Museum, both with vertically grooved pommels and elaborately decorated with silver inlay, and both belonging to Swiss noblemen in French service during the late 16th and early 17th century, Gugelberg von Moos and Rudolf von Schauenstein. Honshu Damascus Broadsword With Sheath - Damascus Steel Blade, TPR Handle, Stainless Steel Pommel - Length 43 1/2". Fully functional medieval battle ready sword. On the contrary, the hand-and-a-half sword had a longer grip to allow it to be wielded with one or two hands, delivering a more powerful blow in one stroke if necessary. . However they mainly saw prominence outside the battlefield as a duelling weapon. 1400-1430 On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 373. More details . Use of the two-handed Great Sword or Schlachtschwert by infantry (as opposed to their use as a weapon of mounted and fully armoured knights) seems to have originated with the Swiss in the 14th century. It is ideal for HEMA study - recreating the longswords from Fiore, Talhoffer, etc. The term "single-handed sword" (or "one-handed sword") is a retronym coined to disambiguate from "two-handed" or "hand-and-a-half" specimens. On the other hand, the hand-and-a-half swords were often used alone. Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff. Length. For example, 'longsword' is related to the German 'langshwert', and 'bastard sword' from the French 'pe btarde',but they all refer to the same basic form, a double edged sword with a grip large enough to be used with two hands. Some historians believe that it was primarily used in war and not an everyday weapon of the knight. 750-1050)-language text, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles containing Hungarian-language text, Articles containing Ukrainian-language text, Articles containing Turkish-language text, Articles containing Persian-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 20 December 2022, at 11:53. A channel ran down about half of the blade. The weight of an average sword of 70-centimeter (28-inch) blade-length would be in a range of approximately .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}700 to 900 grams (1+12 to 2 pounds). Contents 1 History 2 Appearance 3 Etymology 4 Portrayal in adaptations 4.1 Peter Jackson's film trilogies 5 Reproductions 6 Translations 7 References Regardless, the sword's defining characteristics remain the same: it can be used with either one hand or both hands. The longsword was a quick, effective, and versatile weapon capable of deadly thrusts, slices, and cuts. In terms of blade typology, they do not form a single category. The term "hand-and-a-half sword" refers to a sword with a moderate-length blade that can be used with either one hand or two. Sword 5 - 15th Century Hand and a Half Sword. Beginning about 1520, the Swiss sabre (schnepf) in Switzerland began to replace the straight longsword, inheriting its hilt types, and the longsword had fallen out of use in Switzerland by 1550. Non-sharpened. It was not defined, as we do today, by specific lengths or forms. By clicking enter you are verifying that you are old enough to consume alcohol. The term hand-and-a-half is more of modern designation for a range of sword types that featured tapered blades longer than the common shorter arming swords of the time but without the double-hand grips of larger heavier war-swords. 2023, Arms & Armor The blade measured around 1 metre (40 inches), the grip averaged 15-23 cm (6-9 inches). Similarly, strong strikes could cut through skin and bone, effectively amputating limbs. 1d6 slashing. [13][14][15][dubious discuss] The great sword proper was developed during the Renaissance, but its earlier cousin, the Scottish Claymore, was very similar in size and use, like the "outsized specimens" between 160cm and 180cm (approx. 44. These blades are long, slender and acutely tapering, approaching the outline of type XVa, while still retaining a narrow hexagonal cross-section and a shallow fuller running along about one quarter of the blade. Special, versatile (1d8) The middle ground between an arming sword and a longsword --sometimes called a "hand and a half sword"-- this blade's hilt is short enough to be used in one hand while also being long enough to warrant two hands if needed though it isn't as effective as a longsword . The term "broadsword" was never used historically to describe the one-handed arming sword. Ewart Oakeshott distinguishes twelve different types. Shes particularly interested in the rise and fall of empires, accounts of war and conquest, and ancient and classical history. Unlike the xiphos, which is a thrusting weapon, the kopis was a hacking weapon in the form of a thick, curved single edged iron sword. Medieval Longsword, Xiphos Sword: Facts About the Leaf-Bladed Greek Sword, Your Ultimate Guide to the European Smallsword, Gladius Sword: A Guide on the Roman Short Sword, Claymore: A Guide to Popular Scottish Sword, The Historically Authentic Executioner Sword, Flamberge: A Guide to the Flame-Bladed Swords. But if that same warrior encountered an enemy on an open battlefield, he may switch to using two hands for greater strength and stopping power. Folio 158 v.). 8 gp. [21] Others provided similar work, some with a wide array of images to accompany the text.[22]. [44], The "tuck" (French estoc, Italian stocco)[citation needed] is an edgeless blade of square or triangular cross-section used for thrusting. By the late 16th century, early forms of the developed-hilt appear on this type of sword. The bastard sword had a two-edged blade that tapered into a point and weighed around 5-8 pounds, it was usually around 40 to 48 inches in length. Quantity. Hans Talhoffer, a mid-15th-century German fightmaster, is probably the most prominent, using a wide variety of moves, most resulting in wrestling. The expression fechten mit dem langen schwert ("fencing with the long sword") in the German school of fencing denotes the style of fencing which uses both hands at the hilt; fechten mit dem kurzen schwert ("fencing with the short sword") is used in half-sword fighting, with one hand gripping the blade. Pal. Venezia, fine secolo XV. A hand-and-a-half sword, however, falls somewhere between these two, with an average blade length of about 22 to 30 inches. The term referred to a medieval single-handed sword optimized for thrusting.

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