Long-sword
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The term long-sword is ahistoric in the sense that it refers to a different kind of sword depending on historical context. It shares this complication with the related terms war-sword, and great sword.
In an early medieval context, a long-sword refers to a Spatha type "viking sword", which is 'long' compared to the Seax.
In a late medieval context, a long-sword is a "hand-and-a half" or bastard-sword, which was 'long' mainly because of the lengthened hilt which allowed it to be wielded with both hands. This type of sword was actually called "long sword" (German langes schwert) in the 14th and 15th centuries.
In a post-medieval context, the zweihänder of the 16th century Landsknechts, without doubt the longest sword of them all, are sometimes included in the term.
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Timeline
The Germanic tribes of the late Roman Iron Age were able to forge double edged blades used for hacking that were longer that the gladius and spatha of Rome. Surviving examples of these Germanic swords had blades measuring between 28 and 32 in (710 and 810 mm) in length and 1.7 to 2.4 in (45 to 60 mm) in width. These single handed weapons of war sported a tang only some 4 to 5 in (100 to 130 mm) long, and had very little taper in their blades ending in usually rounded tip.
This pattern continued through the Viking age where the swords grew slightly in length to 37 in (930 mm) and took on a slightly more acute distal taper and point. These blades had deep fullers running their length, yet still had single handed hilts which often sported a 'brazil nut' shaped pommel. While the pattern of hilt and blade design of this time might readily be called 'The Viking sword' to do so would be to neglect the wide spread popularity it enjoyed. All over continental Europe between 700-1000 AD this design and its small variations could be found.
During "Norman" times the blades increased some 4 in (100 mm) in over all length, and the hilt changed significantly. Instead of the brazil-nut pommel, a thick disc shaped pommel was attached 'on-edge' to the bottom of the iron hilt. In addition the upper guard grew substantially from the near-absent design predating it. Also the blades tended to taper slightly less than those found during the times of the Vikings.
In the high middle ages a great variety of different types of swords were developed; the shape of these blades developed as the answer to increasing armour protection coming into use in Europe, after the mid 13th century. These included the bastard-sword and great-sword variations. While the cutting and slashing blade designs persisted, the plate armour in use required almost every type of sword to become pointed for thrusting at the tip. In addition the blades became diamond or hexagonal in cross section to keep the strength for thrusting. This lead to the off-shoot in the estoc. The average blade length of a long-sword during this time as around 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in), and the weight was usually between 1.2 and 1.8 kg (2.6 to 4.0 lb). The actual size and weight of a long-sword would depend on personal preference or build of the wielder and varied tremendously when compared to previous ages. In addition to this large sword, often a smaller sword called an arming sword was worn as a back up.
Late medieval long-sword combat
While a living tradition of long-sword fighting has not survived to our day, manuscripts written by the masters of the art still exist. Among the most famous of these treatises are Fiore dei Liberi's "Flos Duellatorum" (1410) and Filippo Vadi's "De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi" (1485), of the Italian school, and Hans Talhoffer's "Alte Armatur und Ringkunst" (1459) and Ms. 3227a (ca. 1389, containing the system of Johannes Liechtenauer), of the German school. In recent decades, efforts to revive the art by translating and analyzing these treatises have been made throughout Europe and North America, leading to a much deeper knowledge base about the nature of European swordsmanship.
There seems to have been some confusion as to the difference between what was considered a long-sword (modern & historical term) and what was considered a bastard-sword (historical term). After hand and a half swords appeared on the scene in the high middle ages, they were of a comparable size, and were used in a similar fashion to what were called "war swords". As time wore on, bastard-swords came to replace what might be called long-swords (war-swords), as their (generally) more sharply tapered blades and distinctly rhomboid cross sections were better suited for defeating the increasing armour protection worn on the battlefield. In practice, however, the words are at times used as synonyms. As a result of the popularity of the bastard sword, the single-handed war-swords of the centuries before may even have been referred to as short swords.
Note that this kind of sword is not the medieval great sword, or even less so the two-handed sword of the renaissance. That kind of sword has another purpose and method of use than the long-sword or the bastard-sword.
See also
External links
- AES (http://www.the-aes.org/), an Edmonton based school featuring instruction in Western Martial Arts
- AEMMA (http://www.aemma.org/), Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts, an organization of teachers and students of European Swordsmanship located in Toronto, Canada
- The Chicago Swordplay Guild (http://www.chicagoswordplayguild.com/), a modern school for the study of historical European martial arts
- Sword Academy (http://http://www.swordacademy.com//) The Sword Academy, a Calgary based school of historical European Medieval Martial Arts
- ARMA (http://www.thearma.org/) The Association for Renaissance Martial Art.