The History of Medieval Swords

Did you ever wonder how medieval swords came about? Its origins come from that of the Roman long sword. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the sword evolved into a larger and much heavier sword that was able to penetrate armor, this was the birth of medieval swords. Along with the new sword came a new style of fighting, called “The Duel”, which was created by Germans and Italians who were training the knights. Primarily, medieval swords would range in length from as long as 6 feet to under 24 inches. The smallest swords where commonly mistaken as long medieval daggers instead of swords.
There are five different categories of medieval swords. Probably the most famous of these is the Christian themed sword. This type of sword was made with Christian symbols to remind the owner of the sword to “forgive first and fight last.” Today, there are still many Christian themed medieval swords that are given as gifts to Christian leaders.
Another common form of medieval swords is known as short swords, arming swords, or the single-handed sword. This sword is typically hung from the knight’s belt. Within this category of swords are two sub-categories including the broadsword and the sidesword. A broadsword is a smaller single handed sword that was used to slash and hack with little thrusting. These were usually long, wide, and double edged. The sidesword was based on the broadsword but was used more as a thrusting sword and generally made with a covering to protect the fingers and hand.
The next category of medieval swords is the long sword. These swords are considered the classic medieval sword that would be about 4 feet in length and weigh 3 to 4 pounds. This sword was used for battle and would be hung from the horse’s saddle. The long sword was typically made slimmer with a narrow point and double-edged, giving this sword the power to puncture armor.
Rapiers came from Spain and quickly became known as medieval swords for the civilians. They were very long and flimsy, which made them difficult to master, and were used as a single handed thrusting sword. Lastly was the great sword, two-handed sword, or war sword, which was the largest of the medieval swords. These swords would typically be around 5 feet long and have a blade of 50 inches. The great sword became one of the most damaging swords in the medieval times and could effectively bust through large weapons.
If you think you would like to have one for yourself, then there are many places that offer replicas of these wonderful swords for sale. If you are very lucky you may even be able to find someone willing to sell an original.