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 English language terminology used in the classification of swords is imprecise and has varied widely over time. They are a sub-class . Sub-type XXa has a more acutely tapering blade and a more acute point. Their specially shaped grips, usually bottle-shaped or waisted, gave better control and hold of the weapon. Powered by Shopify. One-handed swords are shorter and lighter, but they allow the user to wield a second weapon or shield. The Blunted Blade is made from hardened spring steel with a full tang construction. It's not technically intended to be used with one and a half hands that doesn't make sense. The steeply pointed blade, indicating that it was primarily intended . Historical terms (15th to 16th century) for this type of sword included the Italian spada longa (lunga) and French pe longue. The long grip gives the wielder plenty of leverage to maneuver the sword quickly and to strike decisively. Many different swords fall into this category and many of them are as maneuverable as they are surprisingly sturdy. A rapier (/ r e p i r /) or espada ropera is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.. German Bastard or Hand-And -A-Half Sword, early 16th century with long slender tapering double-edged blade of flattened diamond section, hilt comprising arched quillons with swelling tips of flat triangular section, side-ring en suite and with fluted tips where they join the quillons, and inner bar of circular section bent down and made in one with the downcurved arm, associated fluted fig . The distance between the hands obviously increases the leverage that combatant could exert on the weapon. 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. In the UK, the swords were supposedly weapons of a long dead great grandfather in British Navy. As plate armor became more common, swords became longer and acquired a leaner blade with an acute point for thrusting. By the 16th century, its military use was mostly obsolete, culminating in the brief period where the oversized Zweihnder were wielded by the German Landsknechte during the early to mid 16th century. 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. These swords have a point of balance at 5 inches and a point of harmonics at 21 inches. 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. Equipped with a long grip, the hand-and-a-half sword was suitable for use with one or even both hands if one wished to give extra force to a blow. These days, the term longsword most frequently refers to a late Medieval and Renaissance weapon designed for use with two hands. These terms were often described in relation to other unrelated weapons, without regard to their intended use and fighting style. The #034 Black Prince a Type XVa Longsword, Durer Bastard Sword #195 a Type XVIII Longsword. The term "hand-and-a-half sword" is modern (late 19th century). When wielded one-handed, they can be paired with a shield for extra defense. Suitable for martial arts training, film props etc. The hand-and-a-half sword is particularly versatile in this regard. The hilts (handles) range from 8 to 16 inches long to provide room for gauntleted hands. Its French name pe btarde implies a sword of uncertain origin or an irregular sword. [citation needed] It is thought to have appeared in France and spread quickly across the rest of Europe. #4. On the other hand, those with stainless steel blades are only meant for decoration while LARP versions have foam blades. Hand-and-a-Half Sword. According to the book titled "Exhibition of the Royal House of Tudo," hand-and-a-half sword is a relatively new term that just recently appeared beginning in the latter half of the 19th century. Hand and a half swords are basically the historically correct terminology for a long sword, it's a sword that can be two handed or one handed depending on your needs, it only weighs like a pound and a half so it's super easy to handle. The earlier flatter blade types could not chop through plate armor, and its thin tip would only glance off instead of puncturing it. This was the most common longsword up to the late 13th century CE. The "longsword" type exists in a morphological continuum with the medieval knightly sword and the Renaissance-era Zweihnder. Ewart Oakeshott classified medieval swords into types, focusing on their blade type, pommel, and crossguard designs. So, what exactly is a hand-and-a-half sword? Two-Hander Longsword DJ Combat Two-Hander Longsword (2 reviews) Write a Review SKU: DD-W-206 $110.00 Quantity: Description Specifications Made from polypropylene. These swords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 inches in length, which provide room for two hands. Traditional vs Modern Differential Hardening for Swords. Historical terminology overlaps with that applied to the Zweihnder sword in the 16th century: French espadon, Spanish espadn, or Portuguese montante may also be used more narrowly to refer to these large swords. Pal. A hand-and-a-half sword, however, falls somewhere between these two, with an average blade length of about 22 to 30 inches. . During the first half of the 20th century, the term "bastard sword" was used regularly to refer to this type of sword, while "long sword" or "long-sword", if used at all, referred to the rapier (in the context of Renaissance or Early Modern fencing).[9]. You've landed on the new (soon to be released) website for Arms & Armor. Here are the unique characteristics of hand-and-a-half swords: Historical hand-and-a-half sword blades were often made of a single piece of steel and were hardened by quenching. [citation needed], The small sword or smallsword (also court sword or dress sword, French: pe de cour)[citation needed] is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting[citation needed] which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. [25] The term passot comes from the fact that these swords passed (passaient) the length of a "normal" short sword. Type XX blades are broad, with lenticular or octagonal cross-sections. [17]:7373,plate 67 The cross has been shown to be used as a hook for tripping or knocking an opponent off balance. Two-handed swords, on the other hand, are long and heavy, making them particularly effective at dealing critical blows. The distinction between two-handed swords and longswords can be confusing, and the deeper you delve into marginal cases the less clear the distinction can become. [citation needed] Small swords were also used as status symbols and fashion accessories; for most of the 18th century anyone, civilian or military, with pretensions to gentlemanly status would have worn a small sword on a daily basis. These long-gripped weapons were ideal for thrusting at small gaps in armor when the typical slashing sword could not chop through it. avg. Honshu Damascus Broadsword With Sheath - Damascus Steel Blade, TPR Handle, Stainless Steel Pommel - Length 43 1/2". Maximum Diameter: 4.2 cm (1 5/8 in.) [8] They had handles of roughly 17 to 25 centimeters (7 to 10 inches), excluding pommels, and weighed about 3 to 4 pounds. In modern history, many of these terms have been given specific, often arbitrary meanings that are unrelated to any of their historical meanings. It does not mean that these blades could not cut well, though they were less optimized for slashing. [9] 120-150 cm (47-59 in), blade length: avg. Classically simple in design with a flattened diamond-section blade and cruciform hilt, the original dates from the early part of the 15th century. 3 European single handed sword. Warspike Knight's Hand-and-a-Half (Bastard) Sword $95 In Stock! All parts of the sword are used for offensive purposes, including the pommel and crossguard. [44], The "tuck" (French estoc, Italian stocco)[citation needed] is an edgeless blade of square or triangular cross-section used for thrusting. When wielded two-handed, they become brutally effective slashing or chopping weapons. Print ; $299-$141. It is considered "The General of All Weapons". The term "broadsword" was never used historically to describe the one-handed arming sword. Learn more about the history and use of the hand-and-a-half sword and how it compares to other medieval swords. Tough, rigid and durable. Historically, katana () were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (, nihont)[47][48] that were used by the samurai of feudal Japan. These are referred to by a variety of names and include Langschwert, spadone or spada longa, grootzwaard, pe btarde, and bastard sword. The term "rapier" appeared in the English lexicon via the French pe rapire which either compared the weapon to a rasp or file; it may be a corruption of "rasping sword"[38] which referred to the sound the blade makes[39] when it comes into contact with another blade. This technique combines the use of the sword with wrestling, providing opportunities to trip, disarm, break, or throw an opponent and place them in a less offensively and defensively capable position. The earliest forms of these are oversized examples of the single handed swords would be hard to distinguish as a separate group. Functionally, swords become more maneuverable, powerful, and fast when the handle is gripped with two hands. 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. The term hand-and-a-half sword is often used interchangeably with longsword, although it is not entirely accurate. Honestly, your best bet for undestanding the dimensions of a historically accurate sword would be to have a look at museum pieces and moder. Hand-and-a-half swords varied in their blade length, usually ranging from 88 to 100 centimeters (35 to 40 inches). The edgeless swords category comprises weapons which are related to or labelled as "swords" but do not emphasise hacking or slashing techniques or have any cutting edges whatsoever. They run 3 pounds plus, but you wonder how much of that weight is in the basket hilt, etc.? The grip of the hand and a half sword was long enough to accommodate one hand or two hands when used in combat. Top is some kind of dress sword, bottom is cavalry saber? However they mainly saw prominence outside the battlefield as a duelling weapon. Overall lenght 118,5 cm - Wheight 1300 g. 5152 . The German langes Schwert ("long sword") in 15th-century manuals did not necessarily denote a type of weapon, but the technique of fencing with both hands at the hilt. Hand and a Half Sword 88HNH medieval bastard sword by Cold Steel. When pike formations became common on battlefield tactics, ranged weapons proved more effective against pikemen, diminishing the advantages of hand-and-a-half swords. [53] The term 'falchion' may also refer to the early cutlass. 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. Codified systems of fighting with the longsword existed from the later 14th century, with a variety of styles and teachers each providing a slightly different take on the art. Elizabethans used descriptive terms such as "short", "bastard", and "long" which emphasized the length of the blade, and "two-handed" for any sword that could be wielded by two hands. Slung across his back in a black leather shoulder sheath was Longclaw, the hand-and-a-half bastard blade the Old Bear had given him for saving his life. Furthermore, there is a deprecation of the term "broadsword" by these associations. This increased the accuracy and strength of thrusts and provided more leverage for Ringen am Schwert or "wrestling at/with the sword". A hand-and-a-half sword is a weapon either with a flat blade or with diamond or lenticular cross-section that's between 22 to 30 inches. Most feel they were blades that could be used either one or two handed (much like the longsword pictured), and sometimes the term hand and a half sword is also used interchangeably. In some instances, the crossguard could hook the shield or the weapon away and even trip the enemy. Dual Tempered HRc 60 48-50 at the core Fittings : Mild Steel Blade Thickness: 1.34 mm Total Length: 45 . "[20] Espe bastarde could also historically refer to a single-handed sword with a fairly long blade compared to other short swords. [17]:1516 The blade was generally used with both hands on the hilt, one resting close to or on the pommel. 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. 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. [3] These blades are strongly tapered, more narrow and slender even than the single-handed type XV variant, with a flattened diamond cross-section. Kodachi vs Wakizashi: What's the Difference? HEMA practitioners also use steel swords with unsharpened blades designed to bend in the thrust. When we see references to the Grans espes d'Allemagne (large swords of Germany) at the beginning of the 14th century,it is obvious that the idea of a larger sword for use with two hands has entered the arsenal of the Medieval Knight. Leather Wrapped Handle. It's typically used as an intermediate weapon for those learning how to use a real longsword. Some advantages over wooden training gear are, Durability - Won't split, rot or splinter. [17]:plates 128150, Another variation of use comes from the use of armour. The idea for the spatha came from the swords of ancient Celts in Germany and Britain. Among most Greek warriors, this weapon had an iron blade of about 60 centimetres. This type of sword was first developed in Europe in the 15th century and reflected the emergence of asymmetric guards, which made a two-edged blade somewhat redundant. Hand-and-a-half swords initially had a plain crossguard but later featured extensive hand guards. The backsword was a single-edged, straight-bladed sword, typically for military use. [citation needed] The height of the small sword's popularity was between the mid-17th and late 18th century. [citation needed]. Type XVII is a shorter-lived type, popular during the mid-14th to early 15th century. The hand-and-a-half sword had a longer reach than the so-called short sword, the earlier arming sword, making it significant for a mounted knight fighting against other cavalry and foot soldiers. Hand-and-a-Half (26) Length. We will respect your privacy. The intention of how to use the sword most likely dictated the way they were listed in inventories of the day. It remained in use as a weapon of war intended for wielders wearing full plate armour either on foot or on horseback, throughout the late medieval period. There is no historical Italian equivalent to the English word "rapier". As such, warriors using the hand-and-a-half sword were given more options. 452. Pen & Sword Books Limited. The swords grouped as "longswords" for the purposes of this article are united by their being intended for two-handed use. SBCM-MAS-RED The hand and a half blade is used for thrusting and the length of the blade is not any longer than the long sword. The Italian school of swordsmanship was the other primary school of longsword use. The blade measured around 1 metre (40 inches), the grip averaged 15-23 cm (6-9 inches). Hand-and-a-Half Style Hilt Padded Leather Grip Tapered Blade for Slashing or Thrusting Now Available in Standard or Fully Tempered Carbon Steel Blade Full Tang Models on Sale To Order Model No. 1400-1430 On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 373. As its name suggests, it had an advantage in terms of greater reach over the so-called short sword or arming sword. Hand Forged High Carbon Steel Viking Sword, Sharp / Battle Ready Medieval Sword.