What follows is a discussion of the longsword. This is from a more curatorial examination rather than a practical "how to" discussion of the weapon. This is designed to introduce the reader to the form of the weapon and encourage some thought as to the weapons actually being used to recreate what is presented in the manuals.
Cheers,
Henry.
Introduction
“a most noble weapon which once
had high significance in the minds of men, and fulfilled the most vital and
personal service in their hands.” (Oakeshott, 1998:11)
The
question of the sword is one which has delighted the minds of many for many
years. For some reason this weapon above all others has excited and interested
people of all kinds for many years, even into ancient history. There is no
other weapon which, even cross-culturally, has achieved the level of attention
of the sword.
There are many different types of
swords over the ages in order to cover all of these swords over all of these
times takes a great deal of work and time. It is better that efforts are more
focused on single types of weapons and to this point, and as the title has
indicated, the focus here will be the longsword. Some will question the time
period of the weapon, and as such the focus will be on the medieval longsword,
taking a lot of the information from the Oakeshott Typology of swords. This
would seem to miss out the longsword of the Renaissance, but the weapon passes
through into this age, the weapon was changed to the purpose to which it was
suited, as will be demonstrated.
What needs to be emphasised is
that what is presented here is foundation research. It lays the foundation for
much a much more in depth study of the weapon, both as an artefact, but also as
a weapon of use. The both of these are connected in that the form of the weapon
will determine the most appropriate and effective use, this a weapon which is
primarily designed for less armoured targets will do less well than a weapon
which is designed for it. Thus part of the aim of what is presented here is to
address practitioners and encourage them to investigate the weapon which is
being used and consider whether or not the form of the longsword which they
have chosen to use is actually the most appropriate for the actions and the
form of combat that they have chosen.
What will
follow in the body of the discussion is three parts, each pertaining to the
longsword in their own way. Each of the three sections is significant for the
understanding of the weapon and to see the weapon in a different way. The order
of the discussion proceeds from more general ideas about the longsword to the
more specific elements present in the weapon.
The first part of the discussion
is about terminology in order that the longsword may be found with regard to
the terms used for it. This is in order that the weapon which is being
discussed may be understood from a literary, and will address the varied names
given to the weapon. This is followed by a general discussion of the form of
the weapon from different points of view and will present some of the issues
with regard to the classification of weapons by type and date. The final and
most technically specific part of the discussion will look at Oakeshott’s
Typology of the sword, and address the longsword by the type of weapon as
specified in this typology.
As has been stated already this
is an overview of the longsword as a weapon, and much more information can be
found on this weapon in many different texts. Indeed more than what is being
presented can be found in the Oakeshott sources and in museum pieces. This
discussion presents the longsword not as a standardised weapon but one of many
different forms which changed over time to suit the circumstances in which they
were used. The changes in the weapon are as significant, if not more so, than
what stayed the same as this also marks different usage of the weapon, affected
by the form of the weapon and vice versa. These considerations should be
significant for any person interested in the weapon either from a curatorial
point of view or a more practical one.
A Question of Terminology: What is a Longsword?
“Sword types tend to blend into
each other:” (Windsor, 2013:30)
In the
discussion of the longsword, one of the greatest issues is one of terminology.
The issue of the of sword types blending into one another means it is difficult
to identify the longsword, or even terms which mean similar or the same weapon.
Unlike some weapons, there is no one single form of the weapon; so many terms
are created to describe them. What is presented in this part of the
investigation into the longsword is an introduction to terminology.
The
following discussion will attempt to clear up some of the issues with the
identification of the longsword, especially with regard to terminology. What
will be evident in this discussion is that the terminology which is presented
here will re-appear in other sections of the investigation, and some other
terminology, explained in the parts where they are found, will also emerge. The
first discussion that will be made with regard to terminology is the difference
between the longsword, the bastard sword and the two-hand sword. This will be
followed by a more practical approach to the definition of the weapon from a
certain point of view. These two questions, for the most part will cover the
foundation questions with regard to the weapon and assist in its identification
so that the form of the weapon can be discussed in a later section.
Sword Type Terms
To begin
with the weapon needs to be described at least in general. The weapon being discussed
here is one which has a handle which can accommodate the use of one or two
hands which has a blade which is of a length to be suited for this use and may
be used for both cutting and thrusting. With this general idea of the weapon
established, terms can be discussed. There are five terms which are often used
with this form of weapon: longsword, bastard or hand-and-a-half sword, war
sword, great sword and two-hand or two-handed sword. The fact that there are
five terms would indicate five different weapons however this is not
necessarily the case.
“In fifteenth-century English
“longsword” referred to a two-handed sword. What we call a longsword today was,
in English up to quite recently (late twentieth-century), usually called a
hand-and-a-half sword, or bastard sword.” (Windsor, 2013:30)
Already
three of the terms have been used above to describe a single weapon; the first
referring to the form of the weapon as being used with two hands, as it is
referred to in the few English treatises on the weapon, and the other two being
used to describe the weapon in a similar sense. It would seem by this that the
terms have all been used either replacing or being used at the same time as one
another to describe the same weapon. The clearest delineation in this with
regard to the terms is the presence of one or two hands on the weapon, however
as will be demonstrated this is not necessarily a clear line drawn, and it
would seem neither is the purposed use of the weapon.
“We may perhaps take it, since
there are as many references to "swords of war" as there are to
"great swords" and since both seem to indicate the same sort of weapon
that it was indeed so—the type was used in war, and was not the everyday sword
of the knight such as might be shown on his monument.” (Oakeshott, 1998:46)
So the
terms “war sword” and “great sword” are also introduced into the question of
terminology. As is stated above, at least it is indicated that both of these
terms refer to the same sort of weapon, a weapon suited for use in war. These
weapons would be indicated to be large, hence the use of the word “great” in
their description, however this does not divorce them from any of the terms
previous, thus also having these terms refer to the same weapons which have
already been indicated previously.
“Thus it seems that the war-sword
was not regarded as a two-hander. What other, then, can it be but this very big
sword of a kind which, in its later forms, is familiar as the Bastard or
hand-and-a-half sword? We find it distinguished in a class of its own, for
instance, in the inventory of the effects of Humphrey de Bohun (ob.
1319)” (Oakeshott, 1998:43)
So, it
would seem that the war sword, and great sword by association of the terms,
bastard or hand-and-a-half sword are the same weapon, and by association this
would also mean that they are also longswords and two-handed swords as
indicated above. Thus it would seem that all of these terms, rather than
referring to separate weapons, actually refer to the same ones, or do in this particular
case. Evidence for this is further supported by Philippo Vadi’s referring to
his weapon as a “de ſpada da
doi mane.” a two-handed sword (Porzio and Mele, 2002:44). A note should be made
that this weapon is not to be confused with the much larger cousin of the
longsword, which was a purpose-built weapon designed to be used with two hands,
not the longsword, a weapon which could be comfortably used with one or two.
What needs
to be stated here is that there are five terms which have been indicated, and
each has been used to describe the weapon about which this investigation is
being made. Where a hand-use is indicated would imply the only time where some
level of specificity may be made. For example a bastard, or hand-and-a-half
sword, would indicate a weapon which has a handle which may accommodate one or
two hands and be used with one or two hands, where as a two-hand sword would
indicate a weapon which has a longer handle and thus is more suited to be used
with two hands. This being said, in this particular context, both weapons could
be referred to as longswords, or great swords, or even war swords, depending on
their use. With this being said it is necessary that a practical definition of
the longsword based upon its use, and clearly defining it, is most helpful.
A Practical Definition
“For convenience, I prefer to
define them by the length of their handles. An arming sword’s handle con only
comfortably fit one hand; a longsword can fit two, but the weapon is light
enough and the handle short enough, to be wielded with one hand (a very long
handle gets in the way if your other hand is not on it), and a two-handed sword
has a handle and mass that clearly requires both hands.” (Windsor, 2013:30)
Windsor
(2013) describes the weapons from the single-handed sword, increasing in size
to the two-handed sword. These definitions are based upon the use of the weapon
and thus are useful, as it is the use of the weapon which gives us the best
definition of the weapon. Curatorial descriptors can only do so much,
especially for the practitioner. His definition of the longsword is broad
enough that it does cover the five terms which have been indicated, and focuses
on the use of the weapon, which leads to the form of the weapon, which is often
the best way to describe the weapon.
There are
many terms which are used to describe weapons of many different forms, not just
the longsword. There is a certain assumption in the discussion that the reader
will already understand the parts of the sword, and thus no description or
explanation has been of these. These parts of the weapon are an inevitable part
of the discussion as are other terms and elements which have not been described
here. Where necessary, these terms will be indicated and discussed within the
text as it follows. What has been presented is the idea of the weapon which is
being discussed and the terms which have been used, and are being used to
describe it indicated. With this foundation laid it is possible to move on to
the general form of the weapon.
The Form of the Longsword
The
terminology which was discussed in the previous section lays a simple literary
foundation ...
The rest of this article can be found in Un-Blogged: A Fencer's Ramblings by Henry Walker, which is available in paperback from:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blogged-Ramblings-Henry-Leigh-Walker/dp/098764470X
Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/un-blogged-henry-leigh-walker/book/9780987644701.html
Among other places...
It is also available in electronic format (pdf) from: https://buy.stripe.com/fZecP419c7CB9VKeUV
... or direct from the author.
