Recommended Products Windlass Rustblocker Special Offer (Reg $24.95) [+$21.95] Flitz Care Kit Special Offer (Reg $26.95) [+$21.95] In stock BUY NOW OVERVIEW Most longswords were made between the mid-14th century and the mid-16th century, and most of these measure approximately 120-150 cm overall (100-120 cm blade length) and weigh an average 1.5 kg. Lengths usually ranged from 110 cm to 150 cm, with 120 to 125 cm probably being the median. Includes a leather belt frog and scabbard with belt stop. The 34 inch blade on that tends to be like 2 inches wide and 6mm+ thick and tapering . While slashing attacks were still moderately effective against infantry wearing half-plate armour, cutting and slicing attacks against an opponent wearing plate armour were almost entirely ineffective in providing any sort of slashing wound as the sword simply could not cut through the steel, although a combatant could aim for the chinks in a suit of armour, sometimes to great effect. [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. It remains identifiable as a type during the period of about 1350 to 1550. Some of the heavier normal size swords that I looked out were the single handed wide blade cut and thrust swords like the Munich town guard swords. Hand and a Half Sword 88HNH medieval bastard sword by Cold Steel. In terms of weight, a typical hand-and-a-half sword weighed roughly 2.4 to 4 pounds (1.1 to 1.8 kg). Dual Tempered HRc 60 48-50 at the core Fittings : Mild Steel Blade Thickness: 1.34 mm Total Length: 45 . A bastard sword or hand-and-a-halfer[1] are swords which fall between the longsword or broadsword and the two-handed greatsword in size. Great swords or greatswords are related to the long swords of the Middle Ages. The Spartiats were always armed with a xiphos as a secondary weapon. The hook sword, twin hooks, fu tao or shuang gou (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: Gou), also known as hu tou gou (tiger head hook), is a Chinese weapon traditionally associated with northern styles of Chinese martial arts and Wushu weapons routines, but now often practiced by southern styles as well. A longsword typically features a blade with a length of approximately 33 to 41 inches (85 to 110 cm). [4] The hand-and-a-half sword was a balanced weapon that enabled one to use it with one or both hands. The weapon was used in the half-sword, with one or both hands on the blade. For example, there is a longsword in The Glasgow Art and History Museum, Labelled XIIIa. By The Sword, Inc. - 15th Century Hand and a Half Sword A longsword, hand and a half sword or bastard sword is a long, symmetrical sword with a cruciform (cross-shaped) hilt, and a double-edged blade tapered to a sharp point for thrusting. Its length is 118,5 cm with a blade of 89,5 cm and it weighs 2150 g. The grip gives the sword a unique character. The hilts (handles) range from 8 to 16 inches long to provide room for gauntleted hands. The majority of these elongated weapons were designed for agility, precision and rapid thrusting blows to exploit gaps in the enemy's defences; the major joints of the arms, the opening in a visor. 4 European Single Hand-and-a-half Sword. $225.00. 8 gp. Among most Greek warriors, this weapon had an iron blade of about 60 centimetres. Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor, Williams, G. (2014). [3] Terminology was further complicated by terms introduced[1] or misinterpreted[2][3][4] in the 19th century by antiquarians and in 20th century pop culture,[5] and by the addition of new terms such as "great sword", "Zweihnder" (instead of Beidhnder), and "cut-and-thrust sword". The bastard sword also had a long thin long blade that tapered into a point. This hand-and-a-half sword is based on several historical originals. The blade is 79cm in length and constructed from a rugged 1060 spring steel and through . Cold Steel Hand-and-A-Half Sword with Leather/Wood Scabbard [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. They represent larger versions of type XII and type XIII swords which were the standard. Hand-and-a-half sword - CelticWebMerchant.com . The name hand-and-a-half is not a historical term. Frontline Books. However, a third type is a hand-and-a-half sword. All parts of the sword are used for offensive purposes, including the pommel and crossguard. Ewart Oakeshott distinguishes twelve different types. One-handed swords are shorter and lighter, but they allow the user to wield a second weapon or shield. From the late 15th century, however, it is also attested as being worn and used by unarmoured soldiers or mercenaries. [10] It is also used as a possible gloss of the obscure term tonsword by Nares (1822);[11] "one-handed sword" is somewhat later, recorded from c. 1850. [17]:7373,plate 67 The cross has been shown to be used as a hook for tripping or knocking an opponent off balance. 4.14-3.1 cm, then sharp point. Hand and a Half Swords - Medieval Collectibles 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. 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 falchion (French braquemart,[52] Spanish bracamarte) proper is a wide straight-bladed but curved edged hanger or long knife. Also, the hand on the blade increases its rigidity which is advantageous when thrusting. By the 15th century, larger and heavier swords had been developed, including the 'Bastard' or 'Hand-and-a-half' sword. Advantages of Hand-and-a-Half Swords More details . 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. Hand-and-a-Half Sword. Apparently, many swords were designed for left-hand use, although left-handed swords have been described as "a rarity".[12]. Specifications: Overall Length: 43" Blade Length: 33" Weight: 3 lbs Edge: Unsharpened Width: 4.7 mm - 3.6 mm Pommel: Nut P.O.B. Two-Hander Longsword - Superior Swords Co. [23] The manual also presents half-sword techniques as an integral part of armoured combat. They are a sub-class . Buy the medieval Albrecht Hand-and-a-Half Swords for $ 299.99. They possess an elongated grip which can easily accommodate both hands but they are generally well balanced enough to be wielded in one hand. The distance between the hands obviously increases the leverage that combatant could exert on the weapon. 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. To overcome this problem, swords began to be used primarily for thrusting. 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. There is no historical dictionary for the universal names, classification or terminology of swords; a sword was simply a double edged knife. The scimitar (French cimeterre, Italian scimitarra) is a type of saber that came to refer in general to any sabre used by the Turks or Ottomans (kilic), Persians (shamshir) and more specifically the Stradioti[58] (Albanian and Greek mercenaries who fought in the French-Italian Wars and were employed throughout Western Europe). Type XVIIIc blades are somewhat broader and shorter (about 85cm), and sometimes have a short and narrow fuller. 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. Type XVII is a shorter-lived type, popular during the mid-14th to early 15th century. However they mainly saw prominence outside the battlefield as a duelling weapon. In a depiction of a duel, individuals may be seen wielding sharply pointed longswords in one hand, leaving the other hand open to manipulate the large dueling shield. Deepeeka - 15th Century Hand and a Half Sword - Kult of Athena Cold Steel - Kris Sword - Kult of Athena . The French pe de passot was also known as pe btarde[citation needed] (i.e., bastard sword) and also coustille croix[23] (literally a cross-hilted blade). 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. The German school of swordsmanship includes the earliest known longsword Fechtbuch, a manual from approximately 1389, known as GNM 3227a. hand and a half sword | BladeForums.com Non-sharpened. There is a wide assortment of Kris swords styles to choose from as each island, region, clan, or school has its own favorite with some putting more emphasis on cutting while others favor styles more conducive for thrusting. Factory SecondsLoose Cross Guard, Tight Fit in Scabbard Based on a Medieval European Hand and Half, or "Bastard" sword, with stainless steel cross guard and wheel pommel. Still, some sources show them used with bucklers or spiked shields in judicial duels, though the latter was unusual. These days, the term longsword most frequently refers to a late Medieval and Renaissance weapon designed for use with two hands. "large/great sword")[16][17] can refer to either the longsword with a distinctive two-handed grip, or the basket-hilted sword. First quarter of the 9th c. A.D. (Stuttgart: Wurt. A defining characteristic of the sword isn't the overall length, it's the length of the handle. Irish Hand and Half Sword - Medieval Collectibles Would a sword with a long handle, but a shorter blade (like an arming sword) be a "bastard" neither being a one nor two handed sword? Bastard swords are also known as hand-and-a-half swords, falling between the longsword and greatsword in length. The term referred to a medieval single-handed sword optimized for thrusting. The longsword has many names in the English language, which, aside from variant spellings, include terms such as "bastard sword" and "hand-and-a-half sword." 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. Half-swording was a manner of using both hands, one on the hilt and one on the blade, to better control the weapon in thrusts and jabs. They had handles of roughly 17 to 25 centimeters (7 to 10 inches), excluding pommels, and weighed about 3 to 4 pounds. They have a flattened diamond cross-section, often with pronounced mid-rib, some being hollow-ground. The 19cm grip is constructed from timber, covered in faux leather with a sewn seam which is then cord wrapped for extra strength. Longswords vs Two Handed Swords - Arms & Armor 2023, Arms & Armor The basket hilt is a development of the quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. Warspike Knight's Hand-and-a-Half (Bastard) Sword $95 In Stock! Fourteenth Century Length overall 124 cm. Historically, katana () were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (, nihont)[47][48] that were used by the samurai of feudal Japan. 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.