The English language terminology used in the classification of is imprecise and has varied widely over time. There is no historical dictionary for the universal names, classification, or terminology of swords; a sword was simply a single-edged or double-edged knife that grew incrementally longer and more complex with technological advances.
Historical terms without a universal consensus of definition (e.g. "arming sword", "broadsword", "long sword", etc.) were used to label weapons of similar appearance but of different historical periods, regional cultures, and fabrication technology. These terms were often described in relation to other unrelated weapons, without regard to their intended use and fighting style. In modern history, many of these terms have been given specific, often arbitrary meanings that are unrelated to any of their historical meanings.
Terminology
Some of these terms originate contemporaneously with the weapons which they describe. Others are modern or early modern terms used by
antiquarians,
curators, and modern-day sword enthusiasts for historical swords.
Terminology was further complicated by terms introduced[e.g., "hand-and-a-half sword", "single-handed sword", " Pappenheimer" "Walloon sword", "Sinclair Sabre", "Mortuary sword", " spada da lato", "town sword", etc.] or misinterpreted[e.g., bastard sword, broadsword ][rapier][, estoc, flamberge, etc.] in the 19th century by antiquarians and in 20th century popular culture,[sword and sorcery fiction, role playing games, , etc.] and by the addition of new terms such as "great sword", " Zweihänder" (instead of Beidhänder), and "cut-and-thrust sword".[ "cut-and-thrust sword"] Historical European martial arts associations have turned the term spada da lato[A term that was coined by Italian curators] into "side-sword". Furthermore, there is a deprecation of the term "broadsword" by these associations. All these newly introduced or redefined terms add to the confusion of the matter.
The most well-known systematic typology of blade types of the European medieval sword is the Oakeshott typology, although this is also a modern classification and not a medieval one. 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.
Classification by hilt type
Handedness
The term
two-handed sword may refer to any large sword designed to be used primarily with two hands:
-
the European longsword, popular in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance.
-
the Scottish late medieval claymore (not to be confused with the basket-hilted claymore of the 18th century)
-
the Bidenhänder sword favored by the Landsknechte of 16th-century Germany
The term "hand-and-a-half sword" is modern (late 19th century).
The term "single-handed sword" or "one-handed sword" was coined to distinguish from "two-handed" or "hand-and-a-half" swords.
"Single-handed sword" is used by Sir Walter Scott.[in Death of the Laird's Jock (1831).] It is also used as a possible gloss of the obscure term tonsword by Nares (1822);[Robert Nares, A glossary; or, Collection of words ... which have been thought to require illustration, in the works of English authors (1822).] "one-handed sword" is somewhat later, recorded from .
Some swords were designed for left-hand use, although left-handed swords have been described as "a rarity".[Tony Willis, "A Pair of Scottish Swords", Page One, Page Two, Page Three, Page Four.]
Great sword
Great swords or
greatswords are related to the
of the
Middle Ages.
[Oakeshott, Ewart. Records of the Medieval Sword. Boydell Press 1991. Page 89 and 95.] The great sword was developed during the Renaissance, but its earlier cousin the Scottish Claymore was very similar in size and use, like the "outsized specimens" between (approx. the same height as the user) such as the Oakeshott type XIIa or Oakeshott type XIIIa. These swords were too heavy to be wielded one-handed and possessed a large grip for leverage.
Claymore
The Scottish name "
claymore" (, lit. "large/great sword")
can refer to either the longsword with a distinctive two-handed grip, or the basket-hilted sword. The two-handed claymore is an early Scottish version of a greatsword.
Zweihänder
The
Zweihänder ("two-hander") or
Beidhänder ("both-hander") is a true two-handed sword, in the sense that it cannot be wielded in only one hand. It was a specialist weapon wielded by certain
(mercenary soldiers), so-called
Doppelsöldners. A similar weapon used in Spain and Portugal was called
montante.
Classification by blade type
Double-edge and straight swords
These are double-edged, usually straight-bladed swords, designed for optimized balance, reach and versatility.
Jian
Jian (;
Cantonese: gim) is a double-edged straight
sword used during the last 2,500 years in
China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BC during the Spring and Autumn period;
[Ebrey 1999, p. 41] one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian. Historical one-handed versions have blades varying from in length. The weight of an average sword of blade-length would weigh about .
[Rodell 2003, p. 19] There are also larger two-handed versions used by ancient and medieval armies and for training by many styles of Chinese martial arts. Two handed jians from the time of the Chu and
Han dynasty were up to long.
Longsword
In modern times, the term
longsword most frequently refers to a late Medieval and Renaissance weapon designed for use with two hands. The German
langes Schwert ("long sword") in 15th-century
Fechtbuch did not necessarily denote a type of weapon, but the technique of fencing with both hands at the hilt.
The French épée bâtarde and the English bastard sword originate in the 15th or 16th century, originally having the general sense of "irregular sword or sword of uncertain origin". It was "a which was neither French, nor Spanish, nor properly Landsknecht German, but longer than any of these sturdy swords."["Qui n'était ni Française, ni Espagnole, ni proprement Lansquenette, mais plus longue que ces fortes épées." ] Espée bastarde could also historically refer to a single-handed sword with a fairly long blade compared to other short swords.
Joseph Swetnam states that the bastard sword is midway in length between an arming sword and a long sword,
The "Masters of Defence" competition organised by Henry VIII in July 1540 listed[Joseph Strutt, The sports and pastimes of the people of England from the earliest period: including the rural and domestic recreations, May games, mummeries, pageants, processions and pompous spectacles, 1801, p. 211.]
Antiquarian usage in the 19th century established the use of "bastard sword" as referring unambiguously to these large swords.[Oakeshott (1980).] However, George Silver and Joseph Swetnam refer to them merely as "two hande sworde". The term "hand-and-a-half sword" is modern (late 19th century).
The Elizabethan long sword (cf. George Silver
The term longsword has been used to refer to different kinds of sword depending on historical context:
-
Zweihänder or two-hander, a late Renaissance sword of the 16th century Landsknechte, the longest sword of all;
-
the long "side sword" or "rapier"
Spatha
The
spatha was a double-edged longsword used by the Romans. The idea for the
spatha came from the swords of ancient Celts in Germany and Britain. It was longer than the
gladius, and had more reach, so the
spatha was most popular with soldiers in the cavalry. The blade could range between long while the handle was usually between .
Broadsword
The term "broadsword" was never used historically to describe the one-handed arming sword. The arming sword was wrongly labelled a broadsword by antiquarians as the medieval swords were similar in blade width to the military swords of the day (that were also sometimes labeled as broadswords) and broader than the dueling swords and ceremonial dress swords.
Shortswords and daggers
Knives such as the
seax and other blades of similar length between , they are sometimes construed as
swords because of their longer blades. This is especially the case for weapons from antiquity, made before the development of high quality steel that is necessary for longer swords, in particular:
-
Iron Age swords:
-
Seax, a tool and weapon, common in Northern Europe.
-
Gladius, an early ancient Roman thrusting shortsword for legionary
-
Xiphos, a double-edged, single-hand blade used by the ancient Greeks;
-
Certain Renaissance-era sidearms:
-
Certain fascine knife:
-
Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword, is a short sword designed after the Roman gladius with a blade length around in length. It was also known as a coupe-chou (literally "cabbage cutter") in France.
Oversized two-handers used as parade swords or ceremonial weapons often exceeded the length and weight of practical weapons of war.
Edgeless and thrusting swords
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. 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. However they mainly saw prominence outside the battlefield as a duelling weapon.
Basket-hilted sword
The
basket-hilted sword is a
sword type of the early modern era characterised by a basket-shaped guard that protects the hand. The basket hilt is a development of the
added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages.
In modern times, this variety of sword is also sometimes referred to as the
broadsword.
Xiphos
The Spartan army]] were always armed with a
xiphos as a secondary weapon. Among most Greek warriors, this weapon had an iron blade of about . The Spartan version of the sword typically had a blade about in length. The Spartan's shorter weapon proved deadly in the crush caused by colliding phalanx formations, as it was far more capable of being thrust through gaps in the enemy's shield wall and armour, where there was little to no room for longer edged weapons. The groin and throat were among the favourite targets.
Rapier
The term "
rapier" appeared in the English lexicon via the French épée rapière which comes from the Spanish ropera; recorded for the first time in the Coplas de la panadera, by Juan de Mena, written between approximately 1445 and 1450. The Spanish term refers to a sword used with clothes (espada ropera, 'dress sword'), due to it being used as an accessory for clothing, usually for fashion and as a self-defense weapon.
Some swords categorised as rapiers are completely edgeless or have only a partially sharpened blade, however the majority have effective cutting blades.
Panzerstecher and koncerz
The
Panzerstecher ("armour stabber") is a German and East European weapon with a long, edgeless blade of square or triangular cross-section for penetrating armour.
Early models were either two-handers or "hand-and-a-half" hilted,
while later 16th and 17th century models (also known as
koncerz) were one-handed and used by cavalry.
Tuck and verdun
The "tuck" (French
estoc, Italian stocco) is an edgeless blade of square or triangular cross-section used for thrusting. In French, estoc also means thrust or point; and estoc et taille means thrust and cut.
The tuck may also get its name from the verb "to tuck" which means "to shorten".
Small-sword
The
small sword or
smallsword (also
court sword or
dress sword, ) is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late
Renaissance. The height of the small sword's popularity was between the mid-17th and late 18th century. It is thought to have appeared in
France and spread quickly across the rest of
Europe. The small sword was the immediate predecessor of the Épée de Combat from which the Épée developed
[Evangelista, Nick. ''The Encyclopedia of the Sword. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1995. p. 208] and its method of use—as typified in the works of such authors as Sieur de Liancour,
Domenico Angelo, Monsieur J. Olivier, and Monsieur L'Abbat—developed into the techniques of the French classical school of fencing. 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.
Single-edge and curved swords
These are single-cutting edged, usually thick or curved construction bladed swords, typically designed for stonger slashing, chopping, severing limbs, tripping or broad sweeping techniques; but were often very poorly designed for stabbing. Swordsmen were trained to use the bladed side in circumventing an opponent's protected flank (known as "curve into the guard"), and the dulled side for defensive and blocking techniques. The curve automatically makes a swing draw an arc making it much easier to slash.
Backsword
The
backsword was a single-edged, straight-bladed sword, typically for military use. This type of sword had a thickened back to the blade (opposite the cutting edge), which gave the blade strength. The backsword blade was cheaper to manufacture than a two-edged blade. 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. The backsword reached its greatest use in the 17th and 18th century when many cavalry swords, such as the British 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, were of this form.
Dao
Dao are single-edged
, primarily used for slashing and chopping. The most common form is also known as the , although those with wider blades are sometimes referred to as . In China, the dao is considered one of the four traditional weapons, along with the gun (stick or staff), qiang (spear), and the
jian (sword). It is considered "The General of All Weapons".
Hook sword
The
hook sword,
twin hooks,
fu tao or
shuang 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.
Kopis
Unlike the xiphos, which is a thrusting weapon, the kopis was a hacking weapon in the form of a thick, curved single edged iron sword. In Athenian art, Spartan hoplites were often depicted using a kopis instead of the xiphos, as the kopis was seen as a quintessential "villain" weapon in Greek eyes.
Khopesh
The
khopesh is an
curved short sword with a overall length of approx. and was typically made of bronze or iron.
Katana
Historically, 刀 were one of the traditionally made nihon=Japan tō=sword
that were used by the
samurai of feudal Japan.
Modern versions of the katana are sometimes made using non-traditional materials and methods. The katana is characterized by its distinctive appearance: a curved, slender, single-edged blade usually with a round guard and long grip to accommodate two hands.
Hanger
The hanger (obs.
whinyard, whinger, cuttoe), wood-knife, or
hunting sword is a long knife or short sword that hangs from the belt and was popular as both a hunting tool and weapon of war.
Falchion and cutlass
The
falchion (French braquemart,
Spanish bracamarte) proper is a wide straight-bladed but curved edged hanger or long knife.
The term 'falchion' may also refer to the early
cutlass.
The cutlass or curtal-axe also known as a falchion (French badelaire, braquemart,
Sabre
The British
sabre, American
saber, French sabre, Spanish sable, Italian sciabola, German Säbel, Russian sablya, Hungarian szablya, Polish szabla, and Ukrainian shablya is a single-edged curved bladed cavalry sword.
Scimitar
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 (Kilij]]), Persians (
shamshir) and more specifically the
Stradioti (Albanian and Greek mercenaries who fought in the French-Italian Wars and were employed throughout Western Europe).
The scimitar proper was the Stradioti saber,
and the term was introduced into France by Philippe de Commines (1447 – 18 October 1511) as cimeterre,
Italy (especially the Venetian Republic who hired the stradioti as mercenaries) as scimitarra, and England as
cimeter or scimitar via the French and Italian terms.
See also
-
Types of swords
-
History of the sword
-
Oakeshott typology
External links
