German Swordsmanship
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The Sword is general term for a weapon consisting typically of a long, straight or slightly curved, pointed blade having one or two cutting edges and set into a hilt. Listed below are swords found in German Swordsmanship
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Longsword
- See main article Longsword
The sword itself is generally two handed, but one hand may be used if necessary. It has two edges, one long, one short. Since it must provide both offense and defense, the blade moves first and is kept in front of the body.
Arming Sword
- See main article Arming Sword
It was usually hung from the belt of the knight, while his longsword hung from the saddle.
Backsword
The backsword was so named because it only had one cutting edge. The non-cutting edge (the back of the blade) was much thicker than the cutting edge thus creating a wedge type shape which was said to increase the weapons cutting capacity. Also known as a "Mortuary Sword", or the German "Reitschwert."
Basilard
A two-edged, long bladed dagger of the late Middle Ages, often worn with both civilian dress and armour.
Bastard Sword
- See main article Bastard Sword
These swords typically had longer handles which allowed use by one or both hands. The sword's hilt often had side-rings and finger rings to defend the hand, and a more slender, or tapered, narrowly pointed blade.
Broad Sword
- See main article Broad Sword
The broad sword generally had a long, wide, straight, double-edged blade with a simple cross-guard (or "cruciform" hilt). The typical form was a single hand weapon used for hacking, shearing cuts and also for limited thrusting which evolved from the Celtic and Germanic swords of late Antiquity
Claymore
- See main article Claymore
Identified with the Scot's symbol of the warrior, the term Claymore is Gaelic for "claidheamh-more" (great sword). This two-handed broadsword was used by the Scottish Highlanders against the English in the 16th century and is often confused with a Basket-hilt "broadsword" (a relative of the Italian schiavona) whose hilt completely enclosed the hand in a cage-like guard. Both swords have come to be known by the same name since the late 1700's.
Compound-hilt
A term used for the various forms of swept, basket, and cage hilts found on Renaissance swords. The compound hilt is comprised of the quillon, side-rings, and a knuckle bar in a variety of configurations.
Falchion
- See main article Falchion
The Falchion is a single-edged, heavy-bladed sword, usually widening noticably towards the tip. A form of sword that was little more than a meat cleaver, possibly even a simple kitchen and barnyard tool adopted for war. Indeed, it may come from a French word for a sickle, "fauchon".
Great Sword
- See main article Great Sword
The Great Sword is a term for a group of swords which cannot be used comfortably in a single hand. The term "great-sword" has come to mean a form of long-sword that is still not the specialized weapons of later two-handed swords. They are, however, the weapons often depicted in various German sword manuals.
Main-gauche
the left-handed, parrying dagger used with the rapier.
Rondel dagger
A military dagger witht he pommel and hand-guard formed of roundels. The dagger was often 18” long or more, with a single-edged, or even triangular, blade.
Sax/Saex
A long, heavy single-edged knife favored by the Nordic peoples, with a recognizable modern descendant in the Bowie knife. The Saxon race is said to have taken its name from this weapon, which originally meant stone. Some saxes could be as much as three feet long, and hilted like swords.
Scabbard
A sheath for a sword or dagger. Most scabbards were made of thin wood, lined with felt of sheepskin, and covered in leather.
Two-Handed Sword
- See main atricle Two-Handed Sword
