swords (above)|408x408px
Double-edge and straight swords These are double-edged, usually straight-bladed swords, designed for optimized balance, reach and versatility. ======== (;
Cantonese: ) is a double-edged straight
sword used during the last 2,500 years in
China. The first Chinese sources that mention the date to the 7th century BC during the
Spring and Autumn period; 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 . 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 ("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. The French 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 sword] which was neither French, nor Spanish, nor properly [German], but longer than any of these sturdy swords." 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, (literally a cross-hilted blade). The term referred to a medieval single-handed sword optimized for thrusting. The was the sidearm of the (French or Breton bowmen of the 15th and 16th centuries). The term comes from the fact that these swords passed () the length of a "normal" short sword. "two hande sworde", "bastard sworde", and "longe sworde" as separate items (as it should in Joseph Swetnam's context). Antiquarian usage in the 19th century established the use of "bastard sword" as referring unambiguously to these large swords. 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). During the first half of the 20th century, the term "bastard sword" was used regularly to refer to this type of sword. The
Elizabethan long sword (cf. George Silver and Joseph Swetnam) is a single-handed "cut-and-thrust" sword with a blade similar to the long rapier. "Let thy (long) Rapier or (long) Sword be foure foote at the least, and thy dagger two foote." Historical terms (15th to 16th century) for this type of sword included the
Italian and
French . The term
longsword has been used to refer to different kinds of sword depending on historical context: • or two-hander, a late Renaissance sword of the 16th century , the longest sword of all; • the long "
side sword" or "
rapier" •
Basket-hilted sword •
Sabre 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 • , an early ancient Roman thrusting shortsword for
legionaries • , a double-edged, single-hand blade used by the ancient Greeks • Certain Renaissance-era sidearms: •
Baselard, a late medieval heavy dagger • , a civilian long dagger •
Dirk, the Scottish long dagger () •
Hanger or wood-knife, a type of
hunting sword or infantry
sabre • Certain
fascine knives: •
Model 1832 Foot Artillery Sword, is a short sword designed after the Roman with a blade length around in length. It was also known as a (literally "cabbage cutter") in France
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
quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. In modern times, this variety of sword is also sometimes referred to as the
broadsword. ======== The were always armed with a 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 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 ("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 , Italian ) is an edgeless blade of square or triangular cross-section used for thrusting. In French, also means thrust or point; and 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 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. ======== are single-edged
Chinese swords, 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 (stick or staff), (spear), and the (sword). It is considered "The General of All Weapons".
Hook sword The
hook sword,
twin hooks, or (), also known as (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. ======== Unlike the , which is a thrusting weapon, the 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 instead of the , as the was seen as a quintessential "villain" weapon in Greek eyes.
Khopesh The
khopesh is an
ancient Egyptian curved short sword with a overall length of approx. and was typically made of bronze or iron.
Katana Historically, were one of the traditionally made 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 , Spanish ) 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 ; Italian ; German ) is a broad-bladed curved
hanger or long knife. In later usage, 'cutlass' referred to the short naval boarding
sabre.
Sabre The British
sabre, American
saber, French , Spanish , Italian , German , Russian , Hungarian , Polish , and Ukrainian is a single-edged curved bladed cavalry sword.
Scimitar The
scimitar (French , Italian ) is a type of saber that came to refer in general to any sabre used by the Turks or Ottomans (), Persians () and more specifically the (Albanian and Greek mercenaries who fought in the French-Italian Wars and were employed throughout Western Europe). The scimitar proper was the saber, and the term was introduced into France by
Philippe de Commines (1447 – 18 October 1511) as , Italy (especially the Venetian Republic who hired the as mercenaries) as , and England as
cimeter or scimitar via the French and Italian terms. ==See also==