The sword of Alexander Nevsky is a mystical weapon and a Slavic relic. Medieval sword

“Oh, knights, arise, the hour of action has come!
You have shields, steel helmets and armor.
Your dedicated sword is ready to fight for your faith.
Give me strength, oh God, for new glorious battles.
I, a beggar, will take rich spoils there.
I don’t need gold and I don’t need land,
But maybe I will be, singer, mentor, warrior,
Rewarded with heavenly bliss forever"
(Walter von der Vogelweide. Translation by V. Levick)

A sufficient number of articles on the topic of knightly weapons and, in particular, knightly armor have already been published on the VO website. However, this topic is so interesting that you can delve into it for a very long time. The reason for turning to her again is banal... weight. Weight of armor and weapons. Alas, I recently asked students again how much a knight’s sword weighs, and received the following set of numbers: 5, 10 and 15 kilograms. They considered chain mail weighing 16 kg to be very light, although not all of them did, and the weight of plate armor at just over 20 kilos was simply ridiculous.

Figures of a knight and a horse in full protective equipment. Traditionally, knights were imagined exactly like this - “chained in armor.” (Cleveland Museum of Art)

At VO, naturally, “things with weight” are much better due to regular publications on this topic. However, the opinion about the excessive weight of the “knightly costume” of the classical type has not yet been eradicated here. Therefore, it makes sense to return to this topic and consider it with specific examples.

Western European chain mail (hauberk) 1400 - 1460 Weight 10.47 kg. (Cleveland Museum of Art)

Let's start with the fact that British weapons historians created a very reasonable and clear classification of armor according to their specific characteristics and ultimately divided the entire Middle Ages, guided, naturally, by available sources, into three eras: “the era of chain mail”, “the era of mixed chain mail and plate protective weapons" and "the era of solid forged armor." All three eras together make up the period from 1066 to 1700. Accordingly, the first era has a frame of 1066 - 1250, the second - the era of chain mail-plate armor - 1250 - 1330. But then this: the early stage in the development of knightly plate armor(1330 - 1410), " great period"in the history of knights in “white armor” (1410 - 1500) and the era of decline knight's armor(1500 - 1700).

Chain mail together with a helmet and aventail (aventail) XIII - XIV centuries. (Royal Arsenal, Leeds)

During the years of “wonderful Soviet education” we had never heard of such periodization. But in the school textbook “History of the Middle Ages” for VΙ grade for many years, with some rehashes, one could read the following:
“It was not easy for the peasants to defeat even one feudal lord. The mounted warrior - knight - was armed heavy sword and a long spear. He could cover himself from head to toe with a large shield. The knight's body was protected by chain mail - a shirt woven from iron rings. Later, chain mail was replaced by armor - armor made of iron plates.

Classic knightly armor, which was most often discussed in textbooks for schools and universities. Before us is Italian armor of the 15th century, restored in the 19th century. Height 170.2 cm. Weight 26.10 kg. Helmet weight 2850 g (Metropolitan Museum, New York)

Knights fought on strong, hardy horses, which were also protected by armor. The knight's weapons were very heavy: they weighed up to 50 kilograms. Therefore, the warrior was clumsy and clumsy. If a rider was thrown from his horse, he could not get up without outside help and was usually captured. To fight on horseback heavy armor, long training was needed, the feudal lords were preparing for military service since childhood. They constantly practiced fencing, horse riding, wrestling, swimming, and javelin throwing.

German armor 1535. Presumably from Brunswick. Weight 27.85 kg. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

War horse and knightly weapons were very expensive: for all this it was necessary to give a whole herd - 45 cows! The landowner for whom the peasants worked could perform knightly service. Therefore, military affairs became an occupation almost exclusively of feudal lords” (Agibalova, E.V. History of the Middle Ages: Textbook for the 6th grade / E.V. Agibalova, G.M. Donskoy, M.: Prosveshchenie, 1969. P.33; Golin, E.M. History of the Middle Ages: Tutorial for 6th grade evening (shift) school / E.M. Golin, V.L. Kuzmenko, M.Ya. Leuberg. M.: Education, 1965. P. 31-32.)

A knight in armor and a horse in horse armor. The work of master Kunz Lochner. Nuremberg, Germany 1510 - 1567 It dates back to 1548. The total weight of the rider's equipment, including horse armor and saddle, is 41.73 kg. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Only in the 3rd edition of the textbook “History of the Middle Ages” for VΙ grade high school V.A. Vedyushkin, published in 2002, the description of knightly weapons became somewhat truly thoughtful and corresponded to the above-mentioned periodization used today by historians around the world: “At first, the knight was protected by a shield, helmet and chain mail. Then the most vulnerable parts of the body began to be hidden behind metal plates, and from the 15th century, chain mail was finally replaced by solid armor. Battle armor weighed up to 30 kg, so for battle the knights chose hardy horses, also protected by armor.”

Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) Gunsmith Kunz Lochner. Germany, Nuremberg 1510 - 1567 Dated 1549. Height 170.2 cm. Weight 24 kg.

That is, in the first case, intentionally or out of ignorance, the armor was divided into eras in a simplified manner, while a weight of 50 kg was attributed to both the armor of the “era of chain mail” and the “era of all-metal armor” without dividing into the actual armor of the knight and the armor of his horse. That is, judging by the text, our children were offered information that “the warrior was clumsy and clumsy.” In fact, the first articles showing that this is actually not the case were publications by V.P. Gorelik in the magazines “Around the World” in 1975, but this information never made it into textbooks for Soviet schools at that time. The reason is clear. Using anything, using any examples, show the superiority of the military skills of Russian soldiers over the “dog knights”! Unfortunately, the inertia of thinking and the not-so-great significance of this information make it difficult to disseminate information that corresponds to scientific data.

Armor set from 1549, which belonged to Emperor Maximilian II. (Wallace Collection) As you can see, the option in the photo is tournament armor, as it features a grandguard. However, it could be removed and then the armor became combat. This achieved considerable savings.

Nevertheless, the provisions of the school textbook V.A. Vedyushkina are completely true. Moreover, information about the weight of armor, well, say, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (as well as from other museums, including our Hermitage in St. Petersburg, then Leningrad) was available for a very long time, but in the textbooks of Agibalov and Donskoy For some reason I didn’t get there in due time. However, it’s clear why. After all, we had the best education in the world. However, this is a special case, although quite indicative. It turned out that there were chain mail, then - again and again, and now armor. Meanwhile, the process of their appearance was more than lengthy. For example, only around 1350 was the appearance of the so-called “metal chest” with chains (from one to four) that went to a dagger, sword and shield, and sometimes a helmet was attached to the chain. Helmets at this time were not yet connected to protective plates on the chest, but under them they wore chain mail hoods that had a wide shoulder. Around 1360, armor began to have clasps; in 1370, the knights were almost completely dressed in iron armor, and chain mail fabric was used as a base. The first brigandines appeared - caftans, and lining made of metal plates. They were used and how independent species protective clothing, and were worn together with chain mail, both in the West and in the East.

Knight's armor with a brigandine over chain mail and a bascinet helmet. Around 1400-1450 Italy. Weight 18.6 kg. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Since 1385, the thighs began to be covered with armor made of articulated strips of metal. In 1410, full-plate armor for all parts of the body had spread throughout Europe, but mail throat cover was still in use; in 1430, the first grooves appeared on the elbow and knee pads, and by 1450, armor made of forged steel sheets had reached its perfection. Beginning in 1475, the grooves on them became increasingly popular until fully fluted or so-called “Maximilian armor”, the authorship of which is attributed to the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, became a measure of the skill of their manufacturer and the wealth of their owners. Subsequently, knightly armor became smooth again - their shape was influenced by fashion, but the skills achieved in the craftsmanship of their finishing continued to develop. Now it was not only people who fought in armor. The horses also received it, as a result the knight with the horse turned into something like a real statue made of polished metal that sparkled in the sun!

Another “Maximilian” armor from Nuremberg 1525 - 1530. It belonged to Duke Ulrich, the son of Henry of Württemberg (1487 - 1550). (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)

Although... although fashionistas and innovators, “running ahead of the locomotive,” have always been there too. For example, it is known that in 1410 a certain English knight A man named John de Fiarles paid Burgundian gunsmiths 1,727 pounds sterling for the armor, sword and dagger they made for him, which he ordered to be decorated with pearls and... diamonds (!) - a luxury that was not only unheard of at that time, but even for him was not at all typical.

Field armor of Sir John Scudamore (1541 or 1542-1623). Armourer Jacob Jacob Halder (Greenwich Workshop 1558-1608) Circa 1587, restored 1915. Weight 31.07 kg. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Each piece of plate armor received its own name. For example, plates for the thighs were called cuisses, knee pads - logs (poleyns), jambers (jambers) - for the legs and sabatons (sabatons) for the feet. Gorgets or bevors (gorgets, or bevors) protected the throat and neck, cutters (couters) - elbows, e(c)paulers, or pauldrones (espaudlers, or pauldrons) - shoulders, rerebraces (rerebraces) - forearm , vambraces - part of the arm down from the elbow, and gantelets - these are “plate gloves” - protected the hands. The full set of armor also included a helmet and, at least at first, a shield, which subsequently ceased to be used on the battlefield around the middle of the 15th century.

Armor of Henry Herbert (1534-1601), Second Earl of Pembroke. Made around 1585 - 1586. in the Greenwich armory (1511 - 1640). Weight 27.24 kg. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

As for the number of parts in the “white armor”, in the armor of the mid-15th century their total number could reach 200 units, and taking into account all the buckles and nails, along with hooks and various screws, even up to 1000. The weight of the armor was 20 - 24 kg, and it was distributed evenly over the knight’s body, unlike chain mail, which put pressure on the man’s shoulders. So “no crane was required to put such a rider in his saddle. And knocked off his horse to the ground, he did not at all look like a helpless beetle.” But the knight of those years was not a mountain of meat and muscles, and he by no means relied solely on brute strength and bestial ferocity. And if we pay attention to how knights are described in medieval works, we will see that very often they had a fragile (!) and graceful physique, and at the same time had flexibility, developed muscles, and were strong and very agile, even when dressed in armor, with well-developed muscle response.

Tournament armor made by Anton Peffenhauser around 1580 (Germany, Augsburg, 1525-1603) Height 174.6 cm); shoulder width 45.72 cm; weight 36.8 kg. It should be noted that tournament armor was usually always heavier than combat armor. (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

IN last years In the 15th century, knightly weapons became the subject of special concern for European sovereigns, and, in particular, Emperor Maximilian I (1493 - 1519), who is credited with creating knightly armor with grooves along their entire surface, eventually called “Maximilian.” It was used without any special changes in the 16th century, when new improvements were required due to the ongoing development of small arms.

Now just a little about swords, because if you write about them in detail, then they deserve a separate topic. J. Clements, a well-known British expert on edged weapons of the Middle Ages, believes that it was the advent of multi-layer combined armor (for example, on the effigy of John de Creque we see as many as four layers of protective clothing) that led to the appearance of a “sword in one and a half hands.” Well, the blades of such swords ranged from 101 to 121 cm, and weight from 1.2 to 1.5 kg. Moreover, blades are known for chopping and piercing blows, as well as purely for stabbing. He notes that horsemen used such swords until 1500, and they were especially popular in Italy and Germany, where they were called Reitschwert (equestrian) or knight's sword. In the 16th century, swords appeared with wavy and even jagged sawtooth blades. Moreover, their length itself could reach human height with a weight of 1.4 to 2 kg. Moreover, such swords appeared in England only around 1480. Average weight sword in the X and XV centuries. was 1.3 kg; and in the sixteenth century. - 900 g. Bastard swords “one and a half hands” weighed about 1.5 - 1.8 kg, and the weight of two-handed swords was rarely more than 3 kg. The latter reached their peak between 1500 and 1600, but were always infantry weapons.

Three-quarter cuirassier armor, ca. 1610-1630 Milan or Brescia, Lombardy. Weight 39.24 kg. Obviously, since they have no armor below the knees, the extra weight comes from thickening the armor.

But shortened three-quarter armor for cuirassiers and pistoleers, even in its shortened form, often weighed more than those that offered protection only from edged weapons and they were very heavy to wear. Cuirassier armor has been preserved, the weight of which was about 42 kg, i.e. even more than classic knightly armor, although they covered a much smaller surface of the body of the person for whom they were intended! But this, it should be emphasized, is not knightly armor, that’s the point!

Horse armor, possibly made for Count Antonio IV Colalto (1548-1620), circa 1580-1590. Place of manufacture: probably Brescia. Weight with saddle 42.2 kg. (Metropolitan Museum, New York) By the way, a horse in full armor under an armored rider could even swim. Horse armor weighed 20-40 kg - a few percent of own weight a huge and strong knight's horse.

Mein Herz mein Geist meine Seele, lebt nur für dich, mein Tod mein Leben meine Liebe, ist nichts ohne Dich // Shadow Troublemaker

The information that will be discussed below does not relate to reality in any way. computer games, where anything is possible, even swords the size of a man.
Some time ago, I wrote a story based on LoS, which featured swords. According to my plan, a boy of 8-9 years old should not have lifted it due to the gravity of the sword. I suffered for a long time, wondering how much an ordinary knight’s sword weighs, and is it really impossible for a child to lift it? At that time, I was working as an estimator, and the documents included metal parts much larger than the sword, but weighing an order of magnitude less than the intended figure. And so, I went to the wide expanses of the Internet to look for the truth about the medieval knight’s sword.
To my surprise, the knight’s sword did not weigh much, about 1.5-3 kg, which shattered my theory to smithereens, and the heavy two-handed weapon barely weighed 6 kg!
Where do these myths about 30-50 kilogram swords that heroes swung so easily come from?
And myths from fairy tales and computer games. They are beautiful, impressive, but have no historical truth behind them.
The knight's uniform was so heavy that the armor alone weighed up to 30 kg. The sword was lighter so that the knight would not give his soul to God at all in the first five minutes of actively swinging the heavy weapon.
And if you think logically, could you work for a long time with a 30-kilogram sword? Can you even lift it?
But some battles lasted not five minutes, and not 15, they stretched out for hours, days. And your opponent is unlikely to say: “Listen, Sir X, let’s take a break, I completely swung my sword,” “Come on, I’m no less tired than you. Let's sit under that tree."
And especially no one will say: “Battle! Stop! One-two! Whoever is tired, raise your hands! Yes, clearly. The knights can rest, the archers can continue.”
However, try to work with a 2-3 kilogram sword in your hands for half an hour, I guarantee an unforgettable experience.
And so, gradually, we came to the already existing information about medieval swords, recorded by historians as a fact.

The Internet led me to the land of Wikipedia, where I read the most interesting information:
Sword- a bladed weapon consisting of a straight metal blade and handle. The blades of the swords are double-edged, less often sharpened only on one side. Swords can be chopping (Old Slavic and Old Germanic types), cutting-stabbing (Carolingian sword, Russian sword, spatha), piercing-cutting (gladius, akinak, xiphos), piercing (konchar, estok). Double-edged division slash-and-pierce weapon on swords and daggers is quite arbitrary; most often the sword has a longer blade (from 40 cm). The weight of the sword ranges from 700 g (gladius) to 6 kg (zweihander, flamberge). The weight of a one-handed chopping or stabbing sword ranged from 0.9 to 2 kg.

The sword was an offensive and defensive weapon of a professional warrior. To wield a sword required long training, years of practice and special physical training. A distinctive feature of the sword is its versatility:
- used by both foot and horse warriors;
- chopping blows with a sword are particularly powerful, especially when chopping from the saddle, both against unarmored warriors and warriors in armor (there were enough holes for striking in early armor and the quality of the armor was always questionable);
- piercing blows of a sword can pierce a cuirass and a mirror if the quality of the sword exceeds the quality of the armor;
- by striking the helmet with a sword, you can stun the enemy or kill him if the sword pierces the helmet.

Often mistakenly referred to as swords different kinds curved bladed weapons, in particular: khopesh, kopis, falcata, katana ( japanese sword), wakizashi, as well as a number of types of straight bladed weapons with one-sided sharpening, in particular: skramasax, falchion.

The appearance of the first bronze swords dates back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e., when it became possible to make blades bigger size than daggers. Swords were actively used until the end of the 16th century. In the 17th century, swords in Europe were finally replaced by swords and broadswords. In Rus', the saber finally replaced the sword by the end of the 14th century.

Swords of the Middle Ages (West).

In Europe, the sword became widespread in the Middle Ages, had many modifications and was actively used until the Modern Age. The sword changed at all stages of the Middle Ages:
Early Middle Ages. The Germans used single-edged blades with good cutting properties. A striking example is scramasax. In the ruins of the Roman Empire, spatha is the most popular. The battles are fought in open space. Defensive tactics are used extremely rarely. As a result, the cutting sword with a flat or rounded tip, a narrow but thick cross, a short hilt and a massive pommel dominates in Europe. There is practically no narrowing of the blade from the handle to the tip. The valley is quite wide and shallow. The weight of the sword does not exceed 2 kg. This type of sword is usually called Merovingian. The Carolingian sword differs from the Merovingian sword mainly in its pointed end. But this sword was also used as a chopping weapon, despite the pointed end. The Scandinavian version of the ancient Germanic sword is different greater width and shorter length, since the ancient Scandinavians practically did not use cavalry due to geographical location. Ancient Slavic swords were practically no different in design from ancient German ones.

Modern reconstruction of a cavalry spatha of the 2nd century.
High Middle Ages. There is a growth of cities and crafts. The level of blacksmithing and metallurgy is growing. Crusades and civil strife occur. Leather armor is being replaced by metal armor. The role of cavalry is increasing. Knightly tournaments and duels are gaining popularity. Fights often take place in close quarters (castles, houses, narrow streets). All this leaves an imprint on the sword. The cutting and piercing sword reigns. The blade becomes longer, thicker and narrower. The valley is narrow and deep. The blade tapers towards the tip. The handle lengthens and the pommel becomes small. The cross becomes wide. The weight of the sword does not exceed 2 kg. This is the so-called Romanesque sword.

Late Middle Ages. Expansion into other countries is underway. Combat tactics are becoming increasingly diverse. Used armor with high degree protection. All this greatly influences the evolution of the sword. The variety of swords is colossal. In addition to one-handed swords (ruknik), there are one-and-a-half-handed (one-and-a-half-handed) and two-handed swords (two-handed). Piercing swords and swords with wavy blades appear. A complex guard, providing maximum protection for the hand, and a “basket” type guard are beginning to be actively used.

And here is what concerns myths and legends regarding the weight of swords:

Like any other weapon that has a cult status, there are a number of myths and outdated ideas about this type of weapon, which sometimes often appear even in scientific works to this day.
A very common myth is that European swords weighed several kilograms and were mainly used to concuss the enemy. The knight hit his armor with his sword like a club and achieved victory by knockout. Weights of up to 15 kilograms or 30-40 pounds are often quoted. These data do not correspond to reality: surviving originals of straight European fighting swords range from 650 to 1400 grams. Large “Landsknecht two-handed swords” are not included in this category, since they were not the classic sword of a knight, but represented the final degradation of the sword as a personal weapon. The average weight of swords was therefore 1.1-1.2 kg. If we take into account that the weight of combat rapiers (1.1-1.4 kg), broadswords (up to 1.4 kg) and sabers (0.8-1.1 kg) was also generally not less than one kilogram, then their superiority and "grace", so often mentioned by fencers of the 18th and 19th centuries and supposedly the opposite of the "heavy swords of antiquity", is more than doubtful. Modern rapiers, swords and sabers intended for sports fencing are not “lightweight” copies of combat originals, but items originally created for sports, designed not to defeat the enemy, but to score points according to the relevant rules. The weight of a one-handed sword (type XII according to Ewart Oakeshott's typology) can reach somewhere around 1400 grams with the following parameters: blade length 80 cm, width at the guard 5 cm, at the end 2.5 cm, thickness 5.5 mm. This strip of carbon steel is simply physically incapable of weighing more. Only with a blade thickness of 1 cm can it reach three kilograms, or with the use of heavy metals as the blade material - which in itself is unrealistic and impractical. Such swords are unknown to either historians or archaeologists.

If a simple knight's sword did not have the weight that was attributed to it in many legends, maybe two-handed sword was that dinosaur in the camp of the knight's weapon?

A special variety of straight swords, sharply limited in their purpose and method of use, were giants weighing 3.5-6 kg with blades 120-160 cm long - two-handed swords. They can be called swords among swords, because those techniques of possession that are for more short options were desirable for two-handed sword turned out to be the only possible ones.

The benefit of two-handers was their ability to pierce solid armor (with such a length of the blade, its tip moved very quickly, and the weight provided greater inertia) and long reach (A controversial issue - a warrior with a one-handed weapon had almost the same reach as a warrior with a two-handed sword. This occurred due to the impossibility of full rotation of the shoulders when working with both hands). These qualities were especially important if a footman fought against a horseman in fully armed. The two-handed sword was used mainly for duels or in broken formations, as it required a large amount of space to swing. Against a spear, a two-handed sword gave a controversial advantage - the ability to cut the shaft of an enemy’s spear and, in fact, disarm him for a few seconds (until the spearman pulls out the weapon stored for this case, if any) was negated by the fact that the spearman was much more mobile and agile. With a heavy two-handed sword (for example, a European slasher) it was more likely to knock the tip of a spear to the side than to cut it.

Two-handed weapons forged from refining steel, including “flaming blades” - flamberges (flamberges), mainly acted as weapons for mercenary infantry of the 16th century and were intended to fight knightly cavalry. The popularity of this blade among mercenaries reached such an extent that a special bull of the Pope declared blades with several curves (not only flamberges, but also swords with shorter “flaming” blades) to be inhumane, not “Christian” weapons. A warrior captured with such a sword could be cut off right hand or even kill.

By the way, there was nothing magical in the flamberge’s wavy blade - the curved edge had better cutting properties and when hit, a “saw effect” was obtained - each curve made its own cut, leaving petals of flesh in the wound that died and began to rot. And besides, with glancing blows, the flamberge caused more damage than a straight sword.

What is it? It turns out that everything we knew about knightly swords is not true?
True, but only partial. It was impossible to control a very heavy sword. Not every warrior had the strength of Conan the Barbarian, and therefore one must look at things more realistically.

More details about the swords of that era can be found at this link.

Sword structure

In the Middle Ages, the sword was not just one of the most popular weapons, but in addition to all this, it also performed ritual functions. For example, when knighting a young warrior, they lightly tapped him on the shoulder with the flat side of the sword. And the knight’s sword itself was necessarily blessed by the priest. But also as a weapon, the medieval sword was very effective, and it is not without reason that over the centuries the most various shapes swords.

Still, if you look from a military point of view, the sword played a secondary role in battles; the main weapon of the Middle Ages was a spear or pike. But public role the sword was very large - sacred inscriptions and religious symbols were applied to the blades of many swords, which were intended to remind the bearer of the sword of the high mission of serving God, protecting christian church from pagans, infidels, heretics. The hilt of the sword sometimes even became an ark for relics and relics. And the very shape of the medieval sword invariably resembles main symbol Christianity - the cross.

Knighting, Accolade.

Sword structure

Depending on their structure, there were different types of swords that were intended for different fighting techniques. Among them are swords for stabbing and swords for slashing. When making swords Special attention paid attention to the following parameters:

• The profile of the blade - it changed from century to century depending on the dominant fighting technique in a particular era.
• The cross-sectional shape of the blade depends on the use of this type of sword in battle.
• Distal narrowing - it affects the distribution of mass along the sword.
• The center of gravity is the balance point of the sword.

The sword itself, roughly speaking, can be divided into two parts: the blade (everything is clear here) and the hilt - this includes the handle of the sword, the guard (crossguard) and the pommel (counterweight).

This is how the detailed structure of a medieval sword looks clearly in the picture.

Medieval sword weight

How much did a medieval sword weigh? There is often a prevailing myth that medieval swords were incredibly heavy, and one had to have remarkable strength to fencing with them. In reality, the weight of the sword medieval knight was quite acceptable, on average it ranged from 1.1 to 1.6 kg. Large, long, so-called “bastard swords” weighed up to 2 kg (in reality, only a small part of the warriors used them), and only the heaviest two-handed swords that were owned by the real “Hercules of the Middle Ages” weighed up to 3 kg.

Photos of medieval swords.

Sword typology

Back in 1958, edged weapons expert Ewart Oakeshott proposed a taxonomy of medieval swords that remains basic to this day. This taxonomy is based on two factors:

• Blade shape: its length, width, tip, general profile.
• Sword proportions.

Based on these points, Oakeshott identified 13 main types of medieval swords, ranging from Viking swords to late medieval swords. He also described 35 different types of pommels and 12 types of sword crosses.

Interestingly, between 1275 and 1350 there was a significant change in the shape of swords; it was associated with the advent of new protective armor, against which the old-style swords were not effective. Thus, knowing the typology of swords, archaeologists can easily date a particular ancient sword of a medieval knight by its shape.

Now let's look at some of the most popular swords of the Middle Ages.

This is perhaps the most popular of the medieval swords, often a warrior with a one-handed sword, holding a shield with the other hand. It was actively used by the ancient Germans, then by the Vikings, then by knights, in the late Middle Ages it was transformed into rapiers and broadswords.

The long sword spread already in the late Middle Ages, and subsequently, thanks to it, the art of fencing flourished.

Only real heroes used such a sword, given the fact that the weight of a medieval two-handed sword reached up to 3 kg. However, powerful slashing blows with such a sword were quite devastating for strong knightly armor.

Knight's sword, video

And finally, a thematic video about a knight’s sword.

Claymore (claymore, claymore, claymore, from the Gaulish claidheamh-mòr - “big sword”) is a two-handed sword that became widespread among the Scottish highlanders since the end of the 14th century. Being the main weapon of infantrymen, the claymore was actively used in skirmishes between tribes or border battles with the British. Claymore is the smallest among all its brothers. This, however, does not mean that the weapon is small: average length The length of the blade is 105-110 cm, and together with the handle the sword reached 150 cm. Its distinctive feature was the characteristic bend of the cross-arms - downwards, towards the tip of the blade. This design made it possible to effectively capture and literally pull out any long weapon from the enemy’s hands. In addition, the decoration of the horns of the bow - pierced in the shape of a stylized four-leaf clover - became a distinctive sign by which everyone easily recognized the weapon. In terms of size and effectiveness, the claymore was perhaps the most the best option among all two-handed swords. It was not specialized, and therefore was used quite effectively in any combat situation.

Zweihander

The Zweihander (German: Zweihänder or Bidenhänder/Bihänder, “two-handed sword”) is a weapon of a special unit of landsknechts who are on double pay (doppelsoldners). If the claymore is the most modest sword, then the zweihander was indeed impressive in size and in rare cases reached two meters in length, including the hilt. In addition, it was notable for its double guard, where special “boar tusks” separated the unsharpened part of the blade (ricasso) from the sharpened part.

Such a sword was a weapon of very narrow use. The fighting technique was quite dangerous: the owner of the zweihander acted in the front ranks, pushing away with a lever (or even completely cutting) the shafts of enemy pikes and spears. To own this monster required not only remarkable strength and courage, but also significant swordsmanship, so the mercenaries did not receive double pay for beautiful eyes. The technique of fighting with two-handed swords bears little resemblance to conventional blade fencing: such a sword is much easier to compare with a reed. Of course, the zweihander did not have a sheath - it was worn on the shoulder like an oar or spear.

Flamberge

Flamberge ("flaming sword") is natural evolution an ordinary straight sword. The curvature of the blade made it possible to increase the lethality of the weapon, but in the case of large swords, the blade was too massive, fragile and still could not penetrate high-quality armor. In addition, the Western European school of fencing suggests using the sword mainly as a piercing weapon, and therefore curved blades were not suitable for it. By the XIV-XVI centuries. /bm9icg===>ekam, advances in metallurgy led to the fact that the chopping sword became practically useless on the battlefield - it simply could not penetrate armor made of hardened steel with one or two blows, which played a critical role in mass battles. Gunsmiths began to actively look for a way out of this situation, until they finally came to the concept of a wave blade, which has a series of successive anti-phase bends. Such swords were difficult to manufacture and expensive, but the effectiveness of the sword was undeniable. Due to a significant reduction in the area of ​​the damaging surface, upon contact with the target, the destructive effect was increased many times over. In addition, the blade acted like a saw, cutting the affected surface. The wounds inflicted by the flamberge did not heal for a very long time. Some commanders sentenced captured swordsmen to death solely for carrying such weapons. The Catholic Church also cursed such swords and branded them as inhumane weapons.

Slasher

Espadon (French espadon from Spanish espada - sword) is a classic type of two-handed sword with a tetrahedral cross-section of the blade. Its length reached 1.8 meters, and the guard consisted of two massive arches. The center of gravity of the weapon often shifted towards the tip - this increased the penetrating ability of the sword. In battle, such weapons were used by unique warriors who usually had no other specialization. Their task was to, waving huge blades, destroy the enemy’s battle formation, overturn the first ranks of the enemy and pave the way for the rest of the army. Sometimes these swords were used in battles with cavalry - due to the size and weight of the blade, the weapon made it possible to very effectively chop the legs of horses and cut through the armor of heavy infantry. Most often weight military weapons ranged from 3 to 5 kg, and heavier specimens were awarded or ceremonial. Sometimes weighted replicas of combat blades were used for training purposes.

Estoc

Estoc (French estoc) is a two-handed piercing weapon designed to pierce knightly armor. A long (up to 1.3 meters) tetrahedral blade usually had a stiffening rib. If previous swords were used as a means of countermeasures against cavalry, then the estok, on the contrary, was the weapon of the horseman. Riders wore it on the right side of the saddle so that in case of loss of the pike they would have an additional means of self-defense. In horse fighting, the sword was held with one hand, and the blow was delivered due to the speed and mass of the horse. In a foot skirmish, the warrior took it in both hands, compensating for the lack of mass with his own strength. Some examples of the 16th century have a complex guard, like a sword, but most often there was no need for it.