Longsword

Origin

The longsword appeared when, in the lineage of the one-handed knightly sword descending from the 10th-century Viking sword, the grip was lengthened around the late 13th century so it could be held in two hands as well, and it reached its height in the 14th and 15th centuries. The way to handle this weapon was set down in systematic fencing treatises, the Fechtbuecher, that survive to this day: the German Kunst des Fechtens, the art of fighting, sprang from Johannes Liechtenauer of the 14th century, and in Italy Fiore dei Liberi left the Fior di Battaglia, the flower of battle, around 1409. These manuals became the basis of the modern revival of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA).

Features

• A straight double-edged blade (about 90 to 130 cm)
• A long grip for hand-and-a-half or two-handed use (20 to 30 cm)
• A cruciform guard and a heavy pommel
• A total weight of about 1.1 to 1.8 kg, lighter than thought
• A range of techniques such as half-swording and the Mordschlag
• A point of balance about 10 cm from the guard, for excellent handling

Stories

The longsword was the main weapon of knights and soldiers, a key weapon not only on the battlefield but in judicial duels and tournaments. Held in two hands, it moved freely between heavy cuts and precise thrusts, and with its long grip it changed direction quickly as if by a lever and unfolded a varied array of techniques. Its true worth showed above all against an armored foe: with half-swording, gripping the blade in one hand to thrust precisely into the gaps of armor, and with the Mordschlag, holding the blade reversed and swinging the heavy pommel and guard like a hammer or a pick, it could attack even plate armor that the edge could not cut. It was an all-around weapon equipped with the cut, the thrust, the pommel strike, and grappling.

Weakness

The weakness of the longsword arises from its long blade and two-handed handling. In a narrow, enclosed space or a dense formation, the long blade becomes a hindrance and it is hard to unfold its skill. Being meant by nature for two hands, it also does not suit handling a sword and a shield together in one hand. Compared with a short sword it is awkward to handle in the close press of a melee, and its native versatility comes to life only when supported by room to move freely and considerable training.

Cultural Significance

The longsword is the symbol of the late-medieval knight and the heart of the European fencing tradition. Its form with the cruciform guard overlaps with the image of chivalry and Christianity and has become the figure that comes to mind to this day at the words knight's sword. Above all, the longsword stands at the center of a written fencing tradition: the medieval and Renaissance fencing books, including the manuals of Liechtenauer and Fiore, survive in abundance and have been revived and are actually practiced today as Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). That is, the longsword is not a museum relic but the weapon of a living martial art still studied and swung today.

In Popular Culture

The longsword is the weapon that appears most widely as the type of the knight's sword in fantasy and games. It is drawn as the standard weapon of the knight and the warrior in countless RPGs and action games and in films of medieval setting, and is treated as a class of hand-and-a-half sword in games including Dungeons and Dragons. In reality too its techniques are reproduced and widely known through HEMA tournaments and practice. In fiction, though, the longsword is often exaggerated as an unrealistically heavy and clumsy weapon, or drawn as cut-only, so the precise and varied real techniques such as half-swording and the pommel strike are little shown.

Trivia

• A real longsword is far lighter than commonly imagined, usually only about 1.1 to 1.8 kg, with its point of balance only a few centimeters forward of the guard, so that it was a quick and precise weapon rather than a clumsy one, the heavy pommel acting as a counterweight.
• The longsword stands at the center of a written European fencing tradition: fencing books such as the lineage of Johannes Liechtenauer of 14th-century Germany and the Fior di Battaglia of the Italian Fiore dei Liberi (around 1409) survive in abundance and became the basis of the modern revival of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA).
• Against plate armor the longsword used special techniques: half-swording, gripping the blade in one hand to thrust precisely into the gaps of armor, and the Mordschlag, the murder-stroke, holding the blade reversed and swinging the heavy pommel and guard like a hammer, attacking armor the edge could not cut as if with a blunt weapon.