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Sword Types

I’ve noticed a lot of misinformation being spread in regards to sword types, their names, and usage. As a historical weapons enthusiast and a writer with a desire for historical accuracy, I felt the need to make this post. I would like to make more posts about other weapons, armour, etc. in the future. Please keep in mind that I am by no means an expert, simply an enthusiast with a slightly above-average knowledge of medieval arms and armour. Also, many of these terms are modern names for swords; in period, it is likely they would have just been called “sword”. Note that I will only be covering the general types of medieval swords in this post.

Dagger

While there are various types of daggers, all suited to different uses, they typically range from 9-15 inches long. Their most prominent use was as a parrying tool in combination with another weapon (like a rapier) or simply as a sidearm.

Arming Sword

Otherwise known as a knightly sword or knightly arming sword, this is the stereotypical European medieval sword. One handed, cruciform, and typically paired with a shield, this was the weapon of choice of most knights and men-at-arms for much of the middle ages. These swords usually have a length of 24-35 inches (this is from the tip of the blade to the end of the pommel).

Falchion

The falchion was a single-edged sword that became popular in the early middle ages and stayed through much of it, evolving as it went. Falchions can range from basic machete- or cleaver-like swords to fancier, partial basket-hilted swords. These swords would have been phenomenal at cutting through unarmoured or lightly armoured opponents. They were usually about the length of an arming sword or a bit shorter, with great variance in blade and hilt types.

Longsword

This is essentially a longer version of the arming sword and was the two-handed weapon of choice in the later middle ages once armour became advanced enough that the shield became obsolete. They are typically around 39-51 inches long. Like the arming sword, different blade types were adopted for different purposes.

Bastard Sword

As the name suggests, this one can be a little ambiguous. This term is typically used to refer to swords that are halfway between an arming sword and a longsword. They have a long enough hilt that they can be used with two hands but are still short enough to be used effectively in one hand. They are sometimes called a hand-and-a-half sword in reference to this.

Greatsword

This one is self-explanatory: a large, exclusively two-handed sword. This was the favoured weapon of the German Landsknecht in the Renaissance. They were so long that they could be used as polearms and fighting with them had to be done in a very fluidic manner, carrying the momentum of one stroke over to the next. They were typically 5-6 feet long.

Rapier

The rapier is the stereotypical fencing sword. Long, slender, and thrust-oriented, often with an ornate full or partial-basket hilt. While some people think these swords are lighter due to their thinner build, they would actually be about the same weight as an arming sword because of their length and would have actually felt heavier in the hand for the same reason. Rapiers were dedicated thrusting swords, but some still had sharp edges that could be used for devastating draw cuts. They were often used in combination with a parrying dagger. These swords were typically around 40 inches in length. These swords were not battlefield weapons, rather they were used for self-defense and duels.

Sabre

Sabres encompass a wide range of swords, referring to any single-edged sword with a curved blade, but I will be focusing on medieval sabres here. Sabres were a popular weapon in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe for much of the medieval period. These swords were single-edged with varying degrees of curvature which made them dedicated cutting weapons and great for fast-paced mounted combat. Various forms of sabres were used among the Mongols, Turks, Polish, Hungarians, and many others. These swords were usually 30-36 inches in length. (This information only refers to the group of medieval-era sabres used by many Eastern nations, not the Western European sabres of the 17th and later centuries).

If I’ve missed anything, please let me know! :)

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Sword Types (Part II)

In this post, I’ll be delving into some more specific types of swords, their uses, and the history of some of them. Again, I must stress that I am not an expert, just an enthusiast. My hope is to educate people, especially writers, on the proper terms for ancient/medieval/renaissance weaponry.

Seax

Seax is an Old English word for “knife”. This dagger was massively popular among the Germanic tribes of Northern Europe (such as the Saxons) during the Migration Period. There were various types of seaxes with varying lengths, from small utility knives to sword length. The average war knife seax would be 17-24 inches long.

Gladius

Gladius is the Latin word for “sword” but is now used to refer to the specific type of sword used by Roman soldiers. While there were many different types of gladii, they were mostly shorter swords designed for thrusting. The hilts were usually made of bone, horn, or wood and did not have a crossguard. They were originally used by gladiators but were eventually adopted by the military.

Spatha

During the time of the Roman Empire (1st-6th CAD), the Spatha was the sword used by many Germanic auxiliaries and Roman cavalry. Later, this sword replaced the gladius as the standard heavy infantry weapon. Many Viking swords are based on the Spatha’s design, which eventually evolved into the arming sword of the High Middle Ages. They ranged from 30-39 inches in length.

Falx/Romphaia

Falx is the Latin word for “sickle” and is now used to refer to a type of weapon used extensively by the Dacians against the Romans. The falx was a long-bladed weapon that could be used with either one or two hands (however it was suited more for two-handed use). The falx featured a forward curving blade that was sharpened on the inside of the curve, making it ideal for reaching over shields. The romphaia was essentially the Thracian version of the falx, but the curve was noticeably less steep. The falx inspired Roman soldiers to adopt greaves, manica, reinforced helmets and begin using the lorica squamata and lorica hamata over the newer lorica segmentata for the remainder of the Dacian campaign.

Falcata/Kopis

The falcata and kopis were essentially the same weapons, the only difference being their place of origin: the falcata was Iberian while the kopis was Greek. Both were shorter swords (about 25 inches) with single-edged, recurved blades designed to be able to reach around shields. These were used during the Iron Age.

Xiphos

The xiphos was a straight, double-edged short sword with a leaf-shaped blade that was used by the Ancient Greeks. It became the weapon of choice among the infantry, replacing the Kopis, which became a favoured weapon of the cavalry. The blade of the xiphos was usually about 20-24 inches, but the Spartans began using blades as short as 12 inches during the Greco-Persian Wars.

Yataghan

The yataghan was an Ottoman sabre that became popular in the mid 16th Century. These swords were single-edged with a slight forward curve. and a hilt usually made out of horn, bone, or ivory. They were around 25 inches in length.

Kilij

The kilij was a common sabre in Central Asia and later in the Middle East and Egypt. This sword curves slightly from the handle and more strongly towards the end. After the 15th century, it was adopted by several more western nations such as the Cumans, Balkan nations, and Hungarians.

Shamshir

The shamshir was a Central Asian blade with a radical curve. It appeared in Persia in the 9th Century and replaced previous Persian swords. It was a slash-oriented sword that was mostly used to cut down unarmoured or lightly armoured opponents on foot or mounted. The blade length is about 30 inches.

Messer

The messer (German for “knife”) appeared in Germany when swords were illegalised for civilian use and was used from the 14th-16th centuries. Messers were basically swords with a knife-like hilt construction. The Lange Messer or Großes Messer (Grosse Messer) became the personal defense weapon of the common folk and were about 30 inches long. Kriegsmesser (”war knife”) were two-handed variants that were about 60 inches long. Both variants featured single-edged blades that could be curved or straight. What differentiates a messer from a falchion is the construction of the hilt. Falchion hilts were constructed like swords whereas messer hilts were constructed like knives.

Estoc

The estoc was a French and English (in which it was called tuck) weapon used from the 14th-17th centuries. This sword was a variation of longsword designed for use against maille and plate armour. The blade had no edge but was thin, rigid, and tapered to a sharp point. It was designed to slip into the gaps in plate armour or force apart the rings of maille. It was a popular cavalry weapon, sometimes being used as a replacement for a lance after the lance broke. Estocs, on average, ranged from 36-52 inches.

Claymore

The claymore, or Highland claymore, was a variant of the late medieval longsword, usually around 55 inches long. It was in use from the 15th-17th centuries. Native to Scotland, these swords developed a specific and unique crossguard, the quillions of which angled forward and ended in spatulate swellings. The thick blade on these weapons is reported to have been capable of cutting through multiple opponents in a single stroke.

Obviously, there are many other types of swords but I felt that these were the most important ones within the ancient, classical, and medieval eras. If you would like me to add any others, I will gladly do so.