Longsword
| Longsword | |
|---|---|
 Swiss longsword, 15th or early 16th century (Morges museum) | |
| Type | Sword |
| Service history | |
| In service | ca. 1350 - 1550 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | avg. 1.4 kg |
| Length | avg. 105-120 cm |
| Blade length | avg. 90-92 cm |
| Blade type | Double-edged, straight bladed |
| Hilt type | Two-handed cruciform, with pommel |
The longsword is a European sword. It was mainly used during the medieval and renaissance periods, about 1350 to 1550 AD. Early and late use is known in the 13th and 17th centuries.
The longsword has a long blade, but also a long grip, which means it is a weapon designed for two-handed use.
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Longsword Media
Replica of the Brescia Spadona, a 15th Century "hand and a half" longsword named after the city where it now resides, in the Museo Civico L. Mazzoli in Brescia, Italy. It has a tapered type XVIIIa or type XVIa blade and an octagonal pommel.
Different blade cross-sections. At the top, variants of the diamond shape. At the bottom, variants of the lenticular shape.
1440s illustration of one- and two-handed use of the longsword. Note the sword being used one-handed is drawn shorter and may also be intended as a large knightly sword (CPG 339 fol. 135r).
Example of two handed use vs. half-sword, dating to c. 1418 (CPG 359, fol. 46v).
Page of the Codex Wallerstein showing a half-sword thrust against a two-handed sword's Mordstreich (Plate 214)
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