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Arming sword
Encyclopedia
The arming sword is the single handed cruciform
sword
of the High Middle Ages
, in common use between ca. 1000 and 1500, possibly remaining in rare use into the 16th century. Arming swords correspond to Oakeshott types
XI, XII and XIII.
The type is a development of the High Middle Ages
, first apparent in the Norman swords of the 11th century. As such they are a continuation of the early medieval "Viking sword
", which ultimately
derive from the spatha
of Late Antiquity
and the Migration Period
.
A combination of the Oakeshott and Peterson Typologies shows a chronological progression from the Viking sword to a "transitional sword", type X, which incorporated elements of both Viking and arming swords. This "transitional sword" continued to evolve into to the presently defined arming sword.
These arming swords stand in contrast to what Oakeshott calls the 'great swords' in reference to their longer and broader blades, and calls the hand-and-half swords in reference to their longer grip, namely the subtypes XIIa and XIIIa that were in use simultaneously with the arming swords in the latter part of the High Middle Ages, ca. 1250-1350. He notes these subtypes as the progenitors of the later two-handed longsword
s of the Late Middle Ages
, in use ca. 1350-1550. For this reason, scholars occasionally refer to these greatswords improperly and anachronistically as 'longswords'. By contrast, the arming sword will evolve into the later 'shortsword' worn as a sidearm while wielding the two-handed longsword.
Typically used with a shield
or buckler
, the arming sword was the standard military sword of the knight (merely called a "war sword", an ambiguous title given to many types of swords carried for battle) until technological changes led to the rise of the longsword
in the late 13th century. There are many texts and pictures depicting effective arming sword combat without the benefit of a shield. According to Medieval texts, in the absence of a shield the empty (normally left) hand could be used for grabbing or grappling opponents. The arming sword was overall a light, versatile weapon capable of both cut and thrust combat; and normally boasts excellent balance. Although a variety of designs fall under the heading of 'arming sword', they are most commonly recognized as single-handed double-edged swords that were designed more for cutting than thrusting.
Although arming swords have been found with a variety of blade-lengths (measuring from 23 inches recorded in Ewart Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword to an impressive 39, also recorded in the aforementioned text) most 12th-14th century blades seem to vary between 30 and 32 inch blades.
As a rule, arming swords began to polarize in design forms from the late 12th century, becoming either increasingly squat and heavily pointed, or longer and heavier in design.
It is a common weapon in period artwork, and there are many surviving examples in museums. The arming sword was worn by a knight even when not in armor, and he would be considered 'undressed' for public if he were without it. The first longswords were actually little more than two-handed arming swords, but the difference in length grew substantially as time passed. Long after these larger weapons came into use, the arming sword was retained as a common sidearm, eventually evolving into the cut & thrust swords
of the Renaissance
.
Arming swords are sometimes referred to as longsword
s or broadsword
s (the former specifically referring to a long-bladed "hand and a half" sword and the latter to a type of broad-bladed basket-hilted sword popular in the 17th and 18th centuries).
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
of the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
, in common use between ca. 1000 and 1500, possibly remaining in rare use into the 16th century. Arming swords correspond to Oakeshott types
Oakeshott typology
Ewart Oakeshott's typology of the medieval sword is based on blade morphology. It categorizes swords into 13 main types labelled X to XXII. Ewart Oakeshott introduced it in his The Archeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry in 1960.The system is a continuation of...
XI, XII and XIII.
The type is a development of the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
, first apparent in the Norman swords of the 11th century. As such they are a continuation of the early medieval "Viking sword
Viking sword
The Viking sword is a form of spatha, evolving out of the Migration Period sword in the 8th century, and evolving into the classical knightly sword in the 11th century with the emergence of larger crossguards...
", which ultimately
derive from the spatha
Spatha
The spatha was a type of straight sword, measuring between , in use throughout first millennium AD Europe, and in the territory of the Roman Empire until about 600 AD. Later swords from 600 AD to 1000 AD are recognizable derivatives, though they are not spathae.The spatha was used in gladiatorial...
of Late Antiquity
Late Roman army
The Late Roman army is the term used to denote the military forces of the Roman Empire from the accession of Emperor Diocletian in 284 until the Empire's definitive division into Eastern and Western halves in 395. A few decades afterwards, the Western army disintegrated as the Western empire...
and the Migration Period
Migration Period sword
Swords of the Migration Period show a transition from the Roman era Spatha to the "Viking sword" types of the Early Middle Ages....
.
A combination of the Oakeshott and Peterson Typologies shows a chronological progression from the Viking sword to a "transitional sword", type X, which incorporated elements of both Viking and arming swords. This "transitional sword" continued to evolve into to the presently defined arming sword.
These arming swords stand in contrast to what Oakeshott calls the 'great swords' in reference to their longer and broader blades, and calls the hand-and-half swords in reference to their longer grip, namely the subtypes XIIa and XIIIa that were in use simultaneously with the arming swords in the latter part of the High Middle Ages, ca. 1250-1350. He notes these subtypes as the progenitors of the later two-handed longsword
Longsword
The longsword is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 .Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard...
s of the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
, in use ca. 1350-1550. For this reason, scholars occasionally refer to these greatswords improperly and anachronistically as 'longswords'. By contrast, the arming sword will evolve into the later 'shortsword' worn as a sidearm while wielding the two-handed longsword.
Typically used with a shield
Shield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
or buckler
Buckler
A buckler is a small shield, 15 to 45 cm in diameter, gripped in the fist; it was generally used as a companion weapon in hand-to-hand combat during the Medieval and Renaissance, as its size made it poor protection against missile weapons but useful in deflecting the blow of...
, the arming sword was the standard military sword of the knight (merely called a "war sword", an ambiguous title given to many types of swords carried for battle) until technological changes led to the rise of the longsword
Longsword
The longsword is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 .Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard...
in the late 13th century. There are many texts and pictures depicting effective arming sword combat without the benefit of a shield. According to Medieval texts, in the absence of a shield the empty (normally left) hand could be used for grabbing or grappling opponents. The arming sword was overall a light, versatile weapon capable of both cut and thrust combat; and normally boasts excellent balance. Although a variety of designs fall under the heading of 'arming sword', they are most commonly recognized as single-handed double-edged swords that were designed more for cutting than thrusting.
Although arming swords have been found with a variety of blade-lengths (measuring from 23 inches recorded in Ewart Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword to an impressive 39, also recorded in the aforementioned text) most 12th-14th century blades seem to vary between 30 and 32 inch blades.
As a rule, arming swords began to polarize in design forms from the late 12th century, becoming either increasingly squat and heavily pointed, or longer and heavier in design.
It is a common weapon in period artwork, and there are many surviving examples in museums. The arming sword was worn by a knight even when not in armor, and he would be considered 'undressed' for public if he were without it. The first longswords were actually little more than two-handed arming swords, but the difference in length grew substantially as time passed. Long after these larger weapons came into use, the arming sword was retained as a common sidearm, eventually evolving into the cut & thrust swords
Side-sword
The spada da lato or "side-sword" is the Italian term for the type of sword popular during the late 16th century, corresponding to the Spanish espada ropera....
of the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
.
Arming swords are sometimes referred to as longsword
Longsword
The longsword is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 .Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard...
s or broadsword
Basket-hilted sword
The basket-hilted sword is the name of a group of early modern sword types characterized 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...
s (the former specifically referring to a long-bladed "hand and a half" sword and the latter to a type of broad-bladed basket-hilted sword popular in the 17th and 18th centuries).