Two handed
As a two-handed European swords are called, which are guided primarily ambidextrous. The variation ranges from the hand - and -a-half sword and late medieval long sword , which were not significantly larger than classic one-handed knight swords , to the mighty Renaissance two-handed swords . The first two-handed swords appeared in the High Middle Ages , but this type of sword experienced its heyday in the late Middle Ages .
terminology
The terminology within the two-handed swords of Europe is quite inconsistent. A distinction is made between battle swords , long swords and bastard swords (hand and a half swords ), which, however, partially overlap. Battle swords tend to refer to war swords, while the long sword was also worn for civilian self-defense. The former was more of a cutting sword, while the latter was more suitable for thrusting. Hand-and-a-half swords are weapons with a handle that normally only had little room for two hands. Long swords and battle swords can also appear as hand-and-a-half swords or real two-handed swords. Ultimately, all of these swords were mostly used with two hands. A special form is the straightening sword , which was characterized by an extremely round tip. The Japanese katana is also usually wielded with two hands.
Development and types
High Middle Ages
Two-handed swords first appeared in the high Middle Ages . The two two-handed types of this era are referred to as Type XIIA and Type XIIIA according to the Oakeshott classification . The two types were mainly common in the 13th and 14th centuries. With a blade length of 90–95 cm, swords of the type XIIA were not significantly larger than contemporary one-handed swords. With a length of 15-25 cm, the length of the handle provided space for a second supporting hand. Very similar are swords of the type XIIIA, which are a little wider and less tapered towards the tip. The blade length of type XIIIA varied widely between 80 and 125 cm. Throughout the High Middle Ages, however, the one-handed sword remained the dominant form.
“The battle sword as a foot-servant's weapon had its origins in the Swiss, who used it in their wars in the 14th century. They knew how to respect the same in such a way that in order to appear equal, the same was introduced in other countries. Meyrick sets her first appearance at the end of the reign of Henry V, i.e. around 1420. Thanks to the Swiss, the battle sword also found its way into Italy in the form of two-handed engravers. "
Late Middle Ages
In the late Middle Ages, chain armor , which dominated armor until the High Middle Ages, was gradually replaced by plate armor. A fully formed plate armor offers better protection than a chain mail and enables the shield to be downsized or abandoned. This allows the sword to be used efficiently as a two-handed weapon. Half-sword techniques were also developed to overcome plate armor. These techniques, in which one hand grasps the blade of the sword, require a two-handed use of the sword. In the 15th century, the bastard sword was the most popular sword shape. Late medieval long swords can be divided into the types XVA, XVIA, XVIIA, XVIIIA, XIX, XX, XXA and XXII. Some of these swords were used until the early 16th century. They are usually characterized by a diamond-shaped blade cross-section, which distinguishes them from the fluted blades of the high medieval types. The blade often tapers significantly towards the tip. This development runs in parallel with the one-handed swords. Two-handed swords of the late Middle Ages have blades of about 80–115 cm, the handles are up to 40 cm long.
In addition to these two-handed swords, curved two-handed sabers also appeared in the late Middle Ages . However, these were significantly rarer than corresponding sword forms.
Renaissance
The two-handed swords of the Renaissance differed significantly from the medieval two-handed swords. These weapons cm reached total lengths of 160-180, with the handle close range a ricasso has, so is not clear. These swords were not carried in a scabbard, but rather placed over the shoulder. The Flamberge is a special form . Another two-handed sword type of this time is the Scottish claymore .
literature
- Thomas Laible: The Sword - Myth and Reality . Wieland, Bad Aibling 2006, ISBN 978-3-938711-05-7 .
- Wendelin Boeheim : Handbook of the armory: The weapon system in its historical development , EA Seemann, Leipzig 1890; OCLC 24606627 ; NA, Salzwasser, Paderborn 2015, ISBN 978-3-8460-8311-6 .
Web links
- Bi-handed, two-handed, two-handed, two-handed , in: The large art dictionary by PW Hartmann .