MASSIVE DIVERSITY in Medieval & Renaissance Longswords
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ม.ค. 2025
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Late-medieval and early Renaissance longswords might share some common features, but they have a surprising level of diversity which stems from different functionality and goals.
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Could you ever possibly review a valiant armory sword?
@MrMgentryholt I'm happy to review anything they want to send me. Feel free to ask them 🙂
@@scholagladiatoria It would be awesome! Thank you for responding!!
Wow! I Really Had No Clue! Now that I've seen this, I want my D&D Games and Video Games to Incorporate these newly discovered differences of functionality and their details into the types of "Longswords" typically used. Usually a longsword is just a longsword and that's it. Now after what you've shown me, Everything Must Change! Thank You
I loved that he told us to be careful with a sharp sword we can't touch. He cares about us.
I wish he’d told us a little earlier though. I’m just bandaging up from a pretty bad cut here..😞
He said he’d be careful. You think too much of yourself.
@@danielgomez7085, no, he was telling us to be careful.
Yeah, I had to not watch Matt's video in 4k to avoid it being too sharp. It gets dangerous man.
He also apologized to a tree after accidentally hitting it with a sword
James, who are we facing today? Looks like lightly armoured peasantry. Brigadines by and large sir. Right. Be so kind as to belt up the old number 3. As you say sir.
*"...And here comes Sir Geoffrey, doing great work with the Number 3; he's taken down at least half a dozen French infantry. Good show!"*
*"But what's this, Brian? Here comes Chevalier Simon de Montfort, in full armour! And he's got what looks like a Number 7 maille- piercer: this could be a bit awkward for Sir Geoffrey..."*
Hell, someone even makes a reproduction of a bastard sword recovered from...Towton, I think, which was made to be as balanced as possible between cutting and thrusting, due to the wielder having faced both light and heavier armored opponents
This makes me think back to a funny conversation with some friends when I had to describe "what is a longsword" to them.
Because we're mostly gun oriented (Americans am I right?) I equated the longsword to the M4/AR-15.
In the sense that both are weapons that can have a variety of different combinations in certain aspects that change the weight, controllability, and effectiveness for the job you want it to do.
Much like how different blade profiles, pommel size, guard, and length can change a sword's effectiveness for specific task; the barrel length, caliber, stock length/type, gas settings, all can change how effective a weapon can be for the job you want.
I enjoy using modern arms as comparisons, in the sense that we (people) always find a "standard" design that we can then adjust to fit the task at hand.
Thanks to that beloved American Gary Gygax what fantasy calls "longswords" are almost always "arming swords."
My guess as to how a typical conversation would go when buying a sword in medieval times:
Shop keeper: Greentings Sir, What kind of sword would you be looking for?
Knight: Today I was looking for something with which to oppress the peasants.
Shop keeper: I got just the thing
Nailed it
I hear this in Tod's voice for some reason.
Sooo you are telling me it's not only not wrong to want multiple swords of the same general type; it is in fact the sensible and historically accurate thing to do. I'll be off shopping then.
Shout this from the rooftops Matt!
I think the popularity and relative homogeneity of feders has confused everyone about why it’s almost impossible to make a working morphological definition for “longswords “.
Even the humble dataset i collected for my katana vs longsword video showed how varied a group this group of European swords really is.
MATT a complex hilted longsword would be nice to see a replica of & one with double ring guards and one with a basket/swept like hilt would be spectacular to see.
Yeah those are awesome
@sheev2829 Skallagrím did a vid recently showing so e from the Wallace collection so I think many in the TH-cam sword community have been thinking of them recently as a result 😂
But yes they are awesome! They almost seem like a fantasy frankensword someone would put together from spare sword parts but they definitely existed. Odd is we don't see them in historical manuals much if at all but there are a lot of surviving examples.
In some ways the Japanese katana/saber hybrid swords of WWII are like a Japanese version of them & swords I also like; Hell who doesn't like their hands protected 😂
Love this video, as the owner of Royal Armouries IX.1106, really made my day and happy to see the overall look at longswords and their specialities. Thanks Matt.
Interesting question popped up. Are there any historical evidence of warriors "picking their fights" on a battlefield based on the equipment? Like "I have got broad choppy blade and the guy in front of me if plated from head to toe - let someone else deal with him while I bail and try to go for someone with more meaty bits exposed".
If I was, say, a lightly-armored archer and saw a knight in full harness coming at me, i would be looking for a polearm on the ground if I didn't have one and/or trying to avoid melee with him at all costs, so, yes I'm sure that happened. Do we have record of it? There might be something in Froissart, I'd have to read it again, but those big tourney type events were team events... so you might just want to keep the knight busy while your buddy comes up from behind with a rondel dagger and finds a gap in his plate. It wasn't all fair 1v1 mano-y-mano... I thought Game of Thrones depicted this well in the battle of Ned Stark vs. The Sword of the Morning.
Hey Matt did you see Skalls video on the Wallace collection longswords with complex hilts ❤
Brilliant vid I never realised how complex some longsword hilts actually got
Great vid btw Matt love your content 🙏
Yes I did 😊
Be interesting to see how these hilts affect plays (I only know Meyer)
There’s even a few plays I have to adjust alter with just a ring hilt Feder (haha yes it was a poor choice -wish I’d got a standard hilt)
Would love to see a vid on complex hilt Longsword handling 🙏
I would love to see a video all about sword points. Especially if you can show some 15th to 16th century swords with angular points, and of course, reinforced points are great.
Great idea for a video!
The history of longswords is fascinating because it shows it's a supremely adaptable template to whatever you expect to be fighting. I always wondered what kind of longsword would have been produced if the renaissance longsword wasn't displaced by one-handed swords and then the sabre as the go-to battlefield sword. They certainly could have designed an "anti-bayonet" longsword. Would we have placed a half-basket similar to the late 19th century sabre in the hilt? Would we just have stuck to complex hilts with rings? Heck, could we have just gone back to the simple cross guard? I am fascinated by these what-if scenarios almost as much as the actual history.
Fantastic comparison of the different purposes of swords evidenced in design. One of the most interesting kinds of subjects tackled in scholagladiatoria.
Some longswords even had knuckle bows or half basket guards.
As always, thank you for the information, Matt. You are the man.
This video is a nice resume of what longsword variety can be but I can't help but think that it would have been nice to have a full feature length movie going in more detail. I like the nitty gritty of the subject.
Regarding replica swords being made for modern consumer's needs, one of the big ways you see this is in how swords that handle the nicest and are the best at cutting tatami mats are sort of rated the highest. I don't think it's intentional, but simply because it's usually the only test medium the reviewer has. Choppy longswords tend to dominate the market for this reason.
There was a comparison between the Albion Knecht and the LE Rotmilan Kiriegsmessers a while back where I thought this was pretty apparent. He did point it out, but it was a little underemphasized that the Knecht and Rotmilan are the exact same weight, but the Rotmilan is 10cm longer and has a *reinforced* clipped point - ofc it's going to be more front heavy.
The acknowledgment of both American and British style English is appreciated and hilarious 😆 😂
The outro specifically.
The joy of cutting is lost on me. I really prefer stabby swords. I am very pleased with that RA 14th century longsword. I have been looking for an a more or less square cross sectioned estoc but that sword was/is close enough. My only minor disappointment is that it doesn't have side rings. The side rings on my feder have saved my hands more than a few times.
I have that one, I thought I was the only one who likes it 😂 I looked for a cutting longsword afterwards, and ended up with the Ringeck… I think I have a type.
@@adam7347 You bought a used Ringneck? That wait time has kept me from Albion and Arms & Armor for the last 10 years. Now the fact that I am poorer than I used to be keeps me from ordering them.
@@vicnighthorse No I bought one in stock on KoA. They had two that sat for quite a bit. You have to look at the models and filter through all the colors to find the specific color that is in stock. I’m not patient enough for a two year wait.
I've never understood why people seem to expect uniformity of design, construction & quality from pre-industrial manufacturing.
Even from the same workshop you're going to get a wide range of results; the smith may have a cold & not be up to his best this week (&, even if he was in top form, no two strikes on the steel during forging will be exactly the same); his best/senior apprentice may have progressed on to his journeyman phase & the 2nd isn't quite as good (yet/ever) or is (perhaps) better; the charcoal may not be of the same standard today; the iron may have more/less inclusions than usual.
The same can go for the craftsmen who finish the swords (or anything else) off - fitting the cross-guards, grips, pommels, etc. - may have the same or similar issues.
And that's without taking in the upper-classes' desire for bespoke weapons.
PS: It's good to see that Matt Easton is continuing to annoy Lucy Easton by continuing to be Matt Easton.😄😉
I'm going to get my nephew a "little bastard" sword.
Were single-handed hilts ever made with a finger ring at the pommel to aid directional force?
(and effectively making them two-handed)
Chinese swords often had a ring pommel on them.
I haven't seen that... you want your pommel hand to be free for a lot of nearly 360 rotation... a finger in a ring at the pommel would restrict your movement a lot.... and sounds like a recipe for disaster.
There are Chinese Dao swords with ringed pommel as counterweights, but that was more of a style thing to my knowledge and not used for putting your finger in. Irish ring hilts were similarly decorative and functioned only as counterweight and something to put your pommel hand on but not finger(s) through. The forces exerted on a finger through a pommel ring could also break your finger if not get you tangled up. You are at the far end of the lever there.
Maybe this will help me to decide which of the 2 Easton Longswords to go with! The Lichtenauer is a little longer, the de Libre is a little heavier. I fight in an English 14th C armoured fighting group. We don't use study by manuscript & I've never studied the main ones to try & work out which one we're closest to 😂
I'd be quite interested to see some of those 'angular tips' you mention, I'm very curious what that ends up looking like.
So many videos day after day in a row and now a LONGSWORD video?? Hi folks Mat Easton here scholaONFIREIA LETS FUCKING GOOOO🎉🎉🎉🎉!!😅
Sword context matters.
The last long sword you showed with the maroon grip and thicker blade was the coolest. Looks like a sword in lord of the rings. But what do I know, I’m an American.😅
I like these types of videos, i really like a International iteration with hema warriors of brazil and english, i like it too much!
4:41 What's going on there?! 😂
10:30 I like the flat hexagonal blade of the new sword, but I don't really like the crossguard and overall hilt assembly. That blade deserved a better hilt. Who's the guy that decided to make it like that? I want a word with him. 😏
I was recently wondering about this topic. Specifically about how HEMA is trending towards using feders.
When i first started everyone was using blunted longswords. Some were clearly better as cutting, or thrusting, or armour swords. So people tailored their fencing to fit the sword, or got other swords to fit their preferred style.
Now that everyone uses feders, does it create the illusion that certain weight distributions, handling characteritics, techniques, and styles are "better" than others?
I wouldn't argue that feders are generally all around safer, so I understand why HEMA is trending that way but I do wonder if it creates a false illusion about the "best swords" or "best way to fight with one".
My ideal sword would be something like a symmetrical, four port hilt “side sword” with a longer than average pommel that I could hold to use like a longsword.
Thanks for the video ⚔️
That's why those age old and yet still hugely popular longsword vs katana/dao/spear/golfclub discussions and arguments are kinda fruitless, when longswords can vary so hugely in what cane be done with them.
Same goes for something like mail, incidentaly.
Nonono, it's very clear and easy: For beating peasents you take the putter, for beating knights you take the clubber! (Sorry, no idea of golf)
Matt. How about a video on low guard perry Style?
Oakshott Type XVa is my favorite, but they're damn expensive.
nice vest.
would have to focus on armor and flail.
or be up all night
Hi! You often talked about 15-16th century sources mentioning the name bastard sword, and so did Oakeshott, but I am not able to find them.... Could you share them? I kind of need them to win an argument...
Great discussion. Summary: Choose the correct tool for the job.
"LOUSes? 🤔I don't think they exist... Aaaaaaah! 😱"
any thoughts on the gear used in Armored MMA?
What Oakeshott types are the blades shown in the video? At 11:49 I can guess in order for them to be type XVa, second one a type XIX and not sure on the last one you show, maybe a type XVIIIa?
Being so specialized for cutting, I consider the last one to be a XIIa or XIIIa. Yeah they appeared in the 12th and 13th century, but they persisted in later eras and even saw renewed popularity in the 15th century.
I think it's more likely to be a XIIa because of the tip being more pointy than spatulate. The cross section confused me, it's been a long while since I read oakeshott and I don't remember if these two types had a flattened hexagonal section in later periods (it was to my knowledge lenticular in the high middle ages)
Greetings from Poland Matt! Could you tell us what Victorinox do you carry?
It says Officier on the blade, and I think it was called the Officer model when I bought it.
Great video as always Matt. The same cannot be said about the new youtube. The auto translation is stupid. If the problem remains I need to change my youtube system language from German to English, German ls my mother tongue but the german dub is bad😂😂
Any stuff on scottish 2 handed swords?
Has there been a study average country height and blade length? All the swords you hold look smaller I think because of your height. How would the look in the hands of someone of the height of the time?
As a certain chap on the internet once said: "It all depends on .... context."
Wait wait wait ... @ 1:21 are you saying that Zweihänder and Montante *are* included every time you say "longsword"? And every "longsword" guard or technique you mention includes them? And that I've been pissed at the *Longsword* Wikipedia page for no reason? (Other than they can't get their weights right, even according to their own references?)
Because, I've been labouring under the misunderstanding that you are often (perhaps even usually) excluding the great swords when you mention most guards (Fiore's, for example) and techniques for "longswords". No?
Before factories, even swords that were done in batches to be a set or at least a visually similar group would've been different. I make blades & no matter how hard I try I cannot get them exactly the same. That is unless I begin to employ CNC mills or something like Albion & other larger companies do.
7-8mm at the base is still quite thick by the standards of modern reproductions. Pretty surprised that Windlass is willing to take the risk of starting with such thick stock (and thus having to remove more waste material during the production process).
I used a lot of different designs and lengths in the last ten years of my HEMA training. From a Regenjey Shorty to a SIGI King to Blackfencer Feder to a unique Feder by the late Mr. Novak frlm JINO. Yeah, Longswords differ and I cannot perform some Forms with the one as well as the next. My only conclusion to it is, test and look at what you like best. Even if it means owning 12 swords in the End.😂😂😂
"stabby stabby through gaps or armoury" please write a fencing manual like this.
Only “probably will be next time,” not the certainty that you’ll “continue to be”…? Is there perhaps a concern creeping in that you might be someone besides Matt Easton next time? Like, are you worried you might spontaneously turn into David Rawlings or Skal?
My favorite sword is 60" long with a 10" hilt and no guard.
Basically, a longer jian.
60" long and you have to use it like a polearm basically.... unless you are The Mountain.
So 60" blade you might want a lot longer grip or else how are you going to halfsword? I'm not understanding your martial intent/style here....
Oh no, not here too. TH-cam has a added something very horrific. As a german I get a computer generated german version of your audio track. That's absolutely horrible. I have to change the audio track every sngle time. Is there a way to always get the original sound?
I wonder... Do we have any evidence that knights or men-at-arms carried (or made a squire carry) a handful of different swords, as if they were a golf club set?
IMO, the "stubby longsword" outliers are probably reforged from broken tip swords.
Yup, he is. I checked.
The right tool for the job.
The best kind of diversity
Gostei bastante de vídeos assim, gostei demais
so Estoc is a no-go against zombies. Got it.
Please disable auto sycronization for different languages.
Big pommel for throwing!
Im curious how they invented swords like how did they know how to blacksmith something with no technology, who ever figured it out must be a genius
My biggest problem with HEMA is the standardization.
Given that these historically were expensive, custom weapons, wouldn’t the shape of the blade tell one more about the fight style of the person who commissioned it?
Maybe but also as happens in modern times people misunderstand themselves, are bought gifts, or have no relevant experience yet can afford and are in a position to need a sword etc.
Probably a decent indicator but without additional corroborating evidence is basically speculation.
I say kinda. Fighting styles changed based on who you're fighting and the conditions. Your basic knight or man at arms would have multiple swords/weapons for multiple needs and his fighting style with each one will change based on the circumstances he expects to face, or the social convention he is participating in. So you can infer the style he's going to use that particular weapon for.......but not his entire skill set.
got any that 'sing'
Um vídeo que fala português mesmo sendo da gringa? Irado
Still disagree with Matt's take on the Landgraf tbh. I have the Sempach, which shares the same blade and flex tested it at something like 24kg. It's a stiff blade.
Oh sis, some comments here right now... Very... "Interesting" people decided to chime in.
Longsword ... a Sword that is longer than a shortsword ...
So the important point to take from this, is BUY MOAR SWORDS!
I think that's a sensible strategy.
"Longsword" doesn't mean much - a sword is a sword.
Next time you should be Lucy Eason just to throw us all off 😂 jk
👍
Hey there, since the last 2 videos there is a automatic sycronisation for different languages... Please turn that off, to be honest it is annoying and really badly in german for example.
swords are used pretty much the same... you unscrew the pommel and throw it.. right? xD
Do I see an estoc over your left shoulder?
🗿👍
Yes lol
Diversity?!?! Matt has officially gone woke!
history is much less standardised than the present
The translation made by computer for brazilien portuguese is very bad !!
Please remove this auto dubbing things on your channel, it really ruin the experience
Please turn off autamatic transalation! It is horrible to listen to!!!
But are there any female longswords? LGBT longswords? Not diverse enough if you ask me.
Not all swords are straight, though!
Btw. , in german Scheide can be either a sheath , or the bodypiece, women have one bodyfrontside between belly and legs. Guess why?
Nope I will use my long sword for everything u can't tell me what long sword I shood use
Can't tell you how to spell or use punctuation either.
...think you're missing the point though.
@AveragePicker no he trying to say that u can't use one type of long sword for all types of combat I say u can don't listen to some dum guy on TH-cam saying this sword or that sword is better for this type of combat or that type of combat he just wants u to buy more swords so he can get a cut of the money from the swords he gets u to buy
@richardriley5074 He holds up one example of a sword he had a part in helping recreate. There's not even a link to buy it. Hes not even promoting to buy from anywhere in particular. And we know from history that there were indeed different blade types that were more efficient at certain things. Even without the historical record, it's obvious from different blade types that some were more specialized. You have no idea what you're talking about.
That sword can cut u are not strong enough to cut with it go work out some more than you normally do and then u will be able to cut with it but it will take time