LONGSWORD VS GREATSWORD: What is the DIFFERENCE?
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The longsword is frequently compared to other swords such as the katana and rapier, but what is the real difference between a longsword and a greatsword? What is a greatsword (also known as montante, zweihander, spadone etc) and what is a longsword exactly?
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I understand these days you need sponsors but this it not a good one, we know how scripted and regimented you are for this lot to pay you any money and personally I'd prefer a sponsor I could believe that you actually liked. Love your vids though, keep it up despite my opinion!
@@popuptoaster I’ve heard they pay £10,000 - I’m willing to put up with that if it goes towards the channel
@@popuptoaster I'm sure he really likes those boots
Matt, if you haven't seen it already, you should watch this video, you might be very surprised by some of it's content (go to 5:07 if you don't want to watch it all)
th-cam.com/video/gW3so0uWy0w/w-d-xo.html
So why can't anyone find Captain Context in this game?
I mean, it's the same as last time. Are you lying for Raid that you can be found on the game, so people will download it? No one, including me, has found you or your group on that game for weeks, since you first said you could be found in another video of yours.
All greatswords are long, but not all longswords are great.
Nice! Who would've thought that Set Theory, with its "sets", and "subsets", and "intersections", could be such a good source of humor?! 🤔🙂
"unless you build a very specific and not historical type of scabbard and why would you do that?"
*Stares in Shad 😂
Because it's cool! Non historical things are cool too, Matt!
Themz fightin wurdz
I've always wondered if shad's backscabbard would work for a great sword. Would it be too unwieldy or hard to draw with just one hand? I think it could be interesting to test.
@@heavyshoegaze2423 With the way Shad's back-scabbard is designed, presumably the only change you would need is to increase the distance down the scabbard the slit in the side goes. As long as you are strong enough to lift the sword behind your back with one hand, it should work with any length of sword. Although, if the sword is much longer than you are tall, you probably won't want it on your back.
Because ... Draaaaaaaaaaagooooooooonsaaa
Ever since the leather jacket video where someone said he looked like a vampire, I can't unsee it when he has a popped collar. And you know what? I like it. If there's any kind of person I want to watch discuss swords, it's a vampire. In fact, Matt, if you could intentionally dress more like a vampire, I would enjoy that.
Well, once when he was theorizing on something, he said something along the lines of "this theory was held by many other experts in the 18th century." I do not remember in which video he said this, so that quote was paraphrased and I am uncertain if he said 18th or 19th century, but my point still stands.
He could totally pull off the classic Nosferatu look, as played by Max Schreck in 1922.
@@ericamborsky3230 Are you suggesting he's been undead since the 18th Century?
@@skjaldulfr are you suggesting he hasn't??
Oh yeah. Quite clear now really.
"Obviously, one is great, and the other is just long" - dads everywhere on hearing what their kids are doing on TH-cam...
In terms of military terminology, "breaking pikes" can mean "breaking the pike unit/formation", rather than breaking the implement itself.
That applies to today's terminology as well. For example certain weapons are used to break up an enemy formation.
Yes, a formation is usually called after its weapon.
Yeah, I've always seen it as the Doppleschonders were meant to bat aside the enemy pikes so that they can close in and also give their own pikemen behind them an edge as their pikes aren't getting batted about.
Yeah you're basically not going to cut a pike haft with a single blow of any sword, even a bidenhänder, probably not even with something like a dane axe or poll axe(mostly because something held in hands has too much give, if you hit it hard you're just going to move it, at best disarm them). They can break from repeated blows, but it's not something to build a strategy around.
@@OnlyKaerius i understand what your saying but in forged in fire they broke multiple pikes in one swing with a zweilander
If you're not sure of the nomenclature or typology, Swordy McSwordface covers all bladed weapons.
Stabby McSpearson will help you identify pikes and polearms
Sharp pointy bit of metal
Context
Stabby McStabbface covers swords aswell tho
I mean, it ain't cover daggers and knives. Or most polearms.
Or axes.
Every time I hear people argue about terminology, one quote comes to mind:
"SWORDS, not WORDS!"
Ass kicking, for goodness!
@@whoised603 Minsc and Boo and YOU, Hamsters and Heroes everywhere!
Swords are just signed words
@@alidesu8844 You broke the combo
Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes!!!!! RAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!
The advertising for Raid got interrupted by and advertisement for Genshin. Not sure if i should watch the rest
Well obviously Greatswords have +10 damage vs infantry!
Imagine the shock and disbelief when I explained, (several times to many people), that Jon Snow being a bastard has nothing to do with his sword being a bastard sword.
What?!? Now I have to re-watch the whole series.
Yeah Jon I think may have noted the joke in his head about how he the bastard was wielding a bastard sword but even there he was aware it wasn't a bastard sword because he was wielding it, (well unless you were on the receiving end of it in which case bastard is probably the politest curse his opponent would throw at the sword).
Context!??!?!?!??
oh wow, haha I never even considered that people would think that was why it was called a bastard sword but yeah I guess people who don't know swords (or even haven't played fantasy setting games) might not have heard of it. Interesting.
@@PaulHofreiter context??!??!
Longswords are for dual wielding, like katanas, obviously.
Miyamoto Musashi
I guess you theoretically cld wield something like two kodachis...
@@jacklonghearse9821 didn't Musashi dual-wield a Katana and a Wakizashi ....?
(Still a flashy set up)
@@laterreurrouge1917 I mean it worked out for Musashi so if it's flashy but it works it's not stupid and makes you look slightly badass?
@@Lo-tf6qt don't get me wrong:
I do think it is quite a feat of skill to be able to effectively use two weapons at once.
The easiest way to separate swords in my opinion is that a bastard sword is designed to be use easily in 1 or 2 hands, a long sword is designed to be used with 2 hands but can be used good enough in 1 hand & a great sword is designed to be used only with 2 hands & generally can not effectively be used with just 1 hand. The blade & handle length, design and weight are key to classifying European swords.
This is the simplest summary. Tons of nuances, but it all really comes down to that. Only thing that I'd add is that typically the longsword or lower is designed to be worn, while typically a greatsword cannot. That's a significant addition.
It looks to me the very big longsword would be an ideal saddle sword for a nobleman. If your horse gets killed under you or you have to dismount for any other reason, you may find yourself surrounded by enemy troops very eager to catch you for ransom, and being able to keep them all at bay with wide sweeping motions of a large sword is rather valuable. But you obviously can't just strap a montante to a horse. So you just make the biggest longsword you can make, so that it can be used both like a montante when you're surrounded and like a longsword when you're more into frontal fights. And you don't have to bother about carrying it on foot.
I was intrigued by the subject and am very pleased to learn of the difficulty in using black and white terminology as all of these swords were produced using pre-standard measurements.
I thought that the method of production in a pre-industrial world might be mentioned in that many swords would be made to a one-off order and to a specification passed on by different people in the chain; when sizes are compared to the physique of the person ordering the sword may well be corrupted by the message being passed on by subsequent differing statures.
Also, a design might be ordered from memory having seen a weapon at a bit of a distance. Of course, your comment about compromise is also entirely valid, and Matt does mention the context of the weapon's use.
The training manuals were written some time after the introduction of a new type of weapon, and Matt mentions a century or so, giving time for people to learn the best way of using them, but also allowing for variations of dimensions.
I am not in any way a scholar of the subject but have studied medieval British history. Britain did not field armies of mercenaries like the Germans and Italians, but I can imagine that doing so would provide some level of standardisation if the order for however many weapons was placed with a small integrated group of armourers, hence the preponderance of German, Italian and Spanish training manuals to go with the mercenary armies armed by a single person or small group.
Just thoughts...
iirc it was the opposite. If you lost your lance, you'd want a saddle sword small enough to be used with one hand. So, you might choose a smaller longsword to make it easier to use single-handedly. If you were dismounted, you'd just grab your polearm (or greatsword if you carried one instead).
I big thing when it comes to terminology for swords (and Shad has brought this up before) is that we in the modern period just have to deal with WAY more types of swords than anyone in history who actively used them.
Bastard swords are actually any sword made by a smith's apprentice without the permission of the master. Or at least that is the rumor I am starting.
KO swords cranked out while the master was away?
@@texasbeast239 exactly! Help me spread this!
@@aggroalex5470 done, its on its way.
Thank you Matt for sharing all this information with us. Great points.
I do enjoy the mix of longer and shorter videos you've been putting out. Great swords have always fascinated me. Thanks again for taking the time to put all this together.
Happy New Year!
One is long and the other is great
Still waiting for a zombie movie with a montante scene
Wouldnt be a Matt Easton vid with at least 1 sword joke
I think Tony the Tiger can answer that.
Grrrrrreat
PeterHoglund Theyyy’re grrrreat
swords...
Good luck fitting one of these in your Frosted Flakes box!
Great Sword, Great Sword, Great Sword...no one ever talks about the ok sword.
Forgotten : A Bidenhänder was sometimes used like spear, between the guard and the ,parry hooks' the blades have been often covered with leather as a second grip for using a Bidenhänder as a polearm.
Longswords are big, greatswords are bigger. Thank you for attending my TED talk.
Roight! Where's the bar?
I guess, a more prudent question is what counts as a greatsword, and what's just a so-so sword. 😁😁
On a more serious note, and this might be answered in the video, I do wonder how significantly a person's height affects how they use a sword. For instance, could a tall person's long-sword be used/turned into a great-sword for a short person, for instance.
I think that he answers that, somewhat.
First, the terminology is fluid and not fixed and honestly somewhat irrelevant.
Second, your height and strength would dramatically change how it would be used. There's the kicker. Take a medium sized longsword. A smaller and weaker person might use it similar to a greatsword because of strength limitations. It's possible that a massive person might use it more like a bastard sword. They would definitely use the same sword very differently based on their relative strength. They might refer to the same sword using different terms based on usage, but the terms don't sound like they were ever as strictly categorized as we tend to.
He didn't mention it in this video, but I think he mentioned it in a previous one, but there are many longsword techniques that you can't use on a greatsword, not just because it'd be slower and cumbersome, but because the sword would hit the ground. Someone who's really tall and strong like the guy who played The Mountain in Game of Thrones could easily use Matt's greatsword as a longsword, but Matt can't because he's too short (and it's also a bit heavy for a greatsword of that size, Matt said this about that greatsword many times). So to answer your question, yes, very significantly.
Aye, it's a great question when you consider dwarven or halfling fighters. Everything should scale down. A halfling would call a large knife his "sword" (as did Frodo and company).
I needed this video, as I've been doing personal practicing I've found my preferences to sit between longsword and greatsword, especially as a very tall person. It's nice to see talk on the middleground.
2d6 vs 1d8 depending on what edition we are talking about. And great sword was considered an exotic weapon so needed a feat.
And why did Bastard Swords do 1d10 damage when a Longsword is actually a larger weapon! Backwards American definitions
And you didn't need to make a half hour video. Underrated comment here!
As a sword enthusiast an RPG player, and an American, I too find these definitions irritating.
@@nikkibrowning4546 three great things to be!
Don't get me started on 47 different varieties of pole arm, but no actual knightly poleaxe.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience once again Matt ... always a pleasure!!
I was so wanting to hear Matt deliver the Dundee line: "That's not a sword...THIS is a sword!" as he holds up the great sword. Okay, so I'm stupid...guilty Your Honor.
I am really thankful for that low-quality screenshot of different shades of gray, it *really* helped to convey your point... :D
Awesome video as always!
I had this conversation with my instructor, so thanks for this video to clarify and expand on details
The difference between a longsword and a greatsword is the difference between you, and the guy she told you not to worry about.
Great video Matt, looking forward to more demonstrations, especially with rapiers! I want to purchase either a side sword or rapier but I’m worried that the length will be hard to wield/carry with a military rapier compared the a shorter side sword. Would love an active demonstration of the two types in your hands.
Always great information. Thanks Matt
To expand a bit on what you said: much of that fixation on types of swords comes from Dungeons & Dragons, and the game original D&D was based on - Chainmail (It says something about the historical prowess of Americans, that their medieval warfare game didn't even get the name right).
Gary Gygax, in particular, was a chart-o-holic - he had charts for everything, and the original chainmail rules assigned different classes to weapons - the lighter, and smaller the weapon, the lower it's class. Weapon class was used to determine who struck first, and if your weapon was four classes lower, then you could strike twice, and so on.
And from this, Gygax created Supplement 1 for Dungeons and Dragons, where he assigned various damage numbers, and other bonuses to different weapons. And apparently - Gary's approach to charts was "the bigger, the better" - the more comprehensive a chart was, the happier Gygax became.
Duh, longswords are long, greatswords are great.
Okay, young Stalin
Wow this is a timely video. I've recently started making in-roads on longswords and greatswords in my collection and the nomenclature for a "newbie" can be really confusing, especially on product pages because various terms are often used incorrectly, interchangeably, or both. Thanks for posting!
Also I want to thank you for the Viking weapons video, tremendously helpful. I still wonder about Viking hammers - topic for a future video mayhaps?
Shad made a video on this a while back and came to a similar conclusion: basically, Longsword can be worn, Greatsword has to be carried
Great video on a very interesting topic!
I love the idea that they just called everything a sword, no arguments about whether that extra inch or two makes it something else, or whether the length of the quillions matters. Just a sword. I guess when you truly know what your doing with it the name doesn't really matter so much.
Excellent video, very in depth!
“You may have wondered what the difference between a long sword and a great sword” well I do now
Glad to hear that you're getting some real winter weather there in England! It's been relatively warm here in the Midwest US. Not actually warm by any means, but probably averaging around 0⁰ Celsius, which is warmish for these parts.
Just so you know, this is the only channel where I watch ads without skipping cause they're fun
“He had a big fakkin sword...l
~the Hound
Those swords with the very long hilt and blade (but relatively small guard) are interesting! Haven't seen a lot of those before.
They kinda remind me of a Nodachi. I wonder if they were used in a similar fashion.
Which one?
@@junichiroyamashita
The Swedish ones or the one belonging to the armor, Matt showed the pictures.
Reminds me of some debate over whether the M2 Carbine is an assault rifle, with some saying it's not because its range isn't quite long enough, and some because it was meant to be used in a different way and the concept of the assault rifle is no less a doctrine than it is the gun itself.
Exactly. Weapons care more about usage than classification. What matters is that it works. Terminology is incidental.
In germany greatswords are sometimes called "Gassenhauer", alley hewer/cutter.
Imagine attacking someone in an alley with a couple of people. And he wields a great sword. Try getting past him with his reach.
He can cut down anyone getting to close. Especially when letting the sword flow.
I'm not sure if that definition of the word Gassenhauer is correct. I guess it makes sense - These types of swords have been used by body guards and the Landsknechts with the big swords have held breacherd walls (I thjink they did so in the siege of Vienna). But the definition I always had in mind for Gassenhauer was The Greatsword wielders striking an alley/opening into the enemy formation.
@@PrimordialNightmare totally possible that I got the definition wrong. I had that conversation with a hema guy. But maybe I got it wrong.
@@moranjackson7662 we will only find out after doing some research :D
Could you possibly look into the practicality of the gaffi stick as seen in the Mandalorian S2? Is a sort of combination mace/spear
I'm so glad that I pay money to avoid adds and then get them forced on me anyway... Thanks Matt
There's this thing called "fast forward"...
At least you can laugh at the heartless emotionless look in Matt’s eyes while he shills the game that he doesn’t play. Lol
Thanks, didn't know something so similar could be so different!
People love certainty. So we love to nail everything down to particular terms. History is rarely so certain
This is the best advert I've seen all year
*sings to the tune of Two-Headed Boy* "twooooo handeddddd swooooooooorrrrrd..."
All floating in glass
William Alarie Love Neutral Milk Hotel!
I’m gonna have that stuck in my head all afternoon🤣
"Two...handed swor-ord..." 🎼🎵🎶
I like the idea that the "best" of any type of weapon/gear is determined by the enemy/situation you are facing.
Quite beautiful how he deals with potential points of conflict or discussion.
So I’ve watched the video 3 times, and read all the comments - but can’t find the answer...
What is the make/model of the smaller great sword ? (which makes an appearance at 5:06, 14:40, and 25:47)
+1
I recall somebody (Shad?) mentioning that one feature of the greatsword is that it is too long to do an underhand swing.
Friggin TH-cam. They threw an ad in right in the middle of your Raid bit.
I just received my Windlass English Two-handed sword a couple of days ago. Who makes the black hilted version you're holding? At first I thought you modified yours, but it's in the background. Then I thought Arms and Armor made one, but I don't see it on their site.
Thanks. You might cover the Bearing swords ( Parade swords) Sigmarining has a nice collection.
In german ,Tragschwert'. Are there such swords in Sigmaringen castle/ palace collection?
Hi Matt, what's the kidney bean on a stick , next to the scholagladiatoria shield?
You mean the short club made of dark wood? That's a Wahaika, a Maori war club.
I just wanted to ask if you were still planning on testing the blades from Dark Sword Armory. I am looking forward to seeing how they hold up. Thank you for the great content.
What is the other great sword talked about at 16:33?
Now that you mentioned pikes, I wondered if you could some day do a video about pike warfare, either medieval and early modern pike usage, or the famous hellenic infantry blocks armed with sarissas.
What would it be like from the front row if two pike blocks clashed? What would it be like from the back rows? How do other weapons, such as great swords and ranged weapons figure into this kind of warfare?
I can't help but notice that the type 18c longsword is close to proportion to some feders. I've noticed my blunt is a lot smaller in handle and a tad smaller in blade length than my feder. Is it that feders, not being sharp weapons, but training swords, were never worn, so they could get longer hilts and blades than most historical longswords tended to? Or is this just an artifact of weapons made for protective hema gloves. Just curious.
I used to prefer slightly greatsword-length longswords when studying German and Italian longsword, maybe it's just because of my posture. However I've started to prefer bastard sword length longswords when starting up in English lonhsword, maybe due to the frequent one handed strikes in the system.
It seems to be true that different swords or sword length would be perfect for different styles, and it is not who uses the bigger or better sword that would win, but who can employ the better tactics and adapt to the technique of the adversary.
I really like the Del Tin Great Sword, in fact I have one here hanging in my library. I've carried it to events, back before they started requiring that swords be tied into their scabbards....in other words, before I stopped going to events. It's a really nice and well built sword.....and very sharp, for cutting.
For me, the biggest difference between a "greatsword" and a "long sword" is how you can actually physically use it. Shad actually talks about this in a similar video where he's talking about different swords and the inherent gray area nature of trying to find an exact cut off point for long sword vs greatsword... but for me. It's only actually a "greatsword" if it must be used like a polearm, and can't be used with all the techniques of a two handed sword. Where that cut off is, specifically, actually depends on the height and strength of the user... but essentially, once the weapon comes up to your armpit, there's all kinds of movements you can't make with the weapon anymore (at least not without significant modification) and you really can't wear it on your side anymore.. at best, you could carry it in a specialized back carrying method just for ease of long distance transport to a battlefield.
The "war swords" (as Shad calls them) that sit kind of in the middle.. where they're still too big to be a "longsword" but too small (and typically have less complex hilt designs) to be a "greatsword" are different from both because they can still do most of the things a longsword can, while losing a few advantages (carrying ease and certain actions are harder.. also the weapon is less nimble by enough that you have to use it fundamentally differently to a degree).. but it's still not a greatsword because you still don't use it entirely like a polearm.
War swords... my favourite swords... Can't wait for a video telling us about them, and their battlefield role...
Love those Scandinavian type XVIIIs! Beautiful swords!
where did you get that great sword?
When I got my Blackfencer synthetic greatsword they only had the Zweihander which is the largest one they sell. It’s just like, 2” too long for me though; I can use it but when I hold it just a little bit up from the pommel I have much better control, but I like to rest my hand on the pommel so holding it like that isn’t comfortable. Anyone on here in the ‘States have the slightly shorter Montante and wanna tradesies?
I'm looking forward to the videos of Matt hiking through wilderness and competing in a HEMA tournament wearing high spike heels. Let's investigate the practicality of such attire. :)
"And why would you do that because the never used it"
Matt you really shouldn't call your Game-Master out like that. 🤣
where did you buy your greatsword I want to buy one
That's interesting, if I had the time I'd like to go through all the material to find techniques that were unique to each specific type that could define them.
Matt- it would've been helpful if you'd quickly shown the point of balance of each of the examples you were holding. It would've been illuminating. Especially when considering types which were similar but had slightly different intentions.
To add to the mix: Marozzo talkes about yet another sort of sword, the spadoncino. Which based on pictures seems to be somewhere between a typical longsword and a typical greatsword. My very limited knowledge of the Italian language would translate the word as "smaller greatsword".
When I get a sword vid notification, I am always thrilled to find that its from Matt. 😀
Also, definitions are important because we want to know what the he\\ we are talking about.
to my understanding the treatises where written to instruct the individual in pvp. street fighter 2.o. never army v army
sidearm : can you go shopping with it? or do you have to leave it at the door when you enter a building?
Quick question: you use the difference between personal and battlefield use as a difference between longsword and greatsword (seems sensible to me). Given that we have no sources from German-speaking lands similar to the Iberian style, do you think greatswords would still be used in that wide and sweeping way by Landsknechts and bodyguards such as Pauernfeindt?
Matt what sweater is that? Its awesome
15:28 where do I find these?
"It's a sword." What kind of sword? "A sword." Part of the problem is that we're looking through books like Oakeschott's, or the Albion catalog. There, there's centuries of sword design across multiple cultures, some contemporary, while others before and after each other. You ask a Viking what kind of sword that is, and he'll say "My sword?" Holding it up, he'll shrug. "A sword. It has a name..." Or the Viking word for Sword. Same thing with Axes, they called one a "Francisca," not because it was used by Franciscans, but because it first came to the region with the Franks, who threw them. Does that make it a Throwing Ax? Longsword, Greatsword, Bastard Sword, or sometimes just "My sword." It's not like they were being mass produced, and sold abroad on Amazon in the middle ages. On about the Renaissance, they did start mass producing swords, and they did start adding words to sword, but for the most part, it was just a Sword.
Even if I already know the answer, I can’t click fast enough on these videos!
So, you mention sword shape numbers, like 15 or 18, can you possibly link a reference to these shapes?
What is Claymore then? :O
Primarily, Scottish.
I’m never gonna play it but I do appreciate how genuinely enthusiastic you seem when plugging raid shadow legends
Before watching the video: besides the size difference the first things I see are that the great sword has a fuller, while the long sword has a reinforcing "cross" down the blade.
Is the smaller two handed sword the Windlass? It looks a little different than I remember
The windlass one is actually behind him (with the blue grip), but I'm fairly sure they're based on the same sword. I imagine the windlass watching this taping with envy. Yes, I anthropomorphize swords
were glaives used in a way similar to the great sword?
The very unnoficial thing I call the inbetween of the longsword and greatsword is “big brother sword”, as in the big brother of the bastard sword; somewhere between.
Would you say that the Codex Goliat teaches the use of the longsword or the zwihander?
Zweihänder.
Drinking game: for every "context" take a shot.
I have tried, but I don´t know what the video was about or how it end. but I woke up with a empty bottle on the floor.
Couple years ago a friend of mine tried that game there's still not sober from it lol
I still dont get the "context" joke...as long as i can count he only said it twice in this video
@@metalwolf717 context drinking might work better for Matt Eason's videos lol
it's essentially the difference between a modern light machine gun and a small machine gun. as with swords, modern guns also come in all sizes somewhere in between the two.
with that whole head shot during the ad you look like Solas ;)
I am not that familiar with the surving treatises used in HEMA (I have seen a few, not enough to generalise), but yoy said something that got me thinking. Are they mostly about 1v1 dueling combat, or do we have any substantial works on training troops and group fighting techniques and startegy, so basically soldier training not only gentleman's?
In TH-cam you can find a clip about british cavallry training sword use in 1914. The troopers stood in a position, immitating sitting on horseback, and did moves, ordered by a trainer. Perhaps this was really the ,old days' way of basic training.
@@brittakriep2938 I was thinking more on older times, like longsword times and before when gunpowder weapons weren't the primary weapons
@@louisvictor3473 : As i said ,basic' training i thought also , beginners training'. For good use of a non- firearm sparring is necessary, but the first training lessons in ,old days' could have been done in this style.
Wow that’s a GREAT sword !!
When it says they were used to "break pikes" they probably meant to break/disrupt pike formations rather than chop through ash shafts (tho I'm sure it happened Sometimes, if you've ever tried to cut a long ash pole in a person's hands it tends to be springy). I imagine the greatsword was used not dissimilarly (in battlefield function, not necessarily technique) to daneaxes, pollaxes, nodachi, etc. But basically the weapons of shock troops/champions who would exploit gaps in the enemy line charge in and lay about doing as much damage as possible so your men can take advantage of the chaos you've caused