Monthly Archives: December 2018

The Medieval Arming Sword was considered the most popular secondary sword in the 15th century due to being lighter, shorter, but still deadly (Willis). With the increasing popularity of longswords and greatswords in the late 14th century to early 15th century, most knights wielded two blades (a longsword or greatsword paired with a Medieval Arming Sword) (Medieval Swords). The reason why it is called the Medieval Arming Sword is that once you lose your larger sword or if you end up in a situation where you can’t freely swing your longsword or greatsword, you would arm your secondary sword (in this case, it would be the Medieval Arming Sword) (Willis). It was believed the first locations these Medieval Arming Swords originated from was modern-day Belgium (Willis).

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The length of the sword was typically 30-35 inches (where 4-5 inches is the hilt size and the rest being the blade size) (Willis). The Medieval Arming Sword weighed between 2-4 pounds and the width of the sword was 2-2.5 inches (Willis). With the style of this blade, it allowed for easier, swifter, and more accurate blows. This also allowed users to dodge and evade blows from enemies wielding large, double-handed weapons (Medieval Arming Sword). In the picture, it shows how smaller it is compared to the previous Crusader Sword in the past blog post.

With the smaller length of the blade and how it was lighter than regular broadswords, women favored the Medieval Arming Sword (Stock 56). Most of these swords were hidden in a women’s leg armament strap so they could assassinate or kick people out from bars and taverns (Stock 57). With the hilt being a perfect size (sample hilt in the picture) and weight to move around in, it made women effective warriors back in the 15th century. It was reported that some women were trained to use swords and weapons during the 12th century (Stock 56). With the rise of women during these centuries, some even armed themselves in armor and became knights while hiding their identity has a woman (Stock 61). The Medieval Arming Sword in the picture is also a common sword found in Amazon warrior depictions and art (Stock 63).

Works Cited

Primary Source:

Willis, Wil. “Medieval Arming Sword.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 20 July 2015, www.history.com/shows/forged-in-fire/season-1/episode-5.

Secondary Source:

Stock, Lorraine Kochanske. “’Arms and the (Wo)Man’ in Medieval Romance: The Gendered Arming of Female Warriors in the ‘Roman D’Eneas’ and Heldris’s ‘Roman De Silence.’” Arthuriana, vol. 5, no. 4, 1995, pp. 56–83. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27869148.

“Medieval Swords.” Life in the Middle Ages, Lords and Ladies, www.lordsandladies.org/medieval-swords.htm.

“Medieval Arming Sword and Falchion.” All-Gauge Model Railroading Page, Milihistriot Quarterly, http://www.thortrains.com/getright/drillmedarmsword1.html.

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The Crusader Sword is a mighty sword introduced in the 6th century and a common sword for Crusaders during the 12th-15th century (Medieval Swords). It wasn’t the most popular sword during the 6-11th century due to other broadswords being more popular (Medieval Swords). It became a favored sword ever since the First Crusade from 1095-1099 and has been an iconic sword from that battle (Willis).

Due to all the pillaging and people taking their spoils of war, it is hard to determine where the first Crusader Sword was made in the 6th century. But it is believed it may have originated in East Europe (Willis). After the First Crusade, there was a mass production of these swords since it symbolizes a person’s faith to God (Willis).

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The length of the sword is typically 30-45 inches (where 4-5 inches is the hilt size and the rest being the blade size) (Willis). It weighed between 3-5 pounds and the width of the sword was 2-3 inches (Willis). It is similar to a broadsword in size comparison, however, the only difference is the hilt and how the blade is made (Medieval Swords). In the picture showing a Crusader Sword, it shows a gradual fading so the edge of the blade doesn’t have 3 points like a typical broadsword (Willis). As for the hilt, broadsword is generally more curved while the hilt for the Crusader Sword pictured in this blog is wider (Willis). The Crusader Sword is also paired with a scabbard where most warriors and knights hold on their right hip just like the broadsword pairings (Catling 143).

It was suspected Sir Arnat Visconti’s (a 14th century noble from Cyprus) sword was a Crusader Sword (Catling 142). With his sword in his right hand, it paired well with his heart-shaped shield with his 2 wyverns (Catling 142). Just like Sir Visconti, other notable 14th century knights used Crusader Swords such as Sir John Tenouri, Sir Thomas Prevost, Sir Philipe de Milmars, Sir Heude de Vis, Sir Thomas de Montholif, Sir Aigue de Bessan, and Sir John Antiaum (Catling 143). It was especially common to use this sword from those who are affiliated with the Church of the Augustinians, Nicosia in the mid-late 14th century (Catling 143).

Works Cited:

Primary Source:

Willis, Wil. “Crusader Sword.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 21 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/shows/forged-in-fire/season-5/episode-24.

Secondary Sources:

“Medieval Swords.” Life in the Middle Ages, Lords and Ladies, www.lordsandladies.org/medieval-swords.htm.

Catling, Hector W. “A Medieval Tombstone in the Paphos Museum.” British School at Athens Studies, vol. 8, 2001, pp. 139–144. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40960555.

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