Bastard sword proportions. Bastard and "one-and-a-half-handed sword". One and a half blade and plastic armor

Bladed weapons, which were the basis of the arsenal of Western European chivalry in the 14th - 15th centuries.
The bastard sword is one of the most famous representatives of long-bladed weapons, primarily associated with knights and Western European military art. It appeared in Europe in the first third of the 14th century in connection with the beginning of the spread of plate armor, which was less vulnerable to one-handed swords.

The new weapon received a longer and more massive handle, which can be held with either one or two hands, and a blade up to a meter long, intended for delivering both chopping and piercing blows. The bastard sword was perfectly balanced and could be used either independently or together with a shield or with other melee weapons (hatchet, mace, battle flail).

The bastard sword was made of high-quality steel, not inferior in this respect to Japanese, Arabic or Indian blades. The technology for manufacturing long-bladed steel weapons was known to European craftsmen back in the 3rd century. BC, that is, long before the Japanese took possession of it. Moreover, sharpening and polishing of European blades by Japanese craftsmen showed no significant differences in the quality of steel.

The new weapon immediately gained high popularity among knights due to its optimal combination of weight, maneuverability and striking power. In Europe it was one of the most common types of long-bladed weapons.

All its parts could be used as weapons. Hans Talhoffer's "Fechtbücher" describes, among others, blows with a cross handle and a massive pommel (either of which could easily pierce the skull). A powerful slash could also cut an opponent (unarmored, of course) from shoulder to groin; cases are also described when the blade cut a helmet, a skull and got stuck in the teeth. Neither chain mail, nor leather, nor quilted armor interfered with the piercing blow. Later bastard swords had a blade tapering towards the tip, specifically designed for piercing the joints of plate armor.

“One-and-a-half-pieces” were widely used by the knights of Western Europe during all the wars of the 14th and 15th centuries. At the end of the 15th century, the spread of solid plate armor and the obvious ineffectiveness of using bladed weapons against them contributed to their rapid disappearance from the arsenals of European armies. Subsequently, the place of the one-and-a-half-handed sword in the arsenal of heavy cavalry and noble people was taken by the broadsword and sword.

The bastard sword (longsword) is a type of European sword used during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 - 1550. Bastard swords are long cross-shaped with approximately 15 cm in length (thus allowing it to be held with two hands), straight double-edged swords are often more than 90 cm long, and usually weigh from 1.2 to 1.4 kg (light specimens are slightly less than 1 kg, and heavy specimens are slightly more than 2 kg.

The bastard sword is usually held with both hands in combat, although some can be used as one-handed swords. The bastard sword is used to deliver slashing, slashing, and piercing attacks. The specific offensive purpose of the bastard sword has its roots in its shape. All parts of the sword are used for offensive purposes, including the guard and .

Regarding the medieval period, Oakeshott's typology mentions swords of subtypes XIIa and XIIIa of the second half of the High Middle Ages, approximately 1250-1350, as the ancestors of the bastard swords. Oakeshott calls these swords “great swords”, and points to their one-and-a-half-handed hilts (long enough to hold the pommel with the other hand) and relatively large blades (about 90 cm). These swords were for the most part noticeably longer and wider than contemporary one-handed swords. Later, in the Late Middle Ages, around 1350-1550, various subtypes of bastard swords arose:

• Average blade length about 81 cm: subtype XVIa (early 14th century)
• Average blade length about 87 cm: subtype XVIIIc
• The average blade length is 87 cm, with a range from 76 to 96 cm: Type XX (14th-15th centuries), subtype XXa (14th-15th centuries)
• Average blade length 89 cm: subtype XVa (late 13th century - early 16th century), subtype XVIIa (mid 14th century - early 15th century)
• The average blade length is 99 cm, with a range from 91 to 107 cm: subtypes XVIIIa (mid-14th century - early 15th century), XVIIIb (early 15th century - mid-16th century), XVIIId (mid-15th century - early 16th century), XVIIIe ( mid 15th century – early 16th century)

It is worth noting that the last subtype XVIIIe is sometimes described as a classic two-handed sword. Although all the types of Late Medieval swords described above can be considered "two-handed swords", Oakeshott's typology does not cover true Renaissance two-handed swords, with truly enormous blades, such as (blades averaging about 108-110 cm long) and (blades averaging about 135 cm).

Modern terminology includes Dutch grootzwaard, German Langschwert, Italian spadon or longsword (lunga) and Portuguese montante. The French batarde epee refers to the bastard, a type of bastard sword. The terms "bastard sword", "greatsword", and "bastard" are used colloquially to refer to bastard swords in general.

History of the bastard sword

The development of the sword before and after the appearance of the bastard sword was not completely linear. Older type swords could coexist with newer variants for quite a long time, making it difficult to trace a single path of sword development. Instead, the direction of sword development is multi-layered, with some types of swords evolving from earlier types, acting similar to their contemporaries, and eventually being forgotten while the original sword continued to be used through later times.

Likewise, variants of a particular sword type may have emerged, not replacing it, but simply coexisting together until some new development came close to both of those weapon types. Such situations demonstrate both the path of development of the sword as a whole, and the rise and fall of the bastard sword as chronologically vague and confused by the breadth of definitions - both of our time and of contemporaries.

The bastard sword, with its longer hilt and blade, became popular during the 14th century and continued to be widely used, as seen in artwork and records of the period, from 1250 to 1550. The bastard sword was a powerful and versatile weapon, but was not considered the only weapon needed to learn martial arts. Sigmund Ringeck, an influential author of martial arts manuals, writes that young knights must learn to "fight well, (and) skillfully wield the spear, sword, and dagger quite bravely." Obviously, even for a skilled swordsman, other weapons and methods of using them are also very important for battle. However, for close infantry combat, bastard swords were prized for their versatility (in use) and killing potential.

According to Oakeshott, bastard swords are found in types XIIa and XIIIa, since the first early variants of bastard swords originate as simply longer versions of one-handed swords. There are rare archaeological finds of swords of this type from the late 12th century. Competing in increasing the length of the hilt and increasing the length of the blade, the bastard sword was a powerful slashing weapon, perhaps developed for battles during the predominance of and. These weapons also closely correspond to the modern colloquial expression "one-and-a-half-handed sword", as Oakeshott notes, since they did not provide a full two-handed grip in the same way as some early extant examples and the Zweihander of the 16th century.

Bastards

The bastard, or modern espee bastarde, is a type of sword dating from around the early 15th century. He received this name because he did not fit into either the family of one-handed swords or the family of two-handed swords, as a result of which he was called “bastard” (this is how the word bastard is translated). These swords had longer hilts, similar to the hilts of bastard swords. The extra space on the guard was not enough to hold the sword with both hands, but it was enough to allow the additional use of several fingers or part of the hand, providing additional leverage. Bastard hilts often have a refined appearance, as in Oakeshott's Type XVIa. A bastard more than a bastard sword fits the class of "one-and-a-half-handed sword", since some bastard swords provided significantly more room on the guard for holding the sword than an additional "half" hand. Likewise, the shorter sword length of 115-140 cm placed the bastard halfway between the shorter one-handed sword and the larger (and sometimes fully two-handed) bastard sword.

Like all other types of swords, the bastard came in many variations, mostly tending towards a heavily wedge-shaped and thicker blade. This feature, along with the relatively short length of the blade relative to the length of the hilt, made the bastard a very accurate and fast sword, and was well suited for slashing and stabbing. The bastard form began to evolve from the bastard sword in the early 15th century from transitional swords developing from the spatha. Like the first transitional swords, the first bastards had a simple or cross-shaped guard, and a round or wheel-shaped pommel. Later weapon developments, however, include curved guards, ring guards, and composite hilts similar to the "basket" style hilts (swords such as the schiavona had a guard protecting almost the entire hand). They served to provide additional protection for the hands, and could have a positive effect on the balance of the weapon.

Swords with combined hilts include the German Reitschwert, a type of horseman's sword, and the Degen, or knight's sword. It is possible, however, that these swords are actually one-handed variants of the estok.

Shape of bastard swords

While almost every bastard sword is somewhat different from the next, most contain several basic parts. The blade of a sword is the cutting part of the weapon and is usually double-edged. Blades come in many shapes and sizes. Wide, thin blades are more effective for cutting-oriented bastards, while thick, tapered blades are more effective for thrusting. However, all bastard swords were effective for slashing, slashing and thrusting, and variations in shape affected only minor features of use. The hilt is the part of the sword that is not the blade - essentially everything else. Like blades, hilts have evolved and changed over time, influenced both by fashion and by the design of swords for specific purposes.

The blade of a medieval bastard sword is straight and predominantly double-edged. The blade design is relatively thin, with strength provided by the precise geometry of the blade. Over time, as evidenced by Oakeshott's typology and other similar systems, the blades of bastard swords become slightly longer, thicker in cross-section, less wide, and significantly thinner (at the tip). These changes to the sword are largely due to the use of plate armor as a very effective defense, more or less negating the sword's ability to cut through armor. Instead of cutting through, bastard swords were used primarily for piercing against an opponent in plate armor, requiring a sharper and harder blade to do so. However, the cutting ability of bastard swords was never completely eliminated, as in some later rapiers, but was not as important as the piercing ability.

Blades vary considerably in cross-section, as well as in length and width. The two most canonical blade cross-sectional shapes are lenticular and diamond-shaped. Lenticular blades have a thin, biconvex lens in cross section, providing adequate thickness for strength at the center of the blade, and thin enough edges for slashing. The diamond-shaped blade had blade slopes directly from the edges of the blade, without the curved elements of a biconvex blade. The central region of a blade with this geometry is known as the riser, the thickest part of the blade, providing its rigidity. These two basic designs are complemented by additional forging methods that provide some variation on the two sections.

The most common of these blade variations are blades with and blades with lightweight ricasso. While both of these variations involve removing material from the blade, they differ primarily in the location of the material being removed and the final result. Fullers are grooves or channels "removed" from the blade in bastard swords, usually running along the center of the blade and starting at or near the hilt. This removal of material allows the smith to significantly lighten the weapon without sacrificing strength, like an I-beam. Although these valleys are often colloquially referred to as bloodlines, the valleys were not designed to allow blood to flow out of a wound more quickly, nor to make it easier to draw a sword. Fullers vary in number and thickness on the blade, from some incredibly wide fullers spanning almost the entire width of the weapon, to smaller and more numerous fullers that are usually thinner. The length of the fuller also has different variations - on some chopping blades the fuller can extend almost the entire length of the blade, while on other blades the length of the fuller is from a third to a half of the entire length of the blade. Fitted ricasso blades have grooves of material on each side of the base of the blade, thereby thinning the blade's edge geometry while maintaining a thickened area in the center of the blade to ensure strength.

Bastard swords have many variations of hilts, with different types of pommels and guards, changing over time to improve various properties of the blade and suit new trends that arise.

Battling with a bastard sword

Combat with the bastard sword was not as barbaric and disorderly as is often portrayed. There were fighting systems, with many styles and teachers, each of which offered a slightly different fighting technique from the others. The bastard sword was a fast, effective, and versatile weapon, capable of lethal thrusts, cutting and slashing blows. The blade was usually used with both hands gripping the hilt, one hand close to or on the pommel. However, under certain circumstances, this sword could only be held with one hand. In descriptions of duels, fighters can be seen holding a pointed bastard sword in one hand, leaving the other hand to hold a large dueling shield. Another use case is determined by the presence of armor. Half-swording (“half-sword technique”) is a technique that uses both hands, one of which is on the hilt, the other lies on the blade itself, for better control of the sword when thrusting and striking. This versatility was unique, as many works note that learning to wield the bastard sword provided the foundation for learning a variety of other weapons, including spears, clubs, and polearms. The use of the bastard sword in an attack was not limited to the use of the blade, as some fencing manuals describe and depict the use of the pommel and guard as an attack weapon. The guard was used as a hook to knock over or knock down an opponent.

Everything that is known about combat using a bastard sword has come to us from artistic descriptions of battles from manuscripts and manuals of medieval and Renaissance masters. They contained descriptions of the basics of combat and, in some cases, corresponding images. The German school of fencing includes the earliest known manual for fencing with the bastard sword, a manual dating from approximately 1389, accredited by Johann Leichnauer. This manual, unfortunately for modern scholars, was written in unclear verse. With the help of Leichnauer's students such as Sigmund Ringeck, this manual was translated into clearer prose, making it more organized and understandable. Other specialists also carried out similar work, sometimes accompanied by many images to explain the text.

The Italian school of fencing was another basic school for the use of the bastard sword. The Fiore dei Liberi manuscript, dated 1410, describes many uses of the bastard sword. Like German fencing, the weapon is usually depicted and described as being held by both hands at the hilt. However, the section on one-handed sword use takes up a significant amount of the manual, and demonstrates various techniques and advantages of one-handed techniques, such as the sudden additional thrust. The manual also describes the half-sword technique as an integral part of armored combat.

Both schools experienced a decline in the late 16th century, with the arrival of later Italian masters who eschewed the bastard sword and concentrated primarily on rapier fencing. The last known German manual that included instruction in bastard fencing techniques was Jacob Sutor's manual, published in 1612. In Italy, training in fencing with the spadone, or longsword, continued, despite the popularity of the rapier, at least until the mid-17th century (Lo Spadone Alfieri's 1653), with the last treatise "Two-Handed Swords" by one Giuseppe Colobani, a dentist from Venice, dating from 1711. These training traditions may have survived into the 19th and 20th centuries in the form of Italian stick fighting, for example in Giuseppe Scerri's 1854 Trattato teorico e pratico della scherma di bastone. What is certain, however, is that the bastard sword flourished. on the battlefields ended by 1500.

"Naked Fencing"

Blobfechten, or "naked fencing", is a fencing technique without significant protective armor such as plate armor or chainmail. Vulnerable targets such as the head and upper torso are completely unprotected except for normal clothing during "naked" fencing. The lack of significant protection for the torso and limbs leads to the use of a large number of hacking and cutting blows, in addition to thrusting. These blows could be almost immediately fatal or incapacitating, such as stabbing the head, the heart, or a major blood vessel, causing massive bleeding. Likewise, strong slashing blows could cut through skin and bone, effectively amputating limbs. The hands and forearms are a common target of some hacking and slashing moves in a defensive or offensive maneuver, serving to cripple the opponent and allow the fencer to deliver the next blow.

Fencing in armor

Harnischfechten, or "armor fencing," describes fighting while wearing a protective suit, usually plate armor. The increased protection of a person wearing "full harnisse" (full plate armor) led to a radical change in sword technique. While slashing was more or less effective against an opponent protected only by individual pieces of plate armor, slashing and slashing against an opponent in full plate armor was almost completely ineffective at causing any kind of cutting wound, since the sword simply could not cut through steel . Instead, the energy of a slashing blow is converted almost entirely into the energy of a “concussive” blow. Later, the hardened plate armor, combined with the ridges and spikes on it, actually became a threat to the unwary attacker. With strong sword strikes against plate armor, it was quite possible to damage the sword's blade, thereby making it much less effective at slashing, and only capable of delivering a "concussive" blow to a protected opponent.

To overcome this problem, swords began to be used mainly for stabbing. The weapon was used in a "half-sword" technique, with one or both hands on the blade. This allowed for greater precision and power in stabbing attacks, and allowed more leverage for Ringen-Schwert ("Sword Fighting"). This technique combines the use of a sword with elements of grappling, providing opportunities to trip, disarm, stop, or throw an opponent, thereby placing him in a less advantageous position. When using the half-sword technique, the entire sword functions as a weapon, including the pommel and guard, which function as a mace.

Hand and a half sword- a modern designation for a group of medieval Western European swords that were held primarily with two hands, but at the same time their weight and balance allowed for a one-handed grip if necessary. The designation was introduced by weapons experts and weapon collectors in the 19th-20th centuries, in particular, it was used by the British researcher of medieval weapons Oakeshot.

In medieval treatises such weapons are simply called "sword" without any specifications, "bastard sword"(English bastard-sword, a similar thing can be seen in Italian treatises on fencing since 1549) or "long sword"(English longsword). A clear distinction between the “ordinary”, “long” (two-handed) and “bastard” swords began only in later times, when these weapons had value only as a collectible.

Definition

In outdated sources and popular literature, such swords are often called two-handed, while in modern weapons science it is customary to distinguish between one-and-a-half and two-handed swords. The first has a total length of about 110 cm, of which approximately 90 cm is on the blade, while the second has a length of about 120-140 cm, of which at least a meter is on the blade. In addition, a two-handed sword can be used effectively only with both hands - his weight did not allow anything else. Thus, one-and-a-half-handed swords are an intermediate type between one- and two-handed swords. The length of the handle of one-and-a-half-handed swords varies - in some examples the second hand only partially fits, while in others there is room for free placement of both hands. The handle often has a characteristic division into two parts - cylindrical at the guard and conical at the pommel, while the pommel is often oblong in shape.

One-and-a-half-handed swords had certain subtypes. For example, the “combat sword” was heavier, longer and wider, intended exclusively for combat and mainly for slashing, while the bastard sword was somewhat lighter and could be used in everyday life, for example for self-defense. The term "longsword" was used to refer to both of these varieties. It should be taken into account that two-handed swords could also be called “combat” and “long” swords

Hand and a half sword of the late High Middle Ages

Hand and a half swords first appear in the second half to the end of the 13th century. Such swords were called “combat”, “military”, “swords for war” (Old French espées de Guerre, Middle English Swerdes of Werre), “large” (Old French Grant espées, Middle English Grete Swerdes) or “large combat” (cf. English Grete War Swerdes), and they are often mentioned in medieval sources of the late XIII - early XIV centuries. According to the English historian of edged weapons, Ewart Oakeshott, these particular swords were saddle swords, also often mentioned in written sources, although not a single image of a sword attached to a saddle has survived to our time. On the other hand, there are known images in which “battle swords” are worn in sheaths on the belt. Oakeshott also suggested that “battle swords” should not be confused with two-handed swords, called old swords in medieval sources. espées a deux mains or Middle English. Twahandswerds. Thus, “combat swords” refer specifically to one-and-a-half-handed swords, and a two-handed grip was still the main one.

Oakeshott identified only two, very similar to each other, varieties of “combat sword”, designated XIIa and XIIIa. The difference between the two types is mainly that XIIa has a more pronounced tapering of the blade edges, while XIIIa has almost parallel edges. Their characteristics are as follows: blade length is at least 80 cm, on average 90-104 cm, from half to two thirds of the length is taken up by the dol, handle length is 15-25 cm, weight is 1.5-2.0 kg, maximum up to 2.3 kg .

One of the swords of type XIIa, dated 1300-1350, is interesting in that it is probably the oldest surviving sword to have a ring to protect the finger (warriors, while holding the sword, sometimes threw the index finger over the crosspiece. This way the hand moved a little closer to the center the severity of the sword, which in turn made it possible to better control the blade and deliver more accurate blows). Such protective devices became widespread on swords and rapiers in the 16th-17th centuries.

Late Middle Ages one-and-a-half-handed sword

One-and-a-half-handed swords became truly popular and widespread in the 14th and 15th centuries. This is clearly seen in the example of Oakeshott's typology, where each of the eight types of swords of 1350-1550 is either one-and-a-half-handed itself, or has a one-and-a-half-handed subtype (the only exceptions are type XVI, and partially types XIV and XVII). This surge in popularity is explained by the spread of plate armor during this period, which protected the warrior’s body so effectively that it made it possible to abandon the use of a shield and, thus, free up the second hand to hold the sword. On the other hand, a duel with opponents dressed in such armor also urgently required the use of both hands: either to deliver a power blow designed to pierce the armor, or to perform the “half sword” technique.

Gallery

Types of one-and-a-half-handed swords according to Oakeshott

Types of swords that were not included in the final classification for various reasons are highlighted in color.

Hand and a half sword in the 16th century

In this century, one-and-a-half-handed swords often have a developed guard with additional protective elements, bringing them closer to the swords that appeared at the same time. In some cases, we were talking about semi-closed hilts - having an arch to protect the fingers that is not connected to the pommel. Among all these hilts (both open and semi-closed), the German-Bavarian, Swiss and Spanish styles stood out. In turn, the German-Bavarian style was divided into fourteen types, united into four groups, and the Swiss style into fifteen types (without groups).

In the late Middle Ages, the bastard sword was one of the most common. It was practical, and in the hands of a skilled fighter it became deadly for the enemy.

History of the term

The medieval bastard sword was common in Europe in the 13th-16th centuries. The main feature of this weapon was that in battle it was held with two hands, although the balance and weight made it possible to take it with one hand in case of urgent need. This universal property made this sword extremely popular in the late Middle Ages.

The term itself only appeared in the 19th century, when weapon collectors created a new modern classification of it. In medieval sources, a simple name was used - sword, or bastard bastard sword. Also, this weapon was considered two-handed. This name was used for a long time not only in historical chronicles, but also in fiction.

Main characteristics

What was a bastard sword? Its length was 110-140 centimeters, with about a meter on the blade part. These swords were an intermediate type between one-handed and two-handed. The characteristics of the handle of such weapons could vary depending on the place and time of production. However, all varieties had common features. The handle had a specific recognizable division. It consisted of two elements.

The first is the cylindrical part of the guard, which was intended to protect the hands from enemy blows. There was no more important body part for a warrior. It was with the help of his hands that he used the bastard sword. To be wounded meant to become vulnerable to the enemy. The guard appeared with the development of fencing in the late Middle Ages. Although the bastard sword was the first to receive it, today this recognizable part of the weapon is most associated with swords that appeared in subsequent centuries. The second part was conical and located near the pommel.

The evolution of the disc head of the bastard sword was interesting. In the 15th century it became widespread. It brought a new design with upward and narrow forms. On the other hand, such innovations appeared not only because of changes in aesthetics, but because of urgent practical benefits. The grooved and pear-shaped heads of bastard swords were more convenient for the second hand, which gripped this part of the weapon in battle.

Classification

Over the several centuries of its existence, the bastard sword acquired several subspecies. The most common was combat. It was also called heavy. This sword was longer and wider than its counterparts. It was used exclusively in combat and was best suited for deadly slashing attacks. Light version - bastard sword. Best suited for self-defense and everyday wear. These types of bastard swords were especially popular among knights and men-at-arms and formed the basis of their ammunition.

Their first copies appeared at the end of the 13th century in France. At that time, the sizes of bastard swords had not yet been established; they had many modifications, but they were all known under the general name - swords of war, or combat swords. These blades came into fashion as an attribute of a horse saddle. Attached in this way, they were convenient for hiking and traveling and often saved the lives of their owners in the event of a sudden attack by robbers.

Narrow Bastard Swords

One of the most notable types of bastard swords was the narrow-shaped bastard sword. Its blade tapered greatly, and the blade was almost straight. Such weapons were intended primarily for piercing strikes. The handle was comfortable for use with both one and two hands. With such a sword one could literally “drill” into an enemy.

The most famous blade of this type was the weapon of the Black Prince of England, Edward Plantagenet, who lived in the 14th century and was remembered for his participation in the war against France. His sword became one of the symbols of the Battle of Crecy in 1346. This weapon hung over the prince's grave for a long time until it was stolen in the 17th century, during the reign of Cromwell.

French and English varieties

French fighting swords were studied in detail by the English historian Ewart Oakeshott. He compared many types of medieval edged weapons and compiled his own classification. He noted the trend of a gradual change in the purpose of the bastard sword. The length also varied, especially after the French modification became popular in other Western European countries.

At the beginning, similar weapons appeared in England. There it was called a large combat sword. It was not carried with a saddle, but was worn on a belt in a sheath. The differences between various varieties also lay in the shape of the edges of the blade. At the same time, the weight of the weapon never exceeded 2.5 kilograms.

Art of Combat

It is noteworthy that bastard swords of the 15th century, regardless of the place of their production, were used according to the canons of only two schools of fencing - Italian and German. The secrets of owning formidable weapons were passed down from mouth to mouth, but some information was also preserved in manuscripts. For example, in Italy the teachings of master Fillipo Vadis were popular.

Germany left more geniuses of the art of combat. Most of the books on this subject were written there. Masters such as Hans Thalhofer, Sigmund Ringack, Aulus Kal, became the authors of widespread manuals on how to use a bastard sword. Ordinary townspeople also knew why it was needed and how to use it, even if only in the simplest of ideas. At that time, everyone needed weapons, because only with them could one feel calm in everyday life, when attacks by robbers and other reckless people were the usual norm.

Center of gravity and balance

Although bastard swords in Rus' and in Europe in general were light enough to fight with them, considerable athletic strength was required. Mostly these weapons were owned by knights, and for them war was a profession. Such warriors trained with their weapons every day. Without regular training, a person lost his fighting qualities, which almost always ended fatally for his life. Medieval battles involved the closest possible contact with the enemy. The battles always proceeded at a fast pace and without stopping.

Therefore, it was not even the weight of the weapon or its sharpness that became an important characteristic, but balance. Bastard swords in Rus' had a center of gravity at a point just above the hilt. If the blade was forged incorrectly, then its defect would certainly affect the battlefield. With the center of gravity too shifted upward, the sword became uncomfortable, although its chopping blow continued to be deadly.

Weapon defects

A good weapon should be easy to control while moving. The high pace of the battle left no chance for the delaying warriors. The speed and force of the blow was necessarily influenced by the weight at a certain distance from the hand that held the bastard sword. The name that knights often gave to their weapons could also reflect their fighting qualities. If the blade was intended only for chopping blows, then the mass could only be distributed evenly along the length. If the blacksmith made a mistake during manufacture, the weapon became practically useless in battle against a properly armed enemy.

Bad swords vibrated in the hands when striking another sword or shield. The trembling in the blade was transmitted to the handle, which inevitably disturbed the owner. Therefore, a good weapon always lay firmly in the hand. It necessarily had vibration-free zones, which were called nodes and were located in the correct places from the point of view of physics.

Development of military affairs

By the beginning of the 14th century, significant changes had occurred in European military affairs, which affected both weapons and armor. Photos of bastard swords from different centuries confirm this fact. If before this the knights were the main force on the battlefield, now they began to suffer defeats from foot soldiers. Improved armor allowed the latter to use a reduced shield or abandon it altogether. But photos of bastard swords show that just at the beginning of the 14th century they became significantly longer than their predecessors.

The new models that appeared had a handle that was much easier to operate with one hand than with two. Therefore, such bastard swords were often used in conjunction with a small shield or dagger. Such dual weapons made it possible to attack the enemy even more dangerously.

One and a half blade and plastic armor

With the advent of plastic armor, the “half sword” technique was developed specifically against them. It was as follows. When fighting against the enemy in such equipment, the owner of the sword had to land a piercing blow in the gap between the plates. To do this, the warrior covered the middle of the blade with his left hand and helped direct the weapon to the target, while his right hand, lying on the handle, gave the attack the force necessary for success. Quite free, but similar in principle of action, would be a comparison with a game of billiards.

If the battle took exactly this turn, then the sword must have had a sharpened edge. At the same time, the rest of the blade remained dull. This allowed a gloved hand to perform the techniques described above. Swords were made light in many ways similar to armor. There is a well-established stereotype that it was almost impossible to move in them. By saying this, people confuse tournament and combat armor. The first actually weighed about 50 kilograms and constrained the owner, while the second weighed half as much. You could not only run in them, but also do gymnastic exercises, as well as somersaults. Since in the manufacture of armor the craftsmen tried to make them as light and easy to use as possible, the same qualities were transferred to swords.

Hand and a half sword (one and a half)- a sword with an elongated heel of the blade (the unsharpened part of the blade near the hilt).

The heel made it possible, if necessary, to intercept the weapon with both hands (by the handle and heel).
The crosspiece of the “one and a half” was elongated and could have arches to protect the second hand. A classic example of a bastard sword is the so-called bastard (literally - “illegitimate”, so named for the uncertainty of the grip: whether it is one-handed or two-handed...). This type of sword was very popular because it could be used both in combination with a shield and separately as a two-handed sword.

The criterion for identifying one-and-a-half-handed swords is: a length exceeding the length of a one-handed sword, but no more than the owner’s solar plexus. The weight of one-and-a-half-handed swords is no less than 1200 g, no more than 2400 g. The balance of one-and-a-half-handed swords is at least two palms from the guard towards the tip. One-and-a-half-handed swords strike with chopping and cutting blows.

Accordingly, the meaning of the bastard is precisely that it allows you to use both one-handed and two-handed techniques.

In relation to a one-handed sword, they usually talk about the combination of sword + shield - this combination was the most common and in most cases the most rational. Using a shield and sword requires well-developed defense (not only in melee, but also against thrown weapons) with the possibility of a counterattack - you can attack the enemy before he finishes his attack.

There is a wide variety of shields and an equally wide variety of methods for using them - a large square shield in the technique of use is not at all similar to a small and maneuverable buckler. A strike to the edge of the shield may cause the blade to become momentarily stuck in it, making it impossible to immediately return to its original position or resume the attack (and also open the hand to a counterattack). For this reason, shields without metal frames were often used. In most cases, a fighter with a shield in hand-to-hand combat does not seek to completely hide behind it - on the contrary, most shield stances cover only the left side, deliberately exposing the right side to the enemy. This stance "invites" the enemy to attack the right side and gives you the opportunity to know in advance the direction of the blow.
At the same time, do not forget about the protective potential of your sword - you can also parry enemy attacks with it (here it must be emphasized that when parrying slashing blows, blade-to-blade contacts should be avoided. For protection, it is preferable to use the plane of the sword and not expose it to the blow is like a shield, and to use it to divert the enemy’s weapon to the side. But this is a separate topic).

Two-handed weapons became widespread due to the development of protective equipment: a fighter in durable plate armor could abandon the shield in favor of greater speed and force of blows. The main role of defense was mainly assigned to leaving the line of attack and parrying. The large length of the blade also makes it possible to keep the enemy at a respectful distance. The high speed of strikes is due to the so-called “lever” work of the sword: the sword is held with a wide grip so that the right hand lies near the guard, the left hand near the pommel, and the distance between them should be no less than the palm. When delivering a slash, one hand moves the sword, and the other, on the contrary, pulls. Injections are most often performed with one hand; the left one only helps in the initial phase by pushing the sword out. A fighter in strong plate armor can sometimes deliberately miss a blow, concentrating on a counter attack. But at the same time, he will not stand like a statue or stupidly step forward, posing as a tank. It is enough to turn or tilt the body to the side - and the blow that was supposed to cut it will only slide across the armor, causing practically no damage to it.

However, the lack of a shield at the beginning of the battle could cost a soldier his life. Plate armor was well designed for combat, and was far from the bulky, clunky cliché created by Hollywood. But nevertheless, a soldier without a shield is an ideal target for an archer. In hand-to-hand combat, the lack of a shield can also have unpleasant consequences.

Therefore, simultaneously with the spread of two-handed swords, one-and-a-half-handed swords began to be widely used, as the most universal. Such a sword has a wide hilt (sometimes compound) and a fairly powerful pommel.
In terms of the length of the blade, the lorry is an intermediate option between one-handed and two-handed swords. The blade usually tapers to the tip, which gives greater freedom of thrusts and makes the weapon very fast in defense.

At the beginning of the battle, a one-and-a-half-handed sword was usually used in combination with a shield (much less often in tandem with another weapon - a dagger or sword). When fatigue makes itself felt, a fighter can throw a heavy shield on his back (or even throw it to the side) and fencing with one and a half hands with both hands.

The value of this weapon, in my opinion, lies primarily in its versatility.
The one-and-a-half-handed sword is a weapon for all occasions, so it is not surprising that it was so widespread in medieval Europe.