The longsword is a straight, double-edged, single- or double-handed weapon with a blade 90-107 cm long and a total weight of around 1.5-2 kg. Fast, efficient, elegant. Also known by the more recent names of ‘one and a half-handed sword’ and ‘knight’s sword’ or ‘bastard sword’. Not to be confused with the two-handed swords, such as the Portuguese Spadone, which was much longer and heavier, although it had very similar fencing techniques.
One of the reasons for the development and spread of the longsword is the change in armor. The combination of a one-handed sword and shield became increasingly meaningless with the advent of plate armor. The heyday of the longsword can thus be dated to the 14th and 15th centuries, although by then it had undergone significant changes.
Although the sword was not the main instrument of medieval warfare, and its spread was preceded in frequency by the various spear-like weapons, it has been the most revered and fundamental weapon of warriors since ancient times, as a symbol and icon. The longsword is one of the few weapons that can be said to be universal.
Most of the known medieval cutting, stabbing, and crushing weapons were made for specific purposes: against armor, against a crowd, for duels, self-defense, etc. However, the longsword is effective in most of these cases. Nothing proves this better than the fact that it was still used in the Thirty Years’ War and was actively taught in many fencing schools in the second half of the 17th century – although by then its popularity was waning.
Numerous manuals and fencing books have survived on its use, its martial arts, and its philosophy. Its martial art is about sword sense, speed, and harmony of movement, not physical strength. Fighting with the longsword was not as crude and barbaric as it is nowadays perceived, especially in civilian use, when fencing schools were opened in towns and duels or competitions were held. Fighting was done according to rules, with many styles and schools, which differed more or less from one another.
The longsword was a fast, efficient, and multifunctional weapon, capable of deadly cuts, thrusts, and blows. The weapon was usually wielded with two hands, both on the hilt and one close to or gripping the pommel.
It was also suitable to handle with one hand, especially during duels or from horseback. The other use was against armor. The hilt of the sword was gripped with one hand only, the other hand gripping the blade at the center for easier control, to make more precise thrusts and stabs.
This was an unmatched combination of capabilities, as many instructional materials claimed, with long-sword fencing providing the basis for learning to fight with many other weapons, including the spear, the staff, and spear-like weapons. It is no coincidence that many people learned the technique of longsword fencing before they were introduced to the use of the one-handed rapier.
The use of the sword in combat was not strictly limited to the blade, many Fechtbuchs explain and depict the use of the sword hilt and crossguard as an offensive weapon. The crossbar is presented as a hook that can be used to throw an opponent off balance, push him away, or inflict serious wounds. What we know about fighting with the longsword comes from the manuscripts and codexes of medieval and Renaissance masters.
In them, the basics of the fight were written and drawn. The earliest known Fechtbuch, a manuscript by Johannes Lichtenauer from 1389, is associated with the German fencing school. This manuscript was written in obscure verse, to the misfortune of modern learners. Lichtenauer’s students, such as Sigmund Ringeck, transcribed this work into much clearer prose, making the system much more comprehensible and readable. Others produced similar works, some adding extensive illustrations to the text. The Italian school was the other main teaching system for the use of the longsword.
The Fiore dei Liberi of 1410 shows the diversity of the use of the longsword. As in the German manuscripts, the fighting here is mainly done with both hands on the hilt. However, a part of the manuscript also discusses the one-handed use of the sword, demonstrating the technique and its advantages.
The manual also includes the half-sword technique as part of the fight against armor. Both schools declined in the late 16th century when later Italian masters abandoned the longsword and focused mainly on fencing with the rapier. The last German book to deal with the longsword was by Jacob Sutor, in 1612. In Italy, the teaching of the longsword persisted, despite the popularity of the rapier, until the mid-17th century (Alfieri Lo Spadone, 1653).
A late treatise on the “two-handed sword” was written by Giuseppe Colombani, a Venetian dentist, in 1711. Based on this doctrine, the tradition survived into the 19th and 20th centuries in the form of baton fighting, for example in Giuseppe Cerri’s “Trattato teorico e pratico della scherma di bastone” (1854). Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that the days of the longsword on the battlefield were over after the end of the 16th century.
In Hungary, the longsword was also widespread, both the German and the Italian trends. Since Hunyadi János spent part of his youth at the court of the Italian-born Pipo of Ozorai, we can assume that he mastered this style. King Louis II of Hungary, who died young at the Battle of Mohács, also owned a fencing book, which unfortunately has not come down to us, only a contemporary account of the book has been found, and only tells us how much he paid for it.
Today, longsword fencing is an important part of HEMA (Historical European Martial Art). I am also a HEMA fencer and have several longswords at home. I am not that skilled, but they say that any fencing is better than no fencing. There are many HEMA clubs around the world where people who want to experience a taste of history are welcome.
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