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The Germanic tribes of the late Roman Iron Age were able to forge double edged blades used for hacking that were longer that the gladius of Rome. Surviving examples of these Germanic swords had blades measuring between 28" (71cm) and 32" (81cm) in length and 1.7" (4.5cm) to 2.4" (6cm) in width. These single handed weapons sported a tang only some 4-5" (11cm) long, and had very little taper in their blades ending in usually rounded tip.
This pattern continued through the Viking age where the swords grew slightly in length (average length of approx. 37" (93cm)) and a slightly more acute distal taper and point. These blades had deep fullers running their length, yet still had single handed hilts which often sported a 'brazil nut' shaped pommel. While the pattern of hilt and blade design of this time might readily be called 'The Viking sword' to do so would be to neglect the wide spread popularity it enjoyed. All over continental Europe between 700-100 AD this design and its small variations could be found.
During "Norman" times the blades increased some 4" (10cm) in over all length, and the hilt changed significantly. Instead of the brazil-nut pommel, a thick disc shaped pommel was attached 'edge-wise' to the bottom of the iron hilt. In addition the upper guard grew substantially from the almost unapparent design predating it. Also the blades tended to taper slightly less than those found during the times of the Vikings.
During the high middle ages a great variety of different types of swords were developed; the shape of these blades developed as the answer to increasing armour protection coming into use in Europe, after the mid 13th century. These included the bastard-sword and great-sword variations. While the cutting and slashing blade designs persisted, the plate armor in use required almost every type of sword to become pointed for thrusting at the tip. This lead to the off-shoot in the estoc. The average blade length of a long-sword during this time is around 110 centimetrecm redirects here, alternate uses: cm (disambiguation A centimetre (symbol cm American spelling: centimeter is an SI unit of length. One centimetre is: one-hundredth of one metre one-tenth of a decimetre ten millimetres. millimetre << centimetre << decimes (3 feet and 7 inches), and the weight is usually between 1.2 and 1.8 kilogramThe kilogram (symbol: kg is the SI base unit of mass. A gram is defined as one thousandth of a kilogram. Conversion of units describes equivalent units of mass in other systems. Multiples SI prefixes are used to name multiples and subdivisions of the kilos (2.6 to 4.0 pounds). The actual size and weight of a long-sword would depend on personal preference and build of the wielder and varied tremendously when compared to previous ages. In addition to this large sword, often a smaller sword called an arming swordThe term arming sword refers more to the single handed cruciform swords of the middle ages. They are to be seen in period artwork and many museum examples survive. Typically used with a shield or buckler they were the standard military sword of the knight was worn as a back up.
The method of fighting with these long-swords differed from the one handed types in that a shield could not effectively be used. This meant an increased emphasis on blade parries and prioritizing defense of areas of the body with less armour protection. Yet a typical long-sword did not require two hands on the handle all the time, giving the possibility of using the off-hand (left hand for right-handers) for grabs, throws, and a even a few strikes.
While a living tradition of long-sword fighting has not survived to our day, manuscripts written by the masters of the art still exist. Among the most famous of these treatises are Fiore dei LiberiFiore dei Liberi (ca. 1350 1420) was a medieval master of arms. Most of what is known of the man comes from the prologues to his book Flos Duellatorum. The book, of which three distinct versions remain, contains a complete martial arts system describing h's "Flos Duellatorum" (1410) and Filippo Vadi's "De Arte Gladiatoria Dimicandi" (1485), of the italian school, and Hans TalhofferHans Talhoffer was a fencing-master in southern Germany in the 15th century. He is the author several Fechtbucher, illustrated treatises describing methods of fighting with various weapons, including unarmed combat ( grappling), dagger, long sword, pole w's "Alte Armatur und Ringkunst" (1459) and Ms. 3227aThe Codex ms. 3227a (Nurnberger Handschrift GNM 3227a, 169 folia) is a manuscript dating from around 1389, preserved today in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg (Nurnberg). It contains recipes for a wide range of purposes as well as treatises on (ca. 1389, containing the system of Johannes Liechtenauer), of the German schoolTechniques of the two-handed long sword taught in Germany in the 14th to the 17th centuries as described in the Fechtbucher. Most of the authors are, or claim to be, in the tradition of the 14th century master Johannes Liechtenauer. The earliest surviving. In recent decades, efforts to revive the art by translating and analyzing these treatises have been made throughout Europe and North America, leading to a much deeper knowledge base about the nature of European swordsmanship.
Historically, there seems to have been some confusion as to the difference between what was considered a long-sword and what was considered a bastard-sword. Usually they are of a comparable size, and can be used in a similar fashion. As time wore on, bastard-swords came to replace long-swords, as their generally more sharply tapered blades and distinctly rhomboid cross sections were better suited for defeating the increasing armour protection worn on the battlefield. In practice, however, the words are at times used as synonyms.
Note that this kind of sword is not the contemporary great sword, or even less so the two-handed sword of the renaissance. That kind of sword has another purpose and method of use than the long-sword or the bastard-sword.
See historical fencing, Historical European Martial Arts, knight's sword, bastard-sword, side-sword.