Arming Sword - after the 14th century, with the appearance of the longsword the simple, single-handed weapon became known as a short sword or arming sword, since it hung from the belt of the knight, while his longsword hung from the saddle. The non-cutting edge (the back of the blade) was much thicker than the cutting edge thus creating a wedge type shape which was said to increase the weapons cutting capacity.
Bastard swords continued to be used by knights and men-at-arms into the 1500's, and for a time, enjoyed the civilian side-arm role that would later be superceded by the sidesword and rapier.
The term " broadsword" seems to have originated in the 17th century, referring to a double-edged military sword, with a complex hilt.
A medieval sword was simply called a "sword," a "short sword" (in the works of George Silver), or an "arming sword." Further complicating the issue is a "true broadsword," which is actually an 18th century short naval cutlass.
Medieval swords appeared in a variety of forms, but generally had a long, wide, straight, double-edged blade with a simple cross-guard (or "cruciform" hilt).
This two-handed broadsword was used by the Scottish Highlanders against the English in the 16th century and is often confused with a Basket-hilt "broadsword" (a relative of the Italian schiavona) whose hilt completely enclosed the hand in a cage- like guard.
Unlike the later rapier, which was wholly a civilian weapon, the cut & thrust sword was a military weapon that became popular for civilian use until superseded by the rapier.
Various forms of later military cut & thrust swords include the: schiavona, spadroon, hanger, and Espadon. These are the swords discussed by such Masters as George Silver, Achille Marozzo, and Di Grassi.
Like swords, were usually fitted with a pommel and guard, and throughout the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, also developed progressively more complex hilts.
A form of sword that was little more than a meat cleaver, possibly even a simple kitchen and barnyard tool adopted for war.
It can be seen in Medieval art being used by warriors of all stations, especially in close quarters fighting.
The weapon is entirely European in origin, and is similar to the German "dusack," and has been linked to the Dark Age long knife or "seax." The falchion was used throughout the Middle Ages, predominantly by foot soldiers, but occassionally as a side-arm for mounted knights.
This wide, heavy blade was weighted more towards the point, and could deliver tremendous blows, making it ideal for combating heavy armours.
The term "great-sword" has come to mean a form of long-sword that is still not the specialized weapons of later two-handed swords.
Between 4 - 4.5' long, and with an average weight of 3 - 4 lbs, the longsword was typically straight, double-edged, and with a simple cruciform hilt.
It grew naturally out of the older, single-handed sword, as a means of combating heavier mail, and reinforced mail armour.
References to longswords appears as early as the 1180s, but they do not seem to have been common until the late 13th century, and became the principle battlefield sword for the knightly class in the early 14th c.
Pommels came in a variety of shapes: disks, balls, brazil-nuts, crescents, a sort of mushroom cap, etc., and changed in popularity as much with changes in fashion sense as martial usage
Small-Sword - Sometimes known as a "court-sword", a "walking-sword", or "town-sword", small-swords developed in the late Renaissance as a personal dueling tool and weapon of self-defense.
The size and weight of the weapon, made it unsuited for close formation fighting, and its use was reserved for banner defense, guarding breeches in siege warfare, and forming skirmish lines.
In Germany and England they seem to have enjoyed a vogue for use in single-combat, but their precise military role is still in debate.
Although collectors have come to call certain wave or flame-bladed two-handed swords "flamberges", these swords of the early-to-mid 1500's and are more appropriately known as "flammards" or "flambards" (the German" Flammenschwert").
