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The Sword in Combat - Battles and Summaries

This is a companion to my other post . Each battle listed here is a description of swords and sidearms being used en masse , detailed in a m...

Saturday, September 2, 2023

The Role of the Two Handed Sword in War

Hello and welcome to my first post! This will be a big one, so get comfortable.

Often it is said "We don't know how zweihanders/montantes/spadoni were used in war," but frankly, this is far from the truth. There is plenty of information as to their purpose and role in battle, but there is some piecing together to do.

Before I continue, it must be noted zweihander, schlachtschwert, slaugh sword, slaughter sword, montante, spadone, espadon, two handed sword, and sometimes longsword are one and the same. Even though some of these names are more common today, and perhaps more clear, I will use the term "two handed sword," as it is the most common term in period English texts.