The basket-hilted sword

The basket-hilted sword (sword with basket hilt) is a type of sword from the early modern period, which originated in the mid-16th century. Its distinctive feature is a grip wrapped with a steel basket that serves to protect the hand of the wielder. Traditionally, the sword hand was a significant target for enemy cuts and thrusts. By fully protecting the hand in the shape of a basket, this weapon offered not only optimal offensive power but also significant safety for the wielder. 

The idea of this basket is a further development of the crosspieces (quillons ) which have been added to sword hilts since the late Middle Ages. Initially, these were limited to a S-shaped crossguard, finger rings, and a knuckle guard. Later, these constructions became increasingly sophisticated, resulting in the basket-shaped grip.  This type of sword is sometimes also called broadsword (broadsword), although that term is often carelessly used for various types of swords. Sometimes swords with a band-shaped grip, for example, were typical backswords, swords that feature only one cutting edge. 

In general, the basket-hilted sword was used as a military sword. A "real" broadsword has a double-edged blade (sharp on both sides), while swords that are only sharp on one side and have a thick back on the other side are called backswords . These were cheaper to make. In the modern German dueling sport Mensur (also known as academic fencing), a weapon with a basket hilt, the Korbschläger, is still used.

The term broadsword (broadsword) can be confusing because it is used for many different types of swords. As early as the 11th century, people spoke of "broad swords," but they simply meant a sword, not a separate type. It was not until the 17th century that it referred to a specific sword style.

By the end of the 17th century, "broadsword" primarily referred to the double-edged basket swords used by riders and cavalry. They were so named to distinguish them from the thinner and more pointed swords civilians wore, such as the rapier and the small sword. This is the correct historical meaning of "broadsword," and collectors and historical fencing associations still use the term this way.

However, in the 19th century, historians began calling almost every broad sword a "broadsword," even when it was not historically accurate. This gave the name an overly broad meaning, and it was even used for weapons like sabres and cutlass (cutlasses). In modern literature, fantasy books, and role-playing games, "broadsword" is often simply used for any medieval sword, such as the longsword or the Viking sword.

The basket-hilted sword originated in the 16th century, became popular in the 17th century, and remained widely used in the 18th century. It was especially used by heavy cavalry, even during the Napoleonic Wars.

One of the earliest examples was found on the wreck of the Mary Rose, an English warship that sank in 1545. Before that discovery, the oldest known specimens were from the time of the English Civil War. Initially, the basket-shaped grip (mortuary hilt) was simple in design, but later it became increasingly elaborate and beautifully decorated.

The basket-hilted sword was a weapon for cutting and thrusting, intended for military use. This makes it different from the rapier, which was much more focused on thrusting and was popular among civilians.

In the 17th century, various regional variants emerged, such as the Walloon sabre, Sinclair hilt, schiavona, mortuary sword, and the Scottish broadsword. There were also variants in Eastern Europe, such as certain types of pallasch.

During the 18th century, the fashion in Europe shifted towards dueling with lighter weapons, especially the small sword. Fencing with the broadsword remained primarily a Scottish specialty, and manuals were even published on how to fight with the Scottish broadsword.

Later, variants of this type of sword continued to be used by the cavalry, often with a smaller basket hilt (half or three-quarter basket). Examples include the 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword, the British infantry swords of the 19th century, and even the cavalry swords of 1908 and 1912, just before World War I.

The schiavona was a sword from the Renaissance that became popular in Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was associated with Dalmatian soldiers who served as the bodyguard of the Doge of Venice. The name comes from the Schiavoni: Slavic peoples from Dalmatia and Istria.

The schiavona is recognizable by the cat's head-shaped pommel and a complex handguard pattern. It had a broad, double-edged blade, suitable for both cutting and thrusting. This made the sword more powerful than the rapier, which was primarily intended for thrusting. The weapon became popular among cavalry and mercenaries, but also among wealthy civilians, who wore luxuriously decorated versions as a status symbol and means of defense.

The mortuary sword was a cut-and-thrust sword that was widely used by cavalry after 1625, especially during the English Civil War. It typically featured a half-basket hilt and a straight, double-edged blade measuring 90 to 105 cm in length. The hilts were often elaborately decorated.

After the execution of King Charles I (1649), basket-hilted swords were made with his face or death mask on the hilt. In the 18th century, these were therefore called "mortuary swords." However, some scholars doubt whether these faces were truly intended to represent Charles I, as similar decorations existed earlier.

The weapon was also used in churches as a commemorative piece: they were painted black and placed at graves and memorials, which may also explain the name. The renowned leader Oliver Cromwell used this type of sword; there are still examples attributed to him.

During the Jacobite uprisings in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Scottish clans often used the Scottish basket-hilted sword, called claidheamh mór in Gaelic, which means “big sword” (often claymore in English). Some authors have suggested that one should actually say “claidheamh beag” (small sword), but according to Scottish sources, this is incorrect. In Gaelic, “claidheamh mór” truly means broadsword, and “claidheamh dà làimh” is a two-handed sword. However, nowadays the term claymore is predominantly used for the large two-handed swords used by the Scottish clans. Nevertheless, it is common for the basket-hilted broadsword to also be called claymore. 

The term Sinclair hilt was coined in the 19th century by Victorian researchers. It refers to Scandinavian swords that resembled Scottish basket-hilted swords from the 17th and 18th centuries. They named it after George Sinclair, a Scottish mercenary who was killed in Norway in 1612.

The Walloon sword (also known as Walloon small sword or haudegen) was popular in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia during the Thirty Years' War and the Baroque period. It is considered a precursor to the cavalry saber. This type of weapon was particularly popular in the Low Countries and was used in various armies, including by the French cavalry during the time of Louis XIII and Louis XIV.

This sword often had a thumb ring, which prevented it from being used by both hands (thus not “ambidextrous”). The most common model had a half basket hilt with double shell guard.

The French adopted this design in 1672 when they captured many examples in the Netherlands, making it their first official standard sword. The Swedish army also used this type well into the 19th century.