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In the European High Middle Ages, the one-handed arming sword was the well-known weapon of the European knight. Academically, these swords are sometimes referred to as arming sword, arming sword, or fully as knightly arming sword. This type often appears in artworks from that period, and numerous examples have been archaeologically preserved. The High Medieval sword from the Romanesque period (10th to 13th century) gradually developed from the ‘Viking sword’ of the 9th century. In the late Middle Ages (14th and 15th century), late forms of these swords remained in use, often as side sword, a secondary weapon. Around this period, these traditional swords were called arming swords, to distinguish them from longswords, bastard swords and two-handed swords.
Composition
The arming sword (arming sword) is characterized by a blade usually 70-80 cm which is equipped with two cutting edges. The sword has a cross-shaped crossguard, a pommel and a grip that is suitable for holding the sword with one hand. The other hand was usually used to hold a shield.
History
The arming sword developed in the 11th century from the Viking sword. The most notable morphological development was the emergence of a longer crossguard. The transitional swords from the 11th century are also known as Norman swords. As early as the 10th century, some of the "finest and most elegant" swords of the Ulfberht-type (originally Viking, but actually Carolingian/Frankish) began to show a slimmer blade shape, with the center of gravity placed closer to the grip to facilitate handling.
The high middle ages represent the pinnacle of this type of sword. It was the symbol of the aristocracy and was used both on horseback and on foot by the aristocracy and the knightly class. During the high middle ages, the best body armor consisted of the gambeson and chainmail shirt. Plate armor did not yet exist, and swords were primarily made for cutting and secondarily for thrusting.
In the late middle ages, the arming sword evolved with the times. The rise of plate armor necessitated making swords better suited for thrusting. The sword continued to be used mainly with one hand, while at the same time bastard swords and longswords were developed that could be wielded with two hands to deliver more powerful thrusts. In the late 15th century, arming swords could sometimes even take on the form of the late medieval estoc, a sword designed solely for thrusting.
At the end of the middle ages, the estoc-arming sword evolved into the Spanish espada ropera and the Italian spada da lato, the precursors of the early modern rapier. In a separate development, the schiavona was introduced, a sword with one hand but heavier in weight, used by the Dalmatian bodyguard of the Doge of Venice in the 16th century. This type influenced the development of the early modern basket-hilt sword, which in turn evolved into the modern (Napoleonic) cavalry sword.
Terminology of the arming sword or arming sword
The term arming sword, 'arming sword' (espées d'armes) is first used in the 15th century to refer to the single-handed type sword, when it was no longer the primary weapon and came into use as side sword. In the late medieval context, "arming sword" specifically refers to the estoc when worn as a sidearm, but as a modern term, it can also refer to any one-handed sword from the late Middle Ages. The term "arming sword" is a modern designation to denote the sword of the high Middle Ages.
The terminology for swords from this period is somewhat flexible. Usually, the common type sword at a given time was simply referred to as "sword" (English swerde, French espée, Latin gladius, and so on). During the high Middle Ages, terms like "great sword" (grete swerd, grant espée) or "small" or "short sword" (espée courte, parvus ensis) did not necessarily refer to the morphology of the sword, but merely to their relative size. Oakeshott notes that this changes in the late Middle Ages, from the end of the 13th century, when the bastard sword emerged and was further developed later.
The most widely used typology for medieval swords was developed in 1960 by Ewart Oakeshott, primarily based on the morphology of the blade. In 1964, he added an additional typology for pommel shapes.
A more recent typology was developed by Geibig (1991), focusing on swords from the continental transition area from the early to the high Middle Ages (early 8th to late 12th century). However, this typology does not extend to the late Middle Ages.
The length of the blade was usually between 69 and 81 centimeters, although specimens from 58 to 100 centimeters are known. Pommels were around 1000–1200 AD mostly of the "brazil-nut" type, while the "wheel" pommel appeared in the 11th century and dominated from the 13th to 15th centuries.
Sword typologies
Oakeshott emphasizes that a medieval sword cannot be precisely dated based on basic of shape alone. Although there were general trends, many popular forms of pommels, grips, and blades remained in use throughout the high Middle Ages.
The common "knight's swords" of the high Middle Ages (11th to early 12th century) fall under types X to XII:
Type X is the Norman sword, developed from the early Viking sword by the 11th century.
Type XI shows the development towards a more tapered point, as seen in the 12th century.
Type XII is a further development, typical during the Crusades, with a tapered blade and a shortened fuller. Subtype XIIa includes the longer and heavier 'longswords', developed in the mid-13th century, probably intended to break through improvements in chainmail shirt. These form the precursors of the late medieval longsword.
Type XIII is the arming sword from the late 13th century. Swords of this type have long, broad blades with parallel edges, ending in a rounded or spatula-like point and with a lens-shaped cross-section. The grips became somewhat longer (approximately 15 cm), allowing for occasional two-handed use. Pommels were usually of the brazil-nut or disc-shaped type. Subtype XIIIa has a longer blade and grip; these are the knightly "longswords" or Grans espées d'Allemagne, which seamlessly transition into the 14th-century longsword. Subtype XIIIb describes smaller one-handed swords of similar form.
Type XIV developed at the end of the high Middle Ages, around 1270, and remained popular in the early decades of the 14th century. They are often depicted on effigies of English knights, but only a few specimens have survived. These swords tapered more than their predecessors.
The continuity of the arming sword as the “arming sword” type of the late Middle Ages corresponds to Oakeshott types XV, XVI, and XVIII.
Pommel typology according to Oakeshott groups medieval pommel shapes into 24 categories, some with subtypes:
Type A: brazil-nut, inherited from the classical Viking sword.
Type B: rounded variants of A, including the "mushroom" or "tea-cosy" shape.
Type C: cocked-hat shape, also found in Viking swords; D, E, and F are derived from it.
Type G: disc-shaped pommel, very common.
Type H: variant of the disc pommel with chamfered edges, very frequent from the 10th to 15th century. I, J, and K are derived from the disc pommel.
Types L to S: rare and often difficult to date. L has a cloverleaf-like shape, possibly limited to Spain in the 12th–13th century. M is a special derivative of the multi-lobed pommel from the Viking Age. P ("shield-shaped") and Q ("flower-shaped") are only known from artworks. R is a spherical pommel, with only a few examples known.
Types T to Z: pommel shapes from the late Middle Ages. T is the "fig/pear/stink stopper" shape, used from the early 14th century, but frequent only after 1360. U is the "key shape," used only in the second half of the 15th century. V is the "fish tail" pommel from the 15th century. Z is the "cat's head," apparently used exclusively in Venice.
Inscriptions
Many European sword blades from the High Middle Ages contain inscriptions. These were particularly popular in the 12th century. Often they consisted of incoherent letters, inspired by religious formulas such as in nomine domini and the words benedictus or benedicat. The 12th-century fashion for inscriptions is based on the earlier tradition of the Ulfberht swords (9th–11th century). A find from East Germany, dated to the late 11th or early 12th century, combines a Ulfberht inscription with an in nomine domini inscription (+IINIOMINEDMN). Many inscriptions from the late 12th and 13th centuries are even harder to decipher and sometimes resemble random letters, such as ERTISSDXCNERTISSDX, +NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI+, or +IHININIhVILPIDHINIhVILPN+ (Pernik-sword).
