Medieval Weapons - The Passion of Swords

For all of you swords collector and practitionners, here is a movie that might interest all of you.

This is the first of its kind documentary. This film is all about European and Asian historic swordplay. On top of that it will offer a in-depth look at the fascinating world of stage combat on the silver screen.

Here is the official description fof the movie:

“The Medieval and Renaissance blade, a profound and beautiful object handcrafted by master artisans of old. An object of great complexity, yet one with a singular use in mind- it is designed to kill. The truth of the sword has been shrouded in antiquity, and the Renaissance martial arts that brought it to being are long forgotten. The ancient practitioners lent us all they knew through their manuscripts. As gunslingers of the Renaissance they were western heroes with swords, and they lived and died by them. Yet today their history remains cloaked under a shadow of legend.”

 Get all the info you need about this amazing movie: Reclaiming the Blade

One of the most common medieval swords is the longsword. This type of sword was mainly seen during the late medieval period. Longswords are caracterized by their lengthy cruciform hilts. The hilts could be as along as 6 inches providing the perfect space for two hands. The blade was double-edged and could reach as much as 35 inches. The weight of these swords could vary greatly depending on the size. The weight was between 1kg and 3kg.

The longsword was used to strike, cut and thrust, but the great thing about this type of sword is that their shape were designed with offensive purposes in mind. All parts of the sword could be used in combat including the pommel and the crossguard.

The longsword are often refered to as :

- Hand & a Half
- Greatsword
- Bastard sword