Medieval Weapons Research Paper

Swords in the Middle Ages had many uses. One of these uses was to knock enemy riders off their horses. Once they were off, their long riding weapons were of no use to defend them. They were bombarded by soldiers and killed easily.

Next we have the Broadsword. It was a large, heavy, double edged sword that was used to hack rather than stab. The blade was a wide, sharp, metal layer of death. It was used to knock riders off of their horses, and to destroy the opponent's armor. Once the armor was hacked through, if the opponent was still standing, the Broadsword was of much less use, but still proved effective. With a length of 30-45 inches long, and a width of 2-3 inches wide, it was a powerful tool that only the strongest warriors, or knights,

could wield.
Another sword like this is the Falchion.

The Falchion is a single edged sword, used for hacking, rather than stabbing and slashing. This sword was curved at the tip, and the bladed side is extremely narrow. However, it gets wider as it goes along until the other side is flat, and about 3 inches wide. This side could be used to knock the enemy off their feet, proving effective to kill them easier. The blade was about 32 inches long, and the curve at the tip was 6 inches, making it a 2-handed weapon that was typically used for close combat. Surprisingly, it could be used on a small war horse as well.

The Scimitar is a sword that looks alot like a Falchion because it has a curved blade. However, the Scimitar could be used as a one handed sword, allowing the user to hold a shield as well as the sword. The Scimitar could be used to slash and stab, proving itself to be a bit more flexible. It also had a smaller thinner blade, causing the blunt end to be not as wide as the Falchion. The length of the blade increased the damage it could deal. It had a range of 30-36 inches in length, and the width would vary depending on the person wielding it.

All three of these swords are more in the Broadswords family. They could be used to hack at the enemy, or their armor, and would rarely be used for

stabbing.
Now we have the Middle Age Arming Sword or Knights Sword. When we usually think of a sword, we think of a double bladed sword with a pointed tip. Well, the arming sword is all of those things and more. The arming sword was worn typically by knights and was chosen in close combat when facing a opponent with heavily plated armor. These swords were about 32 inches in length, and 2 inches wide, perfect for close combat. It was primarily a stabbing weapon. The blade was crafted in a way that helped it retain it’s sharpness even after being thrust through layers of plate armor.
One other sword somewhat like this was the Longsword. The Longsword was like the Arming sword in many ways. It had a long, double blade, a sharp, pointed tip, and could used for close combat. All three of these are characteristics were found in the Arming sword, but the Longsword could be used to fight on horseback, and to fight the riders on the horses. The Longsword got its name from its length. With a length of 50-60 inches, this sword was only a few inches shorter than most men who would wield it.
With the wide variety of swords available at the time, a fighter had to know their enemy. This enabled them to pick the sword that best suited them, and would give them an advantage over their enemy’s style of combat.