Longsword
Combat
By Brandon Vogel
The hand-and-a-half sword, more commonly referred to as the longsword, was in common use by knights and nobles during the second half of the Middle Ages. Designed for both thrusting and slashing, the longsword varied in both design and length, although most blades were between 70 and 100 centimeters long. It was designed for either one- or two-handed use.
Longsword combat largely took place in three scenarios: battlefield, judicial duel, and tournament. On the battlefield, the longsword would be used in mounted combat after discarding the lance, while on foot, the longsword would be used after any shaft weapons were broken or discarded. Judicial duels tended to involve opponents armed with three weapons: spear, longsword, and dagger. These guidelines also applied to tournament combat.
The goals of the practice were the eventual surrender, killing, or incapacitating of one’s foe. Taking a defeated foe alive was preferable, as it was not uncommon for ransoms to be paid in exchange for prisoner releases. However, in some circumstances, duels were fought to the death. Target areas include under the helmet, the armpits, the back of the shoulders, elbows, and knees, and any other apparent gap in the opponent’s armor.
The
dominant hand grips the hilt, while the secondary hand is placed halfway up the
blade for better thrusting control. Almost all armored longsword combat is
conducted via thrusting the point of the weapon into gaps in the armor. There
is no slashing in armored longsword combat, as the armor renders slashing
useless. Bashing with the pommel of the weapon was also a popular tactic, as
the armor did not protect as well against crushing.