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As arms and weapons evolved knights could find themselves in situations where they might enter a battle on horseback but leave it on foot, thus the need arose for a sword that was short enough to wield on foot and yet long enough to reach targets from horseback. Enter the longsword, which was really just a longer and heavier version of the typical sword. These blades were effective against plate armored foes as well as being devastating against l...

One of the things I've repeatedly encountered among sword enthusiasts over the years is a subtle misunderstanding that all swords of a similar design and function will handle and perform in the exact same way. There is a certain assumption that because every sword strikes along the same lines and uses the same kinds of blows for the most part that differences among similar kinds are minor. But the fact is, they have distinctions in form and desig...

Geometry is an important part of Medieval and Renaissance fencing and in the swords they employed. Knowledge of the rules of geometry permeated Western civilization for hundreds of years. It built cathedrals and castles, enabled siege weapons, and inspired everything from illuminations to sculpture and painting. It was even seen as expressing the divine. Geometry was one of the medieval Trivium, part of the artes liberales taught within the class...