I understand these days you need sponsors but this it not a good one, we know how scripted and regimented you are for this lot to pay you any money and personally I'd prefer a sponsor I could believe that you actually liked. Love your vids though, keep it up despite my opinion!
Matt, if you haven't seen it already, you should watch this video, you might be very surprised by some of it's content (go to 5:07 if you don't want to watch it all) ruclips.net/video/gW3so0uWy0w/видео.html
So why can't anyone find Captain Context in this game? I mean, it's the same as last time. Are you lying for Raid that you can be found on the game, so people will download it? No one, including me, has found you or your group on that game for weeks, since you first said you could be found in another video of yours.
Ever since the leather jacket video where someone said he looked like a vampire, I can't unsee it when he has a popped collar. And you know what? I like it. If there's any kind of person I want to watch discuss swords, it's a vampire. In fact, Matt, if you could intentionally dress more like a vampire, I would enjoy that.
Well, once when he was theorizing on something, he said something along the lines of "this theory was held by many other experts in the 18th century." I do not remember in which video he said this, so that quote was paraphrased and I am uncertain if he said 18th or 19th century, but my point still stands.
I've always wondered if shad's backscabbard would work for a great sword. Would it be too unwieldy or hard to draw with just one hand? I think it could be interesting to test.
@@heavyshoegaze2423 With the way Shad's back-scabbard is designed, presumably the only change you would need is to increase the distance down the scabbard the slit in the side goes. As long as you are strong enough to lift the sword behind your back with one hand, it should work with any length of sword. Although, if the sword is much longer than you are tall, you probably won't want it on your back.
Yeah, I've always seen it as the Doppleschonders were meant to bat aside the enemy pikes so that they can close in and also give their own pikemen behind them an edge as their pikes aren't getting batted about.
Yeah you're basically not going to cut a pike haft with a single blow of any sword, even a bidenhänder, probably not even with something like a dane axe or poll axe(mostly because something held in hands has too much give, if you hit it hard you're just going to move it, at best disarm them). They can break from repeated blows, but it's not something to build a strategy around.
Imagine the shock and disbelief when I explained, (several times to many people), that Jon Snow being a bastard has nothing to do with his sword being a bastard sword.
Yeah Jon I think may have noted the joke in his head about how he the bastard was wielding a bastard sword but even there he was aware it wasn't a bastard sword because he was wielding it, (well unless you were on the receiving end of it in which case bastard is probably the politest curse his opponent would throw at the sword).
oh wow, haha I never even considered that people would think that was why it was called a bastard sword but yeah I guess people who don't know swords (or even haven't played fantasy setting games) might not have heard of it. Interesting.
I was so wanting to hear Matt deliver the Dundee line: "That's not a sword...THIS is a sword!" as he holds up the great sword. Okay, so I'm stupid...guilty Your Honor.
It looks to me the very big longsword would be an ideal saddle sword for a nobleman. If your horse gets killed under you or you have to dismount for any other reason, you may find yourself surrounded by enemy troops very eager to catch you for ransom, and being able to keep them all at bay with wide sweeping motions of a large sword is rather valuable. But you obviously can't just strap a montante to a horse. So you just make the biggest longsword you can make, so that it can be used both like a montante when you're surrounded and like a longsword when you're more into frontal fights. And you don't have to bother about carrying it on foot.
I was intrigued by the subject and am very pleased to learn of the difficulty in using black and white terminology as all of these swords were produced using pre-standard measurements. I thought that the method of production in a pre-industrial world might be mentioned in that many swords would be made to a one-off order and to a specification passed on by different people in the chain; when sizes are compared to the physique of the person ordering the sword may well be corrupted by the message being passed on by subsequent differing statures. Also, a design might be ordered from memory having seen a weapon at a bit of a distance. Of course, your comment about compromise is also entirely valid, and Matt does mention the context of the weapon's use. The training manuals were written some time after the introduction of a new type of weapon, and Matt mentions a century or so, giving time for people to learn the best way of using them, but also allowing for variations of dimensions. I am not in any way a scholar of the subject but have studied medieval British history. Britain did not field armies of mercenaries like the Germans and Italians, but I can imagine that doing so would provide some level of standardisation if the order for however many weapons was placed with a small integrated group of armourers, hence the preponderance of German, Italian and Spanish training manuals to go with the mercenary armies armed by a single person or small group. Just thoughts...
iirc it was the opposite. If you lost your lance, you'd want a saddle sword small enough to be used with one hand. So, you might choose a smaller longsword to make it easier to use single-handedly. If you were dismounted, you'd just grab your polearm (or greatsword if you carried one instead).
The easiest way to separate swords in my opinion is that a bastard sword is designed to be use easily in 1 or 2 hands, a long sword is designed to be used with 2 hands but can be used good enough in 1 hand & a great sword is designed to be used only with 2 hands & generally can not effectively be used with just 1 hand. The blade & handle length, design and weight are key to classifying European swords.
This is the simplest summary. Tons of nuances, but it all really comes down to that. Only thing that I'd add is that typically the longsword or lower is designed to be worn, while typically a greatsword cannot. That's a significant addition.
I big thing when it comes to terminology for swords (and Shad has brought this up before) is that we in the modern period just have to deal with WAY more types of swords than anyone in history who actively used them.
Thank you Matt for sharing all this information with us. Great points. I do enjoy the mix of longer and shorter videos you've been putting out. Great swords have always fascinated me. Thanks again for taking the time to put all this together. Happy New Year!
To expand a bit on what you said: much of that fixation on types of swords comes from Dungeons & Dragons, and the game original D&D was based on - Chainmail (It says something about the historical prowess of Americans, that their medieval warfare game didn't even get the name right). Gary Gygax, in particular, was a chart-o-holic - he had charts for everything, and the original chainmail rules assigned different classes to weapons - the lighter, and smaller the weapon, the lower it's class. Weapon class was used to determine who struck first, and if your weapon was four classes lower, then you could strike twice, and so on. And from this, Gygax created Supplement 1 for Dungeons and Dragons, where he assigned various damage numbers, and other bonuses to different weapons. And apparently - Gary's approach to charts was "the bigger, the better" - the more comprehensive a chart was, the happier Gygax became.
The thing that he got wrong that I know now 40 years later is the term longsword. The DnD longsword was, in reality, the one handed arming sword. And the DnD two handed sword was, in reality, what I now know is a longsword. Very confusing as a 12 year old now that I know better.
I needed this video, as I've been doing personal practicing I've found my preferences to sit between longsword and greatsword, especially as a very tall person. It's nice to see talk on the middleground.
Forgotten : A Bidenhänder was sometimes used like spear, between the guard and the ,parry hooks' the blades have been often covered with leather as a second grip for using a Bidenhänder as a polearm.
So I’ve watched the video 3 times, and read all the comments - but can’t find the answer... What is the make/model of the smaller great sword ? (which makes an appearance at 5:06, 14:40, and 25:47)
I guess, a more prudent question is what counts as a greatsword, and what's just a so-so sword. 😁😁 On a more serious note, and this might be answered in the video, I do wonder how significantly a person's height affects how they use a sword. For instance, could a tall person's long-sword be used/turned into a great-sword for a short person, for instance.
I think that he answers that, somewhat. First, the terminology is fluid and not fixed and honestly somewhat irrelevant. Second, your height and strength would dramatically change how it would be used. There's the kicker. Take a medium sized longsword. A smaller and weaker person might use it similar to a greatsword because of strength limitations. It's possible that a massive person might use it more like a bastard sword. They would definitely use the same sword very differently based on their relative strength. They might refer to the same sword using different terms based on usage, but the terms don't sound like they were ever as strictly categorized as we tend to.
He didn't mention it in this video, but I think he mentioned it in a previous one, but there are many longsword techniques that you can't use on a greatsword, not just because it'd be slower and cumbersome, but because the sword would hit the ground. Someone who's really tall and strong like the guy who played The Mountain in Game of Thrones could easily use Matt's greatsword as a longsword, but Matt can't because he's too short (and it's also a bit heavy for a greatsword of that size, Matt said this about that greatsword many times). So to answer your question, yes, very significantly.
Aye, it's a great question when you consider dwarven or halfling fighters. Everything should scale down. A halfling would call a large knife his "sword" (as did Frodo and company).
I am really thankful for that low-quality screenshot of different shades of gray, it *really* helped to convey your point... :D Awesome video as always!
I love the idea that they just called everything a sword, no arguments about whether that extra inch or two makes it something else, or whether the length of the quillions matters. Just a sword. I guess when you truly know what your doing with it the name doesn't really matter so much.
Those swords with the very long hilt and blade (but relatively small guard) are interesting! Haven't seen a lot of those before. They kinda remind me of a Nodachi. I wonder if they were used in a similar fashion.
Bringing this into a more modern context - it's like pistols versus rifles. Pistols are useful enough and can be carried in a wide variety of social environments that would be non-conducive to full length rifles. On the other hand, if you're going to fight in a battle you want the rifle because it is a better weapon of war. Also, like longswords & great swords, a wide variety of basic firearms techniques (breath control, stance, aiming) are similar enough, and someone with experience in one type of weapon will be much better with the other than someone with no training.
Rifle's technically fill the same role as polearms and spears of old. It's your general issue weapon for the bulk of your ground forces. But I agree generally with the idea that sword's are mostly like pistols and the "longsword" in the video is kinda like .45 or maybe .357 magnum. It's a big hitter with a lot of stopping power but still convenient enough to carry in a more "civil" environment than a battlefield.
That's very logical and i somewhat agree, but greatswords were for specialists they weren't general issue weapons. Meaning they weren't for every soldier like a rifle. The medieval equivalent of the rifle would be something like a spear, which was a weapon mass issued to most soldiers. The greatsword would be more akin to, say, a machine gun set up in a defensive position. Greatswords and axes were attributed to being good at denying entry for the enemy, so they're good for defending a position just like a modern MG.
And to further confuse things you have things like AR pistols where you've got the mechanical parts from what would typically be a rifle using a rifle cartridge but with a very short barrel and a different stock. Good luck explaining those, future weapon historians.
@@johndododoe1411 Something like that. Remember Matt describing their typical use to fight multiple opponents or to break pike blocks? You wouldn't use a standard battle rifle or even assault rifle (the proper technical definition, not "scary black rifle") for that except in an extreme pinch, you'd want the assault rifle's rate of fire but more range than they are typically good at. It's something you'd use while holding a position, not so much "walking fire" roles.
Glad to hear that you're getting some real winter weather there in England! It's been relatively warm here in the Midwest US. Not actually warm by any means, but probably averaging around 0⁰ Celsius, which is warmish for these parts.
Reminds me of some debate over whether the M2 Carbine is an assault rifle, with some saying it's not because its range isn't quite long enough, and some because it was meant to be used in a different way and the concept of the assault rifle is no less a doctrine than it is the gun itself.
Matt- it would've been helpful if you'd quickly shown the point of balance of each of the examples you were holding. It would've been illuminating. Especially when considering types which were similar but had slightly different intentions.
In germany greatswords are sometimes called "Gassenhauer", alley hewer/cutter. Imagine attacking someone in an alley with a couple of people. And he wields a great sword. Try getting past him with his reach. He can cut down anyone getting to close. Especially when letting the sword flow.
I'm not sure if that definition of the word Gassenhauer is correct. I guess it makes sense - These types of swords have been used by body guards and the Landsknechts with the big swords have held breacherd walls (I thjink they did so in the siege of Vienna). But the definition I always had in mind for Gassenhauer was The Greatsword wielders striking an alley/opening into the enemy formation.
Great video Matt, looking forward to more demonstrations, especially with rapiers! I want to purchase either a side sword or rapier but I’m worried that the length will be hard to wield/carry with a military rapier compared the a shorter side sword. Would love an active demonstration of the two types in your hands.
The very unnoficial thing I call the inbetween of the longsword and greatsword is “big brother sword”, as in the big brother of the bastard sword; somewhere between.
Now that you mentioned pikes, I wondered if you could some day do a video about pike warfare, either medieval and early modern pike usage, or the famous hellenic infantry blocks armed with sarissas. What would it be like from the front row if two pike blocks clashed? What would it be like from the back rows? How do other weapons, such as great swords and ranged weapons figure into this kind of warfare?
I used to prefer slightly greatsword-length longswords when studying German and Italian longsword, maybe it's just because of my posture. However I've started to prefer bastard sword length longswords when starting up in English lonhsword, maybe due to the frequent one handed strikes in the system. It seems to be true that different swords or sword length would be perfect for different styles, and it is not who uses the bigger or better sword that would win, but who can employ the better tactics and adapt to the technique of the adversary.
I can't help but notice that the type 18c longsword is close to proportion to some feders. I've noticed my blunt is a lot smaller in handle and a tad smaller in blade length than my feder. Is it that feders, not being sharp weapons, but training swords, were never worn, so they could get longer hilts and blades than most historical longswords tended to? Or is this just an artifact of weapons made for protective hema gloves. Just curious.
Quick question: you use the difference between personal and battlefield use as a difference between longsword and greatsword (seems sensible to me). Given that we have no sources from German-speaking lands similar to the Iberian style, do you think greatswords would still be used in that wide and sweeping way by Landsknechts and bodyguards such as Pauernfeindt?
@@Inquisitor_Vex except war hammers go from mace/axe size 1 handed weapons up to Lucerne Hammer or bec de Corbin small spear size. Theres also all sizes of hammers from small Francisca throwing axe up to Dane Axe.
@@Inquisitor_Vex you are mistaken. Spears (and other polearms)for majority of history where main weapons while swords are (apart from Zweihändlers) side arms. It never was "I have money I won't buy spear but I'll buy sword". It was "I don't have money I'll buy spear and take knife (bigger knife like seax or messer if I can) maybe axe" "I can afford sword and my spear will be better quality"
@@Inquisitor_Vex no English knights where famous for using polearms including bec de Corbin and Lucerne Hammer was very popular too they where one of main anti-tank weapons of late medieval and Renaissance eras.
Wow this is a timely video. I've recently started making in-roads on longswords and greatswords in my collection and the nomenclature for a "newbie" can be really confusing, especially on product pages because various terms are often used incorrectly, interchangeably, or both. Thanks for posting! Also I want to thank you for the Viking weapons video, tremendously helpful. I still wonder about Viking hammers - topic for a future video mayhaps?
To add to the mix: Marozzo talkes about yet another sort of sword, the spadoncino. Which based on pictures seems to be somewhere between a typical longsword and a typical greatsword. My very limited knowledge of the Italian language would translate the word as "smaller greatsword".
I really like the Del Tin Great Sword, in fact I have one here hanging in my library. I've carried it to events, back before they started requiring that swords be tied into their scabbards....in other words, before I stopped going to events. It's a really nice and well built sword.....and very sharp, for cutting.
That sword of Henry VIII at 15:20 seems to be very similar to a nagamaki, a Japanese battlefield weapon that lay in between the tachi/katana and nodachi/odachi. The nagamaki was characterized by a a tachi/katana length blade with a very long handle equivalent to approximately 2:3 to 1:1 ratios of handle-to-blade length which is where the nagamaki derives its name translating roughly as "long wrapping". The nagamaki on the battlefield came to overtake the nodachi/odachi because it could be used in a very similar fashion but was far easier to wield and could better utilize techniques normally found with polearms than the nodachi/odachi.
30 cm of grip (~1 ft) and 90 cm of blade (~3 ft) and a very broad crossguard. How would that be classified? Are there period examples with similar measurements?
@@Inquisitor_Vex well if we're being serious you would literally just sling it over your shoulder and hold it in one hand by the pommel. Im sure if you were just transporting a greatsword then maybe you would sheath it on your back but you would never want to do that going into a situation where you expected to fight with it.
@@Inquisitor_Vex Items of those dimensions would likely be a bit awkward even on a horse. These were weapons of war. I imagine they often traveled in wagons with other weapons/materiel.
I just received my Windlass English Two-handed sword a couple of days ago. Who makes the black hilted version you're holding? At first I thought you modified yours, but it's in the background. Then I thought Arms and Armor made one, but I don't see it on their site.
Greatswords can be carried in scabbards(or sheaths) worn on the back. You can't draw them while the scabbard is worn, so you unsling the scabbard/sheath from your back and then draw(typically discarding the scabbard/sheath).
I've heard "war sword" used to refer to the early two-handed swords that basically looked like and were used like giant longswords. Is there any basis for this?
I've only heard of Shad using that term, a google search didn't turn out anything nor have I found any usage of "War sword" in the few books I've looked at. That being said, it sounds perfectly valid to me considering that we use terms such as Kriegsmesser(War Knife),longsword etc.
I didn't hear any mention of the bastard sword, but there was some talk of using the longsword 1-handed or 2-handed. A proper longsword cannot be wielded effectively with only one hand. The exception to this is if you're on a horse, or otherwise in a mounted position, then it's quite sensible and practical to give blows with the longsword 1-handed. A true bastard sword is a sword which can be wielded effectively with just one hand. It is a 1-handed sword with a 2-handed grip. A greatsword is really more like a polearm than a sword, and you really have to wonder if this type of sword was more of a symbol or status and prowess than some kind of highly specialized weapon. The cost to make a sword, and the skill of the smith required, would both be great indeed, which brings you to the question of: what specific advantages might a 2-handed sword have over a polearm (any polearm; long, short, sharp, blunt, etc.) in any of the contexts where a 2-handed sword might be used?
I'm looking forward to the videos of Matt hiking through wilderness and competing in a HEMA tournament wearing high spike heels. Let's investigate the practicality of such attire. :)
For me, the biggest difference between a "greatsword" and a "long sword" is how you can actually physically use it. Shad actually talks about this in a similar video where he's talking about different swords and the inherent gray area nature of trying to find an exact cut off point for long sword vs greatsword... but for me. It's only actually a "greatsword" if it must be used like a polearm, and can't be used with all the techniques of a two handed sword. Where that cut off is, specifically, actually depends on the height and strength of the user... but essentially, once the weapon comes up to your armpit, there's all kinds of movements you can't make with the weapon anymore (at least not without significant modification) and you really can't wear it on your side anymore.. at best, you could carry it in a specialized back carrying method just for ease of long distance transport to a battlefield. The "war swords" (as Shad calls them) that sit kind of in the middle.. where they're still too big to be a "longsword" but too small (and typically have less complex hilt designs) to be a "greatsword" are different from both because they can still do most of the things a longsword can, while losing a few advantages (carrying ease and certain actions are harder.. also the weapon is less nimble by enough that you have to use it fundamentally differently to a degree).. but it's still not a greatsword because you still don't use it entirely like a polearm.
When it says they were used to "break pikes" they probably meant to break/disrupt pike formations rather than chop through ash shafts (tho I'm sure it happened Sometimes, if you've ever tried to cut a long ash pole in a person's hands it tends to be springy). I imagine the greatsword was used not dissimilarly (in battlefield function, not necessarily technique) to daneaxes, pollaxes, nodachi, etc. But basically the weapons of shock troops/champions who would exploit gaps in the enemy line charge in and lay about doing as much damage as possible so your men can take advantage of the chaos you've caused
What about the swords of war, the Oakeshott type xiia and xiiia, they were as i understand the precursor to the longsword, and were much bigger than the longswords as we know them now and smaller than the greatswords.
I am not that familiar with the surving treatises used in HEMA (I have seen a few, not enough to generalise), but yoy said something that got me thinking. Are they mostly about 1v1 dueling combat, or do we have any substantial works on training troops and group fighting techniques and startegy, so basically soldier training not only gentleman's?
In RUclips you can find a clip about british cavallry training sword use in 1914. The troopers stood in a position, immitating sitting on horseback, and did moves, ordered by a trainer. Perhaps this was really the ,old days' way of basic training.
@@louisvictor3473 : As i said ,basic' training i thought also , beginners training'. For good use of a non- firearm sparring is necessary, but the first training lessons in ,old days' could have been done in this style.
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I understand these days you need sponsors but this it not a good one, we know how scripted and regimented you are for this lot to pay you any money and personally I'd prefer a sponsor I could believe that you actually liked. Love your vids though, keep it up despite my opinion!
@@popuptoaster I’ve heard they pay £10,000 - I’m willing to put up with that if it goes towards the channel
@@popuptoaster I'm sure he really likes those boots
Matt, if you haven't seen it already, you should watch this video, you might be very surprised by some of it's content (go to 5:07 if you don't want to watch it all)
ruclips.net/video/gW3so0uWy0w/видео.html
So why can't anyone find Captain Context in this game?
I mean, it's the same as last time. Are you lying for Raid that you can be found on the game, so people will download it? No one, including me, has found you or your group on that game for weeks, since you first said you could be found in another video of yours.
All greatswords are long, but not all longswords are great.
Nice! Who would've thought that Set Theory, with its "sets", and "subsets", and "intersections", could be such a good source of humor?! 🤔🙂
Ever since the leather jacket video where someone said he looked like a vampire, I can't unsee it when he has a popped collar. And you know what? I like it. If there's any kind of person I want to watch discuss swords, it's a vampire. In fact, Matt, if you could intentionally dress more like a vampire, I would enjoy that.
Well, once when he was theorizing on something, he said something along the lines of "this theory was held by many other experts in the 18th century." I do not remember in which video he said this, so that quote was paraphrased and I am uncertain if he said 18th or 19th century, but my point still stands.
He could totally pull off the classic Nosferatu look, as played by Max Schreck in 1922.
@@ericamborsky3230 Are you suggesting he's been undead since the 18th Century?
@@skjaldulfr are you suggesting he hasn't??
Oh yeah. Quite clear now really.
"unless you build a very specific and not historical type of scabbard and why would you do that?"
*Stares in Shad 😂
Because it's cool! Non historical things are cool too, Matt!
Themz fightin wurdz
I've always wondered if shad's backscabbard would work for a great sword. Would it be too unwieldy or hard to draw with just one hand? I think it could be interesting to test.
@@heavyshoegaze2423 With the way Shad's back-scabbard is designed, presumably the only change you would need is to increase the distance down the scabbard the slit in the side goes. As long as you are strong enough to lift the sword behind your back with one hand, it should work with any length of sword. Although, if the sword is much longer than you are tall, you probably won't want it on your back.
Because ... Draaaaaaaaaaagooooooooonsaaa
"Obviously, one is great, and the other is just long" - dads everywhere on hearing what their kids are doing on RUclips...
In terms of military terminology, "breaking pikes" can mean "breaking the pike unit/formation", rather than breaking the implement itself.
That applies to today's terminology as well. For example certain weapons are used to break up an enemy formation.
Yes, a formation is usually called after its weapon.
Yeah, I've always seen it as the Doppleschonders were meant to bat aside the enemy pikes so that they can close in and also give their own pikemen behind them an edge as their pikes aren't getting batted about.
Yeah you're basically not going to cut a pike haft with a single blow of any sword, even a bidenhänder, probably not even with something like a dane axe or poll axe(mostly because something held in hands has too much give, if you hit it hard you're just going to move it, at best disarm them). They can break from repeated blows, but it's not something to build a strategy around.
@@OnlyKaerius i understand what your saying but in forged in fire they broke multiple pikes in one swing with a zweilander
If you're not sure of the nomenclature or typology, Swordy McSwordface covers all bladed weapons.
Stabby McSpearson will help you identify pikes and polearms
Sharp pointy bit of metal
Context
Stabby McStabbface covers swords aswell tho
I mean, it ain't cover daggers and knives. Or most polearms.
Or axes.
Imagine the shock and disbelief when I explained, (several times to many people), that Jon Snow being a bastard has nothing to do with his sword being a bastard sword.
What?!? Now I have to re-watch the whole series.
Yeah Jon I think may have noted the joke in his head about how he the bastard was wielding a bastard sword but even there he was aware it wasn't a bastard sword because he was wielding it, (well unless you were on the receiving end of it in which case bastard is probably the politest curse his opponent would throw at the sword).
Context!??!?!?!??
oh wow, haha I never even considered that people would think that was why it was called a bastard sword but yeah I guess people who don't know swords (or even haven't played fantasy setting games) might not have heard of it. Interesting.
@@PaulHofreiter context??!??!
Every time I hear people argue about terminology, one quote comes to mind:
"SWORDS, not WORDS!"
Ass kicking, for goodness!
@@whoised603 Minsc and Boo and YOU, Hamsters and Heroes everywhere!
Swords are just signed words
@@alidesu8844 You broke the combo
Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes!!!!! RAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!
I was so wanting to hear Matt deliver the Dundee line: "That's not a sword...THIS is a sword!" as he holds up the great sword. Okay, so I'm stupid...guilty Your Honor.
The advertising for Raid got interrupted by and advertisement for Genshin. Not sure if i should watch the rest
It looks to me the very big longsword would be an ideal saddle sword for a nobleman. If your horse gets killed under you or you have to dismount for any other reason, you may find yourself surrounded by enemy troops very eager to catch you for ransom, and being able to keep them all at bay with wide sweeping motions of a large sword is rather valuable. But you obviously can't just strap a montante to a horse. So you just make the biggest longsword you can make, so that it can be used both like a montante when you're surrounded and like a longsword when you're more into frontal fights. And you don't have to bother about carrying it on foot.
I was intrigued by the subject and am very pleased to learn of the difficulty in using black and white terminology as all of these swords were produced using pre-standard measurements.
I thought that the method of production in a pre-industrial world might be mentioned in that many swords would be made to a one-off order and to a specification passed on by different people in the chain; when sizes are compared to the physique of the person ordering the sword may well be corrupted by the message being passed on by subsequent differing statures.
Also, a design might be ordered from memory having seen a weapon at a bit of a distance. Of course, your comment about compromise is also entirely valid, and Matt does mention the context of the weapon's use.
The training manuals were written some time after the introduction of a new type of weapon, and Matt mentions a century or so, giving time for people to learn the best way of using them, but also allowing for variations of dimensions.
I am not in any way a scholar of the subject but have studied medieval British history. Britain did not field armies of mercenaries like the Germans and Italians, but I can imagine that doing so would provide some level of standardisation if the order for however many weapons was placed with a small integrated group of armourers, hence the preponderance of German, Italian and Spanish training manuals to go with the mercenary armies armed by a single person or small group.
Just thoughts...
iirc it was the opposite. If you lost your lance, you'd want a saddle sword small enough to be used with one hand. So, you might choose a smaller longsword to make it easier to use single-handedly. If you were dismounted, you'd just grab your polearm (or greatsword if you carried one instead).
Well obviously Greatswords have +10 damage vs infantry!
Longswords are for dual wielding, like katanas, obviously.
Miyamoto Musashi
I guess you theoretically cld wield something like two kodachis...
@@jacklonghearse9821 didn't Musashi dual-wield a Katana and a Wakizashi ....?
(Still a flashy set up)
@@laterreurrouge1917 I mean it worked out for Musashi so if it's flashy but it works it's not stupid and makes you look slightly badass?
@@Lo-tf6qt don't get me wrong:
I do think it is quite a feat of skill to be able to effectively use two weapons at once.
The easiest way to separate swords in my opinion is that a bastard sword is designed to be use easily in 1 or 2 hands, a long sword is designed to be used with 2 hands but can be used good enough in 1 hand & a great sword is designed to be used only with 2 hands & generally can not effectively be used with just 1 hand. The blade & handle length, design and weight are key to classifying European swords.
This is the simplest summary. Tons of nuances, but it all really comes down to that. Only thing that I'd add is that typically the longsword or lower is designed to be worn, while typically a greatsword cannot. That's a significant addition.
Bastard swords are actually any sword made by a smith's apprentice without the permission of the master. Or at least that is the rumor I am starting.
KO swords cranked out while the master was away?
@@texasbeast239 exactly! Help me spread this!
@@aggroalex5470 done, its on its way.
I big thing when it comes to terminology for swords (and Shad has brought this up before) is that we in the modern period just have to deal with WAY more types of swords than anyone in history who actively used them.
The difference between a longsword and a greatsword is the difference between you, and the guy she told you not to worry about.
Thank you Matt for sharing all this information with us. Great points.
I do enjoy the mix of longer and shorter videos you've been putting out. Great swords have always fascinated me. Thanks again for taking the time to put all this together.
Happy New Year!
Longswords are big, greatswords are bigger. Thank you for attending my TED talk.
Roight! Where's the bar?
I think Tony the Tiger can answer that.
Grrrrrreat
PeterHoglund Theyyy’re grrrreat
swords...
Good luck fitting one of these in your Frosted Flakes box!
One is long and the other is great
To expand a bit on what you said: much of that fixation on types of swords comes from Dungeons & Dragons, and the game original D&D was based on - Chainmail (It says something about the historical prowess of Americans, that their medieval warfare game didn't even get the name right).
Gary Gygax, in particular, was a chart-o-holic - he had charts for everything, and the original chainmail rules assigned different classes to weapons - the lighter, and smaller the weapon, the lower it's class. Weapon class was used to determine who struck first, and if your weapon was four classes lower, then you could strike twice, and so on.
And from this, Gygax created Supplement 1 for Dungeons and Dragons, where he assigned various damage numbers, and other bonuses to different weapons. And apparently - Gary's approach to charts was "the bigger, the better" - the more comprehensive a chart was, the happier Gygax became.
The thing that he got wrong that I know now 40 years later is the term longsword. The DnD longsword was, in reality, the one handed arming sword. And the DnD two handed sword was, in reality, what I now know is a longsword. Very confusing as a 12 year old now that I know better.
Great Sword, Great Sword, Great Sword...no one ever talks about the ok sword.
Still waiting for a zombie movie with a montante scene
Shad made a video on this a while back and came to a similar conclusion: basically, Longsword can be worn, Greatsword has to be carried
2d6 vs 1d8 depending on what edition we are talking about. And great sword was considered an exotic weapon so needed a feat.
And why did Bastard Swords do 1d10 damage when a Longsword is actually a larger weapon! Backwards American definitions
And you didn't need to make a half hour video. Underrated comment here!
As a sword enthusiast an RPG player, and an American, I too find these definitions irritating.
@@nikkibrowning4546 three great things to be!
Don't get me started on 47 different varieties of pole arm, but no actual knightly poleaxe.
Wouldnt be a Matt Easton vid with at least 1 sword joke
I needed this video, as I've been doing personal practicing I've found my preferences to sit between longsword and greatsword, especially as a very tall person. It's nice to see talk on the middleground.
Just so you know, this is the only channel where I watch ads without skipping cause they're fun
Forgotten : A Bidenhänder was sometimes used like spear, between the guard and the ,parry hooks' the blades have been often covered with leather as a second grip for using a Bidenhänder as a polearm.
So I’ve watched the video 3 times, and read all the comments - but can’t find the answer...
What is the make/model of the smaller great sword ? (which makes an appearance at 5:06, 14:40, and 25:47)
+1
I guess, a more prudent question is what counts as a greatsword, and what's just a so-so sword. 😁😁
On a more serious note, and this might be answered in the video, I do wonder how significantly a person's height affects how they use a sword. For instance, could a tall person's long-sword be used/turned into a great-sword for a short person, for instance.
I think that he answers that, somewhat.
First, the terminology is fluid and not fixed and honestly somewhat irrelevant.
Second, your height and strength would dramatically change how it would be used. There's the kicker. Take a medium sized longsword. A smaller and weaker person might use it similar to a greatsword because of strength limitations. It's possible that a massive person might use it more like a bastard sword. They would definitely use the same sword very differently based on their relative strength. They might refer to the same sword using different terms based on usage, but the terms don't sound like they were ever as strictly categorized as we tend to.
He didn't mention it in this video, but I think he mentioned it in a previous one, but there are many longsword techniques that you can't use on a greatsword, not just because it'd be slower and cumbersome, but because the sword would hit the ground. Someone who's really tall and strong like the guy who played The Mountain in Game of Thrones could easily use Matt's greatsword as a longsword, but Matt can't because he's too short (and it's also a bit heavy for a greatsword of that size, Matt said this about that greatsword many times). So to answer your question, yes, very significantly.
Aye, it's a great question when you consider dwarven or halfling fighters. Everything should scale down. A halfling would call a large knife his "sword" (as did Frodo and company).
I am really thankful for that low-quality screenshot of different shades of gray, it *really* helped to convey your point... :D
Awesome video as always!
I love the idea that they just called everything a sword, no arguments about whether that extra inch or two makes it something else, or whether the length of the quillions matters. Just a sword. I guess when you truly know what your doing with it the name doesn't really matter so much.
“You may have wondered what the difference between a long sword and a great sword” well I do now
Those swords with the very long hilt and blade (but relatively small guard) are interesting! Haven't seen a lot of those before.
They kinda remind me of a Nodachi. I wonder if they were used in a similar fashion.
Which one?
@@junichiroyamashita
The Swedish ones or the one belonging to the armor, Matt showed the pictures.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience once again Matt ... always a pleasure!!
Bringing this into a more modern context - it's like pistols versus rifles. Pistols are useful enough and can be carried in a wide variety of social environments that would be non-conducive to full length rifles. On the other hand, if you're going to fight in a battle you want the rifle because it is a better weapon of war.
Also, like longswords & great swords, a wide variety of basic firearms techniques (breath control, stance, aiming) are similar enough, and someone with experience in one type of weapon will be much better with the other than someone with no training.
Rifle's technically fill the same role as polearms and spears of old. It's your general issue weapon for the bulk of your ground forces. But I agree generally with the idea that sword's are mostly like pistols and the "longsword" in the video is kinda like .45 or maybe .357 magnum. It's a big hitter with a lot of stopping power but still convenient enough to carry in a more "civil" environment than a battlefield.
@@Jonesin2386 Would that make the Greatsword a Barret 50 cal / Squad Automatic Weapon?
That's very logical and i somewhat agree, but greatswords were for specialists they weren't general issue weapons. Meaning they weren't for every soldier like a rifle.
The medieval equivalent of the rifle would be something like a spear, which was a weapon mass issued to most soldiers.
The greatsword would be more akin to, say, a machine gun set up in a defensive position. Greatswords and axes were attributed to being good at denying entry for the enemy, so they're good for defending a position just like a modern MG.
And to further confuse things you have things like AR pistols where you've got the mechanical parts from what would typically be a rifle using a rifle cartridge but with a very short barrel and a different stock.
Good luck explaining those, future weapon historians.
@@johndododoe1411 Something like that. Remember Matt describing their typical use to fight multiple opponents or to break pike blocks? You wouldn't use a standard battle rifle or even assault rifle (the proper technical definition, not "scary black rifle") for that except in an extreme pinch, you'd want the assault rifle's rate of fire but more range than they are typically good at. It's something you'd use while holding a position, not so much "walking fire" roles.
Glad to hear that you're getting some real winter weather there in England! It's been relatively warm here in the Midwest US. Not actually warm by any means, but probably averaging around 0⁰ Celsius, which is warmish for these parts.
Prolly more of a shad question Could u string a greatsword to ur back like what he did for the spear
You can technically string anything to your back, but the real question is: why would you?
@@peterclarke7240 yes
You could tie a cow to your back, but farmers tend not to do it.
@@scholagladiatoria ya im surprised as far as ik that shad hasnt tried it yet
@@scholagladiatoria surely in your hundreds of years experience as a vampire you've seen this at least once..
I had this conversation with my instructor, so thanks for this video to clarify and expand on details
Reminds me of some debate over whether the M2 Carbine is an assault rifle, with some saying it's not because its range isn't quite long enough, and some because it was meant to be used in a different way and the concept of the assault rifle is no less a doctrine than it is the gun itself.
Exactly. Weapons care more about usage than classification. What matters is that it works. Terminology is incidental.
I'm so glad that I pay money to avoid adds and then get them forced on me anyway... Thanks Matt
There's this thing called "fast forward"...
At least you can laugh at the heartless emotionless look in Matt’s eyes while he shills the game that he doesn’t play. Lol
Could you possibly look into the practicality of the gaffi stick as seen in the Mandalorian S2? Is a sort of combination mace/spear
Quite beautiful how he deals with potential points of conflict or discussion.
People love certainty. So we love to nail everything down to particular terms. History is rarely so certain
Matt- it would've been helpful if you'd quickly shown the point of balance of each of the examples you were holding. It would've been illuminating. Especially when considering types which were similar but had slightly different intentions.
In germany greatswords are sometimes called "Gassenhauer", alley hewer/cutter.
Imagine attacking someone in an alley with a couple of people. And he wields a great sword. Try getting past him with his reach.
He can cut down anyone getting to close. Especially when letting the sword flow.
I'm not sure if that definition of the word Gassenhauer is correct. I guess it makes sense - These types of swords have been used by body guards and the Landsknechts with the big swords have held breacherd walls (I thjink they did so in the siege of Vienna). But the definition I always had in mind for Gassenhauer was The Greatsword wielders striking an alley/opening into the enemy formation.
@@PrimordialNightmare totally possible that I got the definition wrong. I had that conversation with a hema guy. But maybe I got it wrong.
@@moranjackson7662 we will only find out after doing some research :D
What is the model and manufacturer of the sword he shows at 16:40 (the "long longsword")?
I’m never gonna play it but I do appreciate how genuinely enthusiastic you seem when plugging raid shadow legends
I recall somebody (Shad?) mentioning that one feature of the greatsword is that it is too long to do an underhand swing.
This is the best advert I've seen all year
Great video Matt, looking forward to more demonstrations, especially with rapiers! I want to purchase either a side sword or rapier but I’m worried that the length will be hard to wield/carry with a military rapier compared the a shorter side sword. Would love an active demonstration of the two types in your hands.
The very unnoficial thing I call the inbetween of the longsword and greatsword is “big brother sword”, as in the big brother of the bastard sword; somewhere between.
I like the idea that the "best" of any type of weapon/gear is determined by the enemy/situation you are facing.
What is the other great sword talked about at 16:33?
Now that you mentioned pikes, I wondered if you could some day do a video about pike warfare, either medieval and early modern pike usage, or the famous hellenic infantry blocks armed with sarissas.
What would it be like from the front row if two pike blocks clashed? What would it be like from the back rows? How do other weapons, such as great swords and ranged weapons figure into this kind of warfare?
Duh, longswords are long, greatswords are great.
Okay, young Stalin
I used to prefer slightly greatsword-length longswords when studying German and Italian longsword, maybe it's just because of my posture. However I've started to prefer bastard sword length longswords when starting up in English lonhsword, maybe due to the frequent one handed strikes in the system.
It seems to be true that different swords or sword length would be perfect for different styles, and it is not who uses the bigger or better sword that would win, but who can employ the better tactics and adapt to the technique of the adversary.
I can't help but notice that the type 18c longsword is close to proportion to some feders. I've noticed my blunt is a lot smaller in handle and a tad smaller in blade length than my feder. Is it that feders, not being sharp weapons, but training swords, were never worn, so they could get longer hilts and blades than most historical longswords tended to? Or is this just an artifact of weapons made for protective hema gloves. Just curious.
Quick question: you use the difference between personal and battlefield use as a difference between longsword and greatsword (seems sensible to me). Given that we have no sources from German-speaking lands similar to the Iberian style, do you think greatswords would still be used in that wide and sweeping way by Landsknechts and bodyguards such as Pauernfeindt?
The difference is the greatsword is too big to be called a sword a large slab of metal perhaps?
So, you mention sword shape numbers, like 15 or 18, can you possibly link a reference to these shapes?
15:28 where do I find these?
Did they have sidearm size or more portable version of polearms like glaives, spears, halberds, poleaxes, or bills
Warhammers come in all sizes from really short ones you'd tuck to your belt to human polearm size.
@@Inquisitor_Vex like just the head without the pole
@@Inquisitor_Vex except war hammers go from mace/axe size 1 handed weapons up to Lucerne Hammer or bec de Corbin small spear size. Theres also all sizes of hammers from small Francisca throwing axe up to Dane Axe.
@@Inquisitor_Vex you are mistaken. Spears (and other polearms)for majority of history where main weapons while swords are (apart from Zweihändlers) side arms. It never was "I have money I won't buy spear but I'll buy sword". It was "I don't have money I'll buy spear and take knife (bigger knife like seax or messer if I can) maybe axe" "I can afford sword and my spear will be better quality"
@@Inquisitor_Vex no English knights where famous for using polearms including bec de Corbin and Lucerne Hammer was very popular too they where one of main anti-tank weapons of late medieval and Renaissance eras.
Friggin RUclips. They threw an ad in right in the middle of your Raid bit.
Wow this is a timely video. I've recently started making in-roads on longswords and greatswords in my collection and the nomenclature for a "newbie" can be really confusing, especially on product pages because various terms are often used incorrectly, interchangeably, or both. Thanks for posting!
Also I want to thank you for the Viking weapons video, tremendously helpful. I still wonder about Viking hammers - topic for a future video mayhaps?
*sings to the tune of Two-Headed Boy* "twooooo handeddddd swooooooooorrrrrd..."
All floating in glass
William Alarie Love Neutral Milk Hotel!
I’m gonna have that stuck in my head all afternoon🤣
"Two...handed swor-ord..." 🎼🎵🎶
To add to the mix: Marozzo talkes about yet another sort of sword, the spadoncino. Which based on pictures seems to be somewhere between a typical longsword and a typical greatsword. My very limited knowledge of the Italian language would translate the word as "smaller greatsword".
where did you buy your greatsword I want to buy one
were glaives used in a way similar to the great sword?
Always great information. Thanks Matt
Thanks, didn't know something so similar could be so different!
Was that beautiful slender spadone from darksword?
“He had a big fakkin sword...l
~the Hound
I really like the Del Tin Great Sword, in fact I have one here hanging in my library. I've carried it to events, back before they started requiring that swords be tied into their scabbards....in other words, before I stopped going to events. It's a really nice and well built sword.....and very sharp, for cutting.
That sword of Henry VIII at 15:20 seems to be very similar to a nagamaki, a Japanese battlefield weapon that lay in between the tachi/katana and nodachi/odachi. The nagamaki was characterized by a a tachi/katana length blade with a very long handle equivalent to approximately 2:3 to 1:1 ratios of handle-to-blade length which is where the nagamaki derives its name translating roughly as "long wrapping". The nagamaki on the battlefield came to overtake the nodachi/odachi because it could be used in a very similar fashion but was far easier to wield and could better utilize techniques normally found with polearms than the nodachi/odachi.
30 cm of grip (~1 ft) and 90 cm of blade (~3 ft) and a very broad crossguard. How would that be classified? Are there period examples with similar measurements?
Matt: You really can't wear a great sword.
Shadiversity: Challenge accepted.
You CAN wear most things, but it doesn't mean that people did, or that it is a good idea.
@@scholagladiatoria but what if I want to dual wield the great swords.
@@Inquisitor_Vex in the boot.
Of a car.
@@Inquisitor_Vex well if we're being serious you would literally just sling it over your shoulder and hold it in one hand by the pommel. Im sure if you were just transporting a greatsword then maybe you would sheath it on your back but you would never want to do that going into a situation where you expected to fight with it.
@@Inquisitor_Vex Items of those dimensions would likely be a bit awkward even on a horse. These were weapons of war. I imagine they often traveled in wagons with other weapons/materiel.
I just received my Windlass English Two-handed sword a couple of days ago. Who makes the black hilted version you're holding? At first I thought you modified yours, but it's in the background. Then I thought Arms and Armor made one, but I don't see it on their site.
Greatswords can be carried in scabbards(or sheaths) worn on the back. You can't draw them while the scabbard is worn, so you unsling the scabbard/sheath from your back and then draw(typically discarding the scabbard/sheath).
I've heard "war sword" used to refer to the early two-handed swords that basically looked like and were used like giant longswords. Is there any basis for this?
I've only heard of Shad using that term, a google search didn't turn out anything nor have I found any usage of "War sword" in the few books I've looked at. That being said, it sounds perfectly valid to me considering that we use terms such as Kriegsmesser(War Knife),longsword etc.
@@chestermc9954 Thanks for that
@@chestermc9954Wasn't "epee du guerre" a historical term?
@@ivanharlokin No idea, I know very little about weapons after the medieval period.
in a 1v1 duel who would win the greatsword user or lonsword user?
I didn't hear any mention of the bastard sword, but there was some talk of using the longsword 1-handed or 2-handed. A proper longsword cannot be wielded effectively with only one hand. The exception to this is if you're on a horse, or otherwise in a mounted position, then it's quite sensible and practical to give blows with the longsword 1-handed.
A true bastard sword is a sword which can be wielded effectively with just one hand. It is a 1-handed sword with a 2-handed grip.
A greatsword is really more like a polearm than a sword, and you really have to wonder if this type of sword was more of a symbol or status and prowess than some kind of highly specialized weapon. The cost to make a sword, and the skill of the smith required, would both be great indeed, which brings you to the question of: what specific advantages might a 2-handed sword have over a polearm (any polearm; long, short, sharp, blunt, etc.) in any of the contexts where a 2-handed sword might be used?
Hi Matt, what's the kidney bean on a stick , next to the scholagladiatoria shield?
You mean the short club made of dark wood? That's a Wahaika, a Maori war club.
Thanks. You might cover the Bearing swords ( Parade swords) Sigmarining has a nice collection.
In german ,Tragschwert'. Are there such swords in Sigmaringen castle/ palace collection?
War swords... my favourite swords... Can't wait for a video telling us about them, and their battlefield role...
I just wanted to see the location of the greatsword in Dark souls 3 the game
'I don't know what kind of gun this is. I only know the sound it makes when it kills a man.' - Four Leaf Tayback
Would you say that the Codex Goliat teaches the use of the longsword or the zwihander?
Zweihänder.
I'm looking forward to the videos of Matt hiking through wilderness and competing in a HEMA tournament wearing high spike heels. Let's investigate the practicality of such attire. :)
For me, the biggest difference between a "greatsword" and a "long sword" is how you can actually physically use it. Shad actually talks about this in a similar video where he's talking about different swords and the inherent gray area nature of trying to find an exact cut off point for long sword vs greatsword... but for me. It's only actually a "greatsword" if it must be used like a polearm, and can't be used with all the techniques of a two handed sword. Where that cut off is, specifically, actually depends on the height and strength of the user... but essentially, once the weapon comes up to your armpit, there's all kinds of movements you can't make with the weapon anymore (at least not without significant modification) and you really can't wear it on your side anymore.. at best, you could carry it in a specialized back carrying method just for ease of long distance transport to a battlefield.
The "war swords" (as Shad calls them) that sit kind of in the middle.. where they're still too big to be a "longsword" but too small (and typically have less complex hilt designs) to be a "greatsword" are different from both because they can still do most of the things a longsword can, while losing a few advantages (carrying ease and certain actions are harder.. also the weapon is less nimble by enough that you have to use it fundamentally differently to a degree).. but it's still not a greatsword because you still don't use it entirely like a polearm.
What is Claymore then? :O
Primarily, Scottish.
But what about the Scottish 2handed sword(some call a claymore)???
When it says they were used to "break pikes" they probably meant to break/disrupt pike formations rather than chop through ash shafts (tho I'm sure it happened Sometimes, if you've ever tried to cut a long ash pole in a person's hands it tends to be springy). I imagine the greatsword was used not dissimilarly (in battlefield function, not necessarily technique) to daneaxes, pollaxes, nodachi, etc. But basically the weapons of shock troops/champions who would exploit gaps in the enemy line charge in and lay about doing as much damage as possible so your men can take advantage of the chaos you've caused
what is the difference between knife and machete?
Great video on a very interesting topic!
What about the swords of war, the Oakeshott type xiia and xiiia, they were as i understand the precursor to the longsword, and were much bigger than the longswords as we know them now and smaller than the greatswords.
I am not that familiar with the surving treatises used in HEMA (I have seen a few, not enough to generalise), but yoy said something that got me thinking. Are they mostly about 1v1 dueling combat, or do we have any substantial works on training troops and group fighting techniques and startegy, so basically soldier training not only gentleman's?
In RUclips you can find a clip about british cavallry training sword use in 1914. The troopers stood in a position, immitating sitting on horseback, and did moves, ordered by a trainer. Perhaps this was really the ,old days' way of basic training.
@@brittakriep2938 I was thinking more on older times, like longsword times and before when gunpowder weapons weren't the primary weapons
@@louisvictor3473 : As i said ,basic' training i thought also , beginners training'. For good use of a non- firearm sparring is necessary, but the first training lessons in ,old days' could have been done in this style.