English 15th Century Long Sword, licensed by the Royal Armouries

This is a reproduction of an early 15th century knightly longsword, believed to have been found in the River Thames before finding its way into the Tower of London collection. Dating to around 1400-1430, this is the sort of hand-and-a-half sword that was often carried by knights and men-at-arms, and it features a two-handed hilt with scent-stopper pommel. The stiff and acutely-tapered blade ends in a robust but slender point. This sword was used in one or two hands, depending on circumstance, and in armored combat the blade could also be gripped in halfswording, to better drive the point into the gaps of an armored opponent, and also to use the crossguard and pommel for wrestling and striking. This is exactly the type of sword that many English knights would have carried at the Battle of Agincourt. The blade of this sword has three transitions, from a hollow ground blunt ricasso next to the guard, to a hexagonal cross-section and finally to the flattened diamond section point. This sword strikes with authority, despite the narrow appearance. This is due to the surprisingly thick spine for most of the length of the blade, making it very stiff, and ideally suited to halfswording and thrusting into things like mail voiders at the armpits of an enemy knight’s armor. A relatively nimble sword, but with more blade presence than you might expect. More information...