English 15th Century Two-Handed Sword, licensed by the Royal Armouries

One of the more graceful big swords in existence. This is a replica of a mid-15th century two-handed sword, or great sword, example IX.1787 in the Royal Armouries flabbergasting collection of edged weapons. This sword is believed to have been excavated in France, near the site of the Battle of Castillon. It was purchased by the Royal Armouries in 1978 and is part of an important archaeological grouping of over eighty Castillon-associated swords discovered in the river nearby. This sword is believed to be part of a distinct English style of two-handed swords, though given its provenance it could also be French. It is proportioned very much like a typical hand-and-a-half sword of the time, but entirely scaled up to an imposing size. Featuring a fish-tail pommel, straight guard with swollen terminals, and double-edged blade having a flattened-diamond cross-section. The blade is a versatile cut and thrust type. Two-handed swords of this type were being used increasingly as specialized weapons in the middle and later 15th century, laying the foundations of the massive, sometimes garish two-handed swords of the next century (such as the Swiss Zweihander and the Landsknecht Flamberge) . This sword would have been in use during the last years of the Hundred Years War and swords like it were carried throughout the Wars of the Roses and into the early Tudor era. This is a huge and imposing, even stately sword, but moves surprisingly quickly, due to the hilt length, mass distribution and distal taper. A sword like this would be less of a sidearm and more of a primary contender against things like pollaxes and bills. More information...