Medieval Two Handed Swords (zweihander, montante, spadone) - Context Part 1: Weight & Size 

Cannot overstate how disappointed I was to hear that 'bearing swords' are used neither against or by bears.

"Relatively briefly" Never change, Matt

'It's not a polearm, because it doesn't have a pole!' Well, you can't argue with that!

I sense a disturbance in the force, as if a thousand metatrons cried in frustration to the word 'ceremonial' and then silenced

For me, the „Longsword“ ends when the weapon can’t reasonably be carried on the hip.

I believe historically in germany those swords were offen called "Schlachtschwert", wich translate to "battle sword"

I find it so funny how video games and movies misrepresent these types of weapons as slow cumbersome sticks of metal even though in real life they were pretty elegant and required a high amount of dexterity (Dark Souls joke not lost on me here)

You don't need to worry about your pronounciation of Zweihänder, it was spot one, Mr Easton

A suggestion for a future video: talk about cav on cav fights in battles, because I have trouble imagining how it happened...did they try to have their horses continusly moving and therefore didn't respect any formation? If so how did the 1st rank expect to survive? I mean if they went through the enemy formation they would have to block the spears of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd rank and so on... If the cav formations stopped against each other, how did they fight? Spears, swords? Assuming their horses weren't fully armored, how did they manage to protect them? Sometimes we read in battles accounts that the cavalry charges, regroups and charges again several times...why did the enemy cav allow this?

At 6:25 you say there's no answer to when a longsword becomes a greatsword. I would like to suggest to you that that point is when the sword has become too big to wear. That is, when it is so long that you can no longer draw it from your side. Of course there is still some ambiguity there, as that means that the same sword may for one person be a large longsword and another a small greatsword, but relative to the proportions of the body I and a few of my HEMA buddies I've debated with think this is a reasonable definition, both based on how swords were named historically and how they were used. Your thoughts?

That is a nice looking Windlass two-handed longsword, I like the blue leather grip.

How on earth does anyone dislike this video? Love your work Matt, always excited to watch a new video from you

Another great video Matt! I like Shad's definition of when a long sword becomes a great sword (my terms anyway) and that's when you can no longer use the long sword as a long sword.

This is the wrong house for zombies to try and overrun…

The problem with wide guards, is it'll hit your forearms on certain attacks. I prefer the Scandanavian greatsword type XVIIIe, guard not as wide and points towards opponent's incoming blade.

If you get a chance to go to Dresden, go to the Rüstkammer (Armory) in the Residenzschloss. The parade armory section has an entire wall of Bidenhänder (as they call them) that range from "regularly" large to an actually ceremonial one that weighed 8.6 kilos!

“I’m going to talk, relatively briefly, about…” Part 1. Classic Matt.

Excellent presentation as always sir! Very interesting, especially when you can put things in context for me . ie.. time period such as specific wars and battle's that a perticular weapon was used in . War of the rose's, hundred years war etc.. 😁🤺🇺🇸🇬🇧

I take after Francesco Alfieri's definition, in that the sword is a "spadone" when it is "at least four palms in the handle" or four of your own palm widths long. However big the blade is, if it needs a grip that long, it's a greatsword .

The windlass two-hander is back!? It was discontinued a few years ago and I missed it! Gonna get it after I see your review.

It is a bliss to watch you waving around with a sword. Please more of that just show us some moves with different weapons.

I remember a particular montante technique (from a manual by a Portuguese author named Godinho) based entirely around thrusts. Esentially it was a way of fighting multiple opponents closing in from both sides of a very, very narrow alley (as in less than a meter wide) that wouldn't allow you to do cuts at all

The zweihander is sometimes colloquially referred to as the "bass cannon," although the origin is unclear to historians who never leveled strength. On a serious note, what resources would you then say are better suited for "great sword" techniques?

Ooooo. I’m excited to hear your thoughts on that Miadao manual. If I remember rightly, that manual uses them as part of a weapons system along with a knife and crossbow.

I have the Windlass English Two Hand sword. Its quite alright, but I do not think it works for most of the montante or spadone manuals due to how short the hilt is and behaves more like a beefy longsword than anything else, but I am a pretty big guy. That said, I have found that for Fiore you really want a short longsword, something that you can use comfortably with one hand, due to Fiores preference with Stretto. Also the hilt shrank and began to rattle so I had to crack it open and remake it, which was a slight annoyance. The tang looked pretty sturdy, though, so getting to know that was an arguable positive.

Newer sub, loving the sheer amount of content you have. For a history nerd that gets to listen to a lot of audio day to day, it's fantastic.

I’d love to hear about your past projects more. It sounds like you’ve worked on a lotta things, archeology, film, etc

That’s a nice looking example. Looking forward to the full review. Good info, too

In Germany we also call them "Gassenhauer" which means alleyhitter roughly translated. They are called this because they where often used to hit spears away and make an alley for the troops coming behind.

That sword's beautiful I couldn't take my eyes off it

Nice shirt, the Lego is a fearsome weapon, often used as a trap or a throwing weapon. When stepping on it, especially in the morning, its destructive ability is multiplied by the number of hours you lack of sleep, inflicting great pain and damage to your feet, thus incapacitating you to fight. Despite the lack of treatises concerning this weapon, it is one the of the most curious weapon in history, used both for hunting and battlefield context, and one of the only hand held weapon to injure an opponent's foot. Curious but effective (yes I have kids and it is one of the things you have to prepare for, never give a child such a deadly weapon, a preventive message from the government)

Most common German period term is actually „Schlachtschwert“ (battle sword).

Slagsværd is the old term in Denmark, translate roughly to battlesword. I ran across the term while running through som muster listings in old history books years ago. There is a simmilar term Schlachtschwerter in german afaik.

In India as well what two handed swords exist there were considered weapons of last resort when isolated and surrounded. So it seems everyone was pretty much in agreement when a two handed best served you.

Already a long time subscriber but I got recommended this because it said ‘Ramsey Dewey viewers also watch this’. Hello Ramsey Dewey fans.

I have heard the term "war sword" used as a name for these types of swords that seem to be bigger than a longsword and smaller than a zweihander. Didnt know if that was correct or just someone's opinion.

Hey you fantastic man! 🔥I just inherited a 1822 Sabre from my uncle, but I struggle with identifying the exact information on it. Would you be able to help in any way shape of form? Taking a chance here that you’ll see this, as I really enjoyed your video on the 1822 sabres, and would love your expertise on this!

I'd draw the line between longsword and two handed sword based on whether or not it can be worn as a sidearm. If the you can wear the sword in a scabbard on your belt and draw it reasonably quickly and easily, it's a longsword. If it's too long to do so, it's a two handed sword.

I've always loved big swords like this, and now I can get treated to a multi-part in-depth explanation by Captain Context himself?! Permit me to jump for joy.

I always wondered if montante/spadone/twohanders can be used in plate armor? for what i understand, there is need to have quite big mobility in upper body and arms, and most techniques involved going over your head with your arms? does plate and big helmets impede the movement of using such a big sword?

your pronunciation is really good! Only one thing about the word "Bidenhänder" - it's pronounced "beedenhänder", becuas in Germany we pronounce an i like you pronounce "ee" like in bee. Also there's the name "Gassenhauer" which means "alleyslasher" for Zweihänder in Germany. So it's Zweihänder, Bidenhänder, Gassenhauer as the main names for these types of swords. It's interesting that we actually got 3 names for the same thing, but it's reasonable, as it was used a LOT by german Landsknechte.

The very big swords used for ceremonies are ,Tragschwerter'. Servants carried them to impress people, simply to show: an important nobleman is coming.

How about some promo t-shirts and stickers: "Easton Arms: Swords so great you'll have to use both hands".

Thanks for all your videos, I enjoy a lot of them. If you get a chance to play the VR game Tales of Glory, I think some one like you would have a blast in there.

While not quite a "professional" distinction, I sort of enjoyed and agreed with Shad's suggestion that "greatswords" are not quite "used like swords" anymore and that they'd be classified as sword that are 'too big to draw when sheathed at your waist'.

Hey Matt, I'm a long time watcher but recent patron and I wanted to ask you a question about things like these in the 'context' of a person like myself. I am 6'7" (Just over 2 meters), and rather heavily built (IE not slim, built for strength) at 270lbs (120kg?). I was wondering how suited a weapon like this would be for someone like me as a fencing weapon. Would I be better off with the reach and heft of this weapon? Or something closer to a longsword, just more easily due to its relatively smaller size to me than an average individual? Basically, TLDR, If someone is far above average sized are they better off using an oversized weapon or a normal sized one?

Theres also a Romphia, a very long Falx that goes up to the warriors shoulder

I love these, MOAR

That is a beautiful sword! Can't wait for the review..... P.S. I was always curious about this large longsword-like weapons, as they seam to be often misrepresented in both fiction and literature in general

12 guys with bill hooks and/or glaives would chop up 12 with 2 handers. Good video...nicely detailed.

Your pronunciation of Zweihänder is actually quite impressive. The only little thing to change would be the way you pronounce the ä in the "händer" part of the word. When you have the umlaut over the a, you pronounce it like a short e in English. Thus, "hender" and "Zweihender" is how it should come out.

Gorgeous sword

The really big Zwei-Haender or Bi-Haender are also called Gassenhauer by the Landsknechte (=mercenaries ). Gasse=a narrow street between houses in a town (alley?), Hauer is the noun derivated from the verb hauen=to beat So Gassenhauer makes an alley into the enemy lines.

The french name for those swords is « espadon » and i believe it is derived from the italian « spadone ». the word « espadon » refers also to the swordfish. In fact most french people only know about the swordfish meaning of the word. I am absolutly not certain that the word espadon was used back then so Feel free to correct me if i’m wrong and excuse me for my english it is not my native Language.

Picked up one of those two-handers a couple of years ago. for the money I've found it to be a good sword solidly built. Just need to have plenty of space when cutting with it.

That windlass reproduction looks like a longer alexandria collection principe but not as beefy in width. Coincidentally the alexandria collection principe was also used in the later half of the hundred years war.

Weight should increase as the cube of the linear scaling factor. So if your two handed sword is 10% longer than a long sword then the weight of the two handed sword should be roughly 33% heavier than the long sword, all other things being equal.

The growth in weight is, as matter of fact, an exponential one. You're adding length linearly, that means area of profile expands as some fraction of length squared and volume (and therefore weight, because materials don't change) as a function of length cubed. Granted, 2 and 3 are not terribly high exponents, but it's still exponential. On a more swordy note, there are also executioner's swords - too heavy/clunky to use properly, excellent for chopping off heads on a block. They very often have rounded or square tips.

Were there any curved extra-long longswords in the Medieval period?

Your pronounciation of Zweihänder is spot on, although the Bidenhänder is prounouced like Bee-Den-Hen-Dur/Der.

In English sources I have seen "slaughter sword" or "slaugh sword" or "slaith sword"

This fits Vadi’s longsword proportions (pommel reaching the armpit).

There was a German guy that stressed the "clinch" with the two-handed. He would hold the sword a foot from the tip. Arm bars, wraps, etc... and bashing with both ends

Your pronouncination of Zweihänder is pretty good, maybe get a bit harder on the Z. Just pretend you are a WorldWarOne German saying "the" - Z. The "Bi" in Bidenhänder is more pronounced like the "e" in the english "me".

Can't wait for the review of the Windless, I've shyed away from windless for awhile due to poor quality and the fact that most of their swords were way over wieght.

You know 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons actually isn’t too terrible with it’s weights. I was slightly surprised to find that out. The greatsword is labeled as being 6lbs & the longsword is 3lbs. They did however make the mace 4lbs & the pike is 18lbs which seems a bit much to me. Mixed bag I guess but better than I expected.

I have a question: by Oakeshott typology, model xiiia can be considered a great or even two handed sword with its first appearance, even if not common, around 12th century. Aren’t they classifiable as spadone?

Been thinking of that sword actually...

I have the old version of that Windlass sword... the Ravenna Sword. It's kinda so-so. Not too heavy but no distal taper and a little flexible. Handle is a little fat too. Guard and pommel are brass painted black. Would like to buy the new one to compare them.

Is there an ideal ratio for longsword length to user's height? I assume a longsword that is perfect for a 5'11" person would be quite unwieldy for someone 6 inches shorter.

I partially disagree with it not being a pole arm for not having a pole. That handle there, it is kinda short sure, but it is definitely a little pole in my book. And if it has a ricasso, from the far end of the ricasso to the pommel, that is just an unconventionally looking composite pole right there. Sure still shorter than on more stereotypical pole weapons, but plenty long still. Then again, I do like to call these weapons (specially those without a ricaso) reverse polearms, in the sense that the proportions of the pole and the head are inverted.

Wouldnt wrestling be almost more important in armored combat than melee weapon training? I'd love to see a video on grappling, throws, trips and so on in armored combat. Would be really interesting to see what kind of techniques the armor and weapon opens up. Would be cool if you brought some HEMA guy with a background in wrestling if those exist.

Don't worry your pronounciation of Zweihänder was very well!

Love the T-shirt! Where did you get it and can they do other options like motorcycles instead of LEGO? Mind you I build a lot of Gundam and 1/6 scratch built custom figures too. Cheers! Oh and my Zweihander appreciates this video and so does my giant hedge!

Hey Matt would you consider the XIIa or XIIIa greatswords of war longswords or greatswords? The weight of the XIIa is close to later period longswords and were seperated from the XIIIa they were originally grouped with due to handling characteristics, and taper and many examples today based on historic examples (the Baron or the late 13th Century Great Sword from Albion both handle well enough to be used with one hand to some extent.) the main problem with using them in the way they are in the treatises is the fact the blade is not as ridged as later period longswords, and the wide blade does not lend well to half-swording.

where's the part 2 to this?

Cant wait for the review

My german professor always said to pronounce z's as ts. But I can hardly tell.

Hey Matt for a guy your height wouldn't this windlass still fall into the longsword category rather than two handed sword? I mean Vadi is considered a longsword source rather than a two handed sword source and the sword he recommends would be roughly the size of that windlass. I'd at least say that it falls into the grey area between sword types.

Both a possible explanation and a question here. Years ago before the /WWW, a historian (who was welsh if it matters) told me that some of the biggest 2-handers weren't just for parade or show. He said they were used inverted/point-down as fending-off weapons to protect cannon emplacements or choke points/doorways in fortresses. The idea was you could swing it if you had to, but it was mostly to be really long and basically jab and intimidate people back from the position until someone else could come scrape them off you from the side, and the full blade made it harder to get past the tip and run up the length of it as one might do to a spear or polearm, because it could cut anywhere along the length as well. Have you heard of this, or does it make sense to you for those situations? It seemed plausible to me at the time; but I don't know what his sources were, or whether such sources would even be found on the WWW today.

I've wanted a custom made training Montante from purpleheart armory for sometime. Being 6'4 and 260lbs, a 6 foot Montante would suit me better than the 5'1 standard. Because of my size, everything I wield tends to look noticeably smaller. Lol

4 lb. 8 oz.= 72 oz. and 2,000 g (2 sig figs, 2,041 g at 4 sig figs, so, um . . .). That was cool. I don't usually get to convert from pounds :)

Hey Scholagladitoria I want to ask what is the blade thickness of the Wallace Collection A474 I have been dying to find that out?

Is it not an issue that in Hema, people tend to use Feders that are more the size large 2 hand swords rather than longswords?

Happily, Dungeons and Dragons is getting better at this. In 5th edition D&D a Longsword (a "Versatile" weapon that can be used in one hand, or in two hands for slightly more damage) weighs 3lb, and a Greatsword weighs 6lb.

So how do these compare in use to the Renaissance greatswords? Also is there a good term for them? I've heard "war sword" but I don't know if that's an accepted term and it's also pretty arbitrary.

As german, your pronounciation of Zweihänder is completely fine. Bidenhänder is okay, too. But it would be perfect, if you pronounced the "Bi" as "Bee". Good job ;)

The pointy blade seems made to pierce in armor gaps but the sword is meant to slash. Is it any good against plate or could be to fight multiple light armoured foes? Would it be better with a "type 10" like point?

There are two handed bearing swords outside of Europe that supports that they were non combat swords used in court presentation and ritual. I both cases I know of was likely of Iberian influence Oman/Zanzibar and Lake Lanao and in both places there isn't evidence to my knowledge these weapons were used in combat.

So basically 14:35 something between windmill and harvester :D

I would imagine during the time these swords were used it would be like getting fitted for a set of golf clubs... You wouldn't hand this sword to a 5'9 guy and expect him to win a battle.

Hey Matt, sword question for you: When using a Murder Stroke (Mordhau), which part of the body do you feel is the best spot to target for that specific strike? I've seen pictures of this move in a lot of fencing manuals/treatises, and their strikes are usually aimed at their opponent's head, but when I see this move in swordfighting games like For Honor, they target either the head, the neck, or right where the neck and collarbone meet. So which area do you feel is the best area to attack with a Murder Stroke, especially if you want to do lethal damage?

Looks the Maximillian from Albion. Windlass eh?..... 🤔 Question Matt: what would the older 2 hander used during the Honor duels called " judgement de dieu", look like compared to that more modern sword? I heard about it only in French so I don't know if it was a custom practiced by the English knights too or not.

Just out of curiosity is that shirt suggesting that pieces of Lego are a dangerous weapon?.. I mean I've stood on a few and god they hurt but I'd not choose to use one for warfare.

Which famous battles were giant swords like this one used?

Oh hey, the windlass English 2hander. I’m sad that they discontinued it

Why is the royal armoury in Leeds and not London?

Traslator reads as Spy Honda.

As an aside, the sword guy on the Great River Taoist channel, may have something useful.

I reckon it's not a sword, it's a spear that's all blade. So, in heavily armored combat shield walls, you need to stab, but you need to make sure no one can grab the shaft of your weapon. A sword is easier to keep from the opponent, because unlike a spear, they can't get ahold of it without being cut. A halberd can be got ahold of, but it's huge and powerful, and have hooks that you can use to pull into them if they DO grab it. A spear is like a handle.