I was curious about the research for Blue Blood, specifically about 2 handed swords circa 1184 and at least the possibility of gripping a sword in 2 handed fashion.
So I went onto Mike Loades facebook page and asked him. Anyone who doesn't know who he is...is missing out on allot of very good History Channel and other videos that he has made based on his love and research of medieval weapons and armor. Mike is great on horseback as well, he'd be awesome as an adviser for Mount & Blade.
Here is his Page: http://www.mikeloades.co.uk/cms/index.php
Below in spoiler is my question and the answer from the man himself:
So there you have it, words from a credible source that 2 handers DID EXIST as early as 1100.
I know the history buffs on this mod might at least find this interesting. It's because of this for example, that I used Morgh's item editer and changed a couple things like the Long Arming Sword to enable one / two hand usage.
Pretty cool, "O"
So I went onto Mike Loades facebook page and asked him. Anyone who doesn't know who he is...is missing out on allot of very good History Channel and other videos that he has made based on his love and research of medieval weapons and armor. Mike is great on horseback as well, he'd be awesome as an adviser for Mount & Blade.
Here is his Page: http://www.mikeloades.co.uk/cms/index.php
Below in spoiler is my question and the answer from the man himself:
Hello Mike, (big fan of your work btw)...
I was wondering if in all your research of medieval weapons, if you could answer
a question:
In Europe circa 1184, if there was the development or significant usage of a
2 Handed sword?
I've heard discussions where people argue during this time period :
""no significant evidence" of the development and usage of
2h swords at the time. (or something simlar to that excuse)
Common sense tells me that somewhere in the span of time a Man had
a single sword somewhere and decided he needed more leverage or power
and gripped a single sword in double handed fashion. But does that argue to the
point then...was that still not a true 2 hander?
Would love your opinions on this?
"O" from CT. USA
Hello O
Thanks for your kind words. I talk about the emergence of two handed swords and the use of regular single handed swords with two hands in a couple of places in my book Swords and Swordsmen. Certainly there were War Swords/ great Swords as early as 1100 , which have longer handgrips for use with two hands. It is also tru to say that there are images of single-handed swords being used with two hands (eg in the Jungfrauenspiegel c, 1200). The purpose of the two-handed sword however is not just to get more leverage or power from having a larger sword or using it with two hands (though both these factors are also true); the extra advantage of a two-handed sword is that the longer grip allows the hands to be used in a different way, pivoting around a central fulcrum. So the notion of someone using a sword with two hands (which has probably always been done on occasion) is quite different to the development of a sword with a long grip (and therefore called a two-handed sword), allowing a sort of scissor action with the hands, which in turn opens up all sorts of possibilities for how you use it both offensively and defensively. Obviously this is far too complex a subject to go into in a facebook post but I hope it goes some way to answering your question.
best wishes
Mike
I was wondering if in all your research of medieval weapons, if you could answer
a question:
In Europe circa 1184, if there was the development or significant usage of a
2 Handed sword?
I've heard discussions where people argue during this time period :
""no significant evidence" of the development and usage of
2h swords at the time. (or something simlar to that excuse)
Common sense tells me that somewhere in the span of time a Man had
a single sword somewhere and decided he needed more leverage or power
and gripped a single sword in double handed fashion. But does that argue to the
point then...was that still not a true 2 hander?
Would love your opinions on this?
"O" from CT. USA
Hello O
Thanks for your kind words. I talk about the emergence of two handed swords and the use of regular single handed swords with two hands in a couple of places in my book Swords and Swordsmen. Certainly there were War Swords/ great Swords as early as 1100 , which have longer handgrips for use with two hands. It is also tru to say that there are images of single-handed swords being used with two hands (eg in the Jungfrauenspiegel c, 1200). The purpose of the two-handed sword however is not just to get more leverage or power from having a larger sword or using it with two hands (though both these factors are also true); the extra advantage of a two-handed sword is that the longer grip allows the hands to be used in a different way, pivoting around a central fulcrum. So the notion of someone using a sword with two hands (which has probably always been done on occasion) is quite different to the development of a sword with a long grip (and therefore called a two-handed sword), allowing a sort of scissor action with the hands, which in turn opens up all sorts of possibilities for how you use it both offensively and defensively. Obviously this is far too complex a subject to go into in a facebook post but I hope it goes some way to answering your question.
best wishes
Mike
So there you have it, words from a credible source that 2 handers DID EXIST as early as 1100.
I know the history buffs on this mod might at least find this interesting. It's because of this for example, that I used Morgh's item editer and changed a couple things like the Long Arming Sword to enable one / two hand usage.
Pretty cool, "O"