~ Medieval Weapons ~

-   Swords   -

Of all the weapons used during the Medieval period, the sword is the most iconic and prestigious. However, it was by no means the most often used of the hand weapons used in battle. This was mainly due to the expense of attaining and maintaining a sword. Therefore, medieval swords were mainly used by the medieval knights. The infantry would primarily make use of polearms, this weapon being held by some to have been of far more use than a sword in expert hands, but if the polearm formation broke down or a polearm itself was broken, it was the sword which was relied on for close quarters combat.

Sword-fighting in the Middle Ages did not encourage parrying or blocking as one may have thought. The approach was far more offensive than this. According to the fighting manual of Lichtenauer, a master of swordsmanship in the late 14th Century from whom the German school of swordsmanship was derived, a swordsman ought to mirror his enemy, cutting when he cuts, thrusting when he thrusts, for example.