Customized Medieval Swords

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[@swordandshield]

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[@johnknotabuc]

Ronald what you are saying makes perfect sense. I'm a sport fencer from back in the 80's. I quickly left the French grip for the Belgian because it gave so much more control of the blade. It just makes complete martial sense. Thanks as always for your interesting videos, I'm one of your first subscribers. Oh by the way, that muscle under the thumb is called the thenar eminence.

[@swordandshield]

Thank you for your kind words and for the proper English term for the respective muscle. Much appreciated.

[@claudiobernardi3002]

Magnificent swords, and how lucky you are to be able to wield them like this! A very special video full of interesting details. Thanks Roland!

[@swordandshield]

This is indeed a privilege. Happy you like the video.

[@wilowhisp]

Thanks for posting this video and providing the sword community with such a treasure trove of knowledge!

[@swordandshield]

My pleasure. Thank you for your appreciation.

[@Tekka907]

I appreciate your videos. Most of us never get to see these swords up close unless it's from a book with pictures. Getting the angles and details up close is really cool to see. I won't be so picky now 😆

[@Forndrome]

Very interesting observations and topic, hope to see other researchers and smiths chime in.

[@swordandshield]

My fellow swordsman, archaeologist and archaeo-metallurgist Ingo Petri has been looking into it for some time, too. A couple of his papers are already available. I also hear about more and more modern practitioners insisting on offset pommels.

[@derstopfer6865]

its remarkable how much such details influences the handling of the sword, even when the wielder isnt aware of. my fencingfeather shows more sign of use on one side of the blade then the other and when i turned the handle in my hand in realised that one part of the upper grip is slightly thicker then the other. after measureing the handle i found out that its just 0,2mm wider and i tend hold the wider part with my palm because its slightly more comfortable in my fingers

[@swordandshield]

This mirrors my experience, too. Most practitioners have a favourite side of their sword and shield, and the differences in measurements of a given grip/hilt are often minute. I am quite sure that historical swordsmen were well aware of these details, and would have insisted on having it their way no less so than modern sports professionals.

[@AGermanFencer]

Tagentially related: Is it really fencing"feather"? Wouldnt it be more likely that "Feder" translates to "spring" here? Since leaf springs were known.

[@swordandshield]

@@AGermanFencer This is too off-topic to provide an in-depth answer here. For the historical origin of fechtfeder or federschwert, please refer to Daniel Jacquet's article in "The Sword - Form and Thought" (the 2019 book, not the 2015 catalogue!).

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

@@AGermanFencer spring and feather are the same word in german, so its more likely spring comes from the word feather, germans say "springen" for leaping so feder is probably a slang word for a spring or flexable blade that gained dominance in the medieval period.. - (after feathers are springy) .. . - and came to replace the original word

[@EattinThurs61]

​@@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367 in swedish it is fjäder for both. Springa sprang, sprungit is running in swedish. Språng is a leap.

[@Matt_The_Hugenot]

Once this Covid-19 situation is out of the way I'd like to survey swords in UK museums to see how they compare.

[@swordandshield]

That would be fantastic.

[@dimitrizaitsew1988]

It's worth mentioning that back in the days most swords were used from horseback and therefore needed to be longer. Most people today can't even ride a horse, not to mention fight from a back of one. Therefore it's okay for a modern replica to be shorter than an original, because it will not be used in the same way.

[@swordandshield]

I have to disagree. Firstly, I see no indication in sources that support what you say here, be it in text or in images such as medieval miniatures, tapestries or fight books. And secondly, for much of the medieval period cavalry was expected to be able to fight dismounted, too. There are ample examples, such as Poitiers or Agincourt etc. Thirdly, later rapiers were the same length or even longer, and made for fencing on the ground specifically. If on top you take into account that modern practitioners are generally taller than their ancestors, the distortion of fighting geometry gets even worse.

[@dimitrizaitsew1988]

@@swordandshield Thank you very much for your perspective!

[@swordandshield]

@@dimitrizaitsew1988 you are welcome.

[@faramund9865]

I don’t know about ‘most’. But it’s a good point. Long one handers are probably intended PRIMARILY for horseback (is what makes sense to me). Cosidering the whole history with gladius and spatha and all that.

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

@@swordandshield height of medirval europeans and current europeans hasnt changed much.. people began shrinking with the age of discovery and urbanisation.. southern europeans were already noticable shorter than northern europeans earlier due to much denser urbanisation, growing food prices, plagure and famine.. .. iron age northern europeans were taller than todays europeans but afew centremeters on average ... the big drops of height really began in the 16-17th century.. dutch people for example lost something like 5-6 inches of their dark ages ancestors... maybe more.. . in the mid 19th century as a comparison the average northern european australian was the same height as they are today.. but the average german or norwegian was 4 inches shorter. i would suspect stoneage europens were taller than today by some good few centermeters.

[@stephengolombecki8666]

I learned something new today! I’ve never thought about this but it makes a lot of sense! I guess I’ve never had the opportunity to see any ancient swords up close so I find all these videos fascinating!

[@swordandshield]

Find stats and photos of details of the very long-bladed single sword featured in the video in this public post: www.patreon.com/posts/42793443

[@joostvanriel5204]

Maybe the pommel was smaller on one side to make flicking of the wrist better when the smaller side is used against the palm

[@WolfKenneth]

Brilliant! So much knowledge in such short video 😍 Thank you Roland!

[@swordandshield]

My pleasure.

[@Pilafcg]

I've been watching videos and reading about loosely said "swordfighting" and this is one of the most educational videos I have seen

[@swordandshield]

I am delighted you found it worthwhile.

[@erichusayn]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing.

[@swordandshield]

You are welcome.

[@xcr75]

This customization aspect would provide functional reason to sell swords as blades only. I believe that was a common practise. That way you would gain benefits of centralized blade making and you are still able to customize the sword locally.

[@swordandshield]

Specialisation of crafts was a reality in the High and Late Middle Ages, so swords were often assembled in a specialized workshop from prefab parts. However, even with earlier swords you can occasionally see how e.g. the position of a pommel was fine-tuned by means of tiny shims.

[@christophe7723]

Amazing as usual Roland, I would love to be with you to see those originals ;) I hope to eventually be able to do that on l'atelier de la sentinelle with leather items...

[@swordandshield]

That would be wonderful.

[@Ugojglc]

Thank you so much

[@viluukx6609]

Thanks for the great video. I have a cheap sword made by deepeeka that has a somewhat loose pommel. By twisting the pommel to one side I also feel that it just feels much better in one hand and much worse in the other. Two different swords I have with straight pommels also do feel better if I slightly turn the grip in my hand. The wheel theb also feels less annoying when holding the pommel partially.

[@swordandshield]

Excellent. I ran similar experiments with my swords, too.

[@lucbourhis3142]

As usual, some unique insights from you! Really fascinating.

[@swordandshield]

Happy you find it useful.

[@umartdagnir]

Very interesting observations, thanks for sharing!

[@swordandshield]

You are welcome.

[@50StichesSteel]

Reason for the swords flexibility is most likely a blend of the type of metal used along with the steel hardness and its age and state of decay. Steel tends to loose flex after it becomes oxidized and many years of freezing and thawing...Just a guess without seeing it in person. In it's original form it would likely have more flex and reverb then present day. Also just a speculation.

[@swordandshield]

What I observed in terms of vibration is also true for swords which had never ended up in the ground. Note also that two of the swords seen in the video are very flexible even today (see an image here: www.patreon.com/posts/42793443 ). One suggestion by Ingo Petri - and again, this is just a suggestion - is that the less homogenous structure of original blade steel transfers vibration less well than modern steel does. However, take this with a grain of salt - I am neither an archaeo metallurgist nor a sword smith.

[@swordandshield]

@@ABAlphaBeta no, this is incorrect. There is a huge variety in flexibility to deal with various contexts, and technically, it has more to do with blade cross section than steel quality. So if anything, later swords are stiffer than earlier ones, due to cross section.

[@50StichesSteel]

@@swordandshield That also makes sense as well and is why I mentioned not seeing it in person. The grain structure plays a part in how the steel reacts to vibration. Close microscopic analysis would reveal this better..Great video!

[@swordandshield]

@@50StichesSteel you are welcome.

[@thrownswordpommel7393]

So you get to swing museum relics like that ? Lucky bastard ! Anyway, nice to see you again Roland. Will we get a Hema technique video anytime soon, or will German corona restrictions get in the way ?

[@swordandshield]

Thanks for your interest and appreciation. I have just released a 45 minute instructional video on twerhau striking mechanics to support my patrons' solo practice in covid times: www.patreon.com/posts/43598397

[@silver_tongue9644]

Show us your live sparing!! I’m very interested in how one can get around a shield, especially when both ppl close the distance to point blank range and bind shields U say that it’s better to be on top of your enemy’s shield But I believe it’s underneath that u want to get to This will definitely allow you to push your opponent back like in wrestling and maybe even case their shield to be pushed up

[@franckherrmannsen7903]

Roland has a ton of videos on that topic

[@silver_tongue9644]

@@franckherrmannsen7903 yeah I’ve watched them And I can see no evidence that he has done anything more than make up whatever seems right to him If he could show even once him hitting this shield on top pressure against a fully noncompliant opponent who is active not cooperating and not actually trying to fight his buckler game Because that totally works with a buckler But these shields are heavier and aren’t held out all the time Because it’s not a strong position U hold the shields close where u can support then with your other hand and extend when they attack

[@orsettomorbido]

Such an interesting video!

[@swordandshield]

I am delighted you find it educating.

[@oolooo]

I am still amazed at the lack of pimping out .Like , why have we not found any Swords with Gemstones stuck in them ? .

[@swordandshield]

But they do exist. There are plenty of examples of highly adorned swords in collections worldwide.

[@oolooo]

@@swordandshield I mean in Arming Swords

[@swordandshield]

@@oolooo one typical method of decorating wheel pommels on some medieval single-handed swords is to provide them with a shallow cavity into which gems, glass or coins could be placed. However, it is not uncommon that whatever was set into the pommel has been removed at a later date. In addition, there are many examples of silver inlays in sword hilts particularly in north eastern Europe, and some pommels appear to haver been gilded. Yet the vast majority is, indeed, without hilt decoration.

[@oolooo]

@@swordandshield Nice , that one is a classic .Although , I prefer the gemstone to be in the guard , underneath the Fuller . Also , why are there so few examples available online to be seen ? .

[@2bit8bytes]

I'll be showing my ignorance here, but is it not possible this is just a hazard of the imprecision of manual handiwork? EDIT: So after seeing more of your videos it looks like a consistent "error" so I understand it's probably intentional. Very interesting.

[@SmellsLikeTeenPoo]

Das hättest du mal mit unseren Lübecker Henkersschwertern im Holstentormuseum machen müssen! ;)

[@manatoa1]

Does it seem to you that the handling advantages of this asymmetrical hilting outweighs the advantages of a symmetrical sword? If it's symmetrical you can average out wear to the edges and can easily switch to the other edge if one gets damaged. It makes me wonder if doing that with one of these swords would feel a bit like wearing your shoes on the wrong feet. I'm also very curious if the ratio of right to left handed swords is what we'd expect it to be.

[@zachariaszut]

This is a rather complex topic.

[@swordandshield]

Indeed.

[@faramund9865]

Seems like pommels are always twisted (on one handed swords?) for ergonomics. This should be COMMON knowledge by now to modern sword makers. But it’s not?

[@manchagojohnsonmanchago6367]

yeah there is an issue of then having to sell left and right handed swords

[@jbloun911]

Does the 14th century sword have a latten brass pommel??

[@swordandshield]

Definitely some kind of copper alloy. This was quite common, at least in the area. I have seen many copper alloy pommels, most of them disc pommels with chamfered edges.

[@petrapetrakoliou8979]

Very interesting points. But shouldn't you be handling those swords more cautiously, being archaeological rather fragile weapons compared to modern replicas? There are surely future researchers who would also like to get the chance to study these objects in an optimal state of preservation.

[@lukerope1906]

is this true of all sword finds? Or just some?

[@swordandshield]

With single swords, it is true for the vast majority of original swords that I have handled. However, there are pommel shapes which already take care of ergonomic issues by design. For example, some late Viking Age types with a distinct flattish canoe-shaped cross section and a round central lobe, or very flat pommels can be mounted parallel to the cross-guard. Dr Alfred Geibig pointed out that the fact that these designs are NOT offset has to be seen as a confirmation of intentional offsets elsewhere. Read more here: www.patreon.com/posts/38918562 I would not be surprised if the development of the wheel pommel was indeed stirred by the desire to create a pommel design that could be mounted symmetrically without causing any ergonomic issues. I am looking forward to examine this with suitable originals.