Research and Discussion Forums

I've seen fightbooks that illustrate using a curved blade vs a straight swords how about accounts of that?


Now is it known how weapon disparity matches up? Like if you have a spear vs a sword&board, will one have a strong advantage over the other?

It's things like that I'm interested in.

Like a sword and shield guy vs a spear guy

Or a thrusting sword user vs a slashing sword user.


I've read some accounts of 15th century tournaments, but they were all of the same weapon type (pollaxe vs pollaxe and so on).

I figure a straight blade is overall better for thrusting, but is there any advantage a straight edged blade would have with chopping that a curved edge wouldn't?

From what I can tell, Roman and Viking swords had quite a small crossguard, while swords associated with knights had that long cruciform shape that we are very familiar with. http://www.thearma.org/SwordTree.jpg and then you have swords with loops extending to the side, or a cross guard bending down...

I've read http://www.thearma.org/essays/thrusting_vs_cutting.html and John mentions: Many types of European sabers (broadswords, cutlasses, and spadroons) with either "light" or "heavy" blades were developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, and among them are considered some of th...

Thanks,

do you know why curved swords became popular though? Was it really because of cavalry or was there something with the curvature that suited the fighting of the times?

So I've read that it's influence from steppe warriors that brought curved swords to the middle east (and India). So what did their swords look like before that?

Did curved swords completely replace straight ones? If they did, why?

Thanks, I'll have to check that book out!

For example, this is a fictional sword in an upcoming video game: http://art-eater.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/06_art-eater_dragons_crown_vanillaware_ghostly_knight_honesta_mors_turpi_vita_potior_king_armor1.jpg I've seen cross guards like that in other fictional depictions, but does it have a hi...