What is a "Shortsword"

[Corey Roberts]

What is the meaning of the word "Shortsword" does "Shortsword" mean a medieval single handed sword, being smaller than the "longsword" or does "Shortsword" mean something even smaller than a single hander?

[Richard Strey]

It's always a question of context. Sometimes, modern people call a short sword a shortsword, a roman gladius for example. The period treatises of the German school I read usually just say "sword." It would appear that there was no systematic nomenclature back then and the reader knew what was meant anyway. To confuse things even more, halfswording was called "Schwert zu Kampf / Sword in Combat" or "Kurzes Schwert / Shortsword."

[scottwegener]

In my reading I've noticed that the term is very liquid. There is no real size at which a sword is short, long, or otherwise. Its one of those things taht's more a product of modern literature and RPGs than reality.

[Allen Johnson]

George Silver called his weapon of choice a "shortsword". Its a basic baskethilt broadsword like this:

http://www.myarmoury.com/albums/display ... =15&pos=38

the blade is 33.5" - usually not what people today would consider "short"

[scottwegener]

George Silver called his weapon of choice a "shortsword". Its a basic baskethilt broadsword like this:

http://www.myarmoury.com/albums/display ... =15&pos=38

the blade is 33.5" - usually not what people today would consider "short"

Sure, and look at a katana. Its is the "long sword" of the Samurai paired swords, yet typical length is about the same -33 -36". At least the ones I've seen. But I've seen so-called short swords of the same length and so-called (again) long swords that dwarf them.

Maybe it would be more useful to think in terms of one- or two-handed swords? I'm certainly no expert and I'm just typing off the top of my head.

[Allen Johnson]

It's always a question of context. Sometimes, modern people call a short sword a shortsword, a roman gladius for example. The period treatises of the German school I read usually just say "sword." It would appear that there was no systematic nomenclature back then and the reader knew what was meant anyway. To confuse things even more, halfswording was called "Schwert zu Kampf / Sword in Combat" or "Kurzes Schwert / Shortsword."

And to confuse the term "half sword", later English masters used that term to define the point were opponents blades cross.

[J. F. McBrayer]

George Silver called his weapon of choice a "shortsword". Its a basic baskethilt broadsword like this:

http://www.myarmoury.com/albums/display ... =15&pos=38

the blade is 33.5" - usually not what people today would consider "short"

Indeed, following Silver's instructions for computing the perfect length for the short sword, you can easily end up with a 36" blade or thereabouts, depending on your height.

[J. F. McBrayer]

And to confuse the term "half sword", later English masters used that term to define the point were opponents blades cross.

Fiore and Vadi also used the term "mezza spada" (half sword) to mean an incrossada (engagement) at the middle of the sword. The term in Vadi for "halfswording" in the German sense is "mezza mella" (half blade), and in Fiore, I think it's something like false point or short point.