Soft Beard

A sword is a fine edged weapon and its blade is longer than a dagger. This is also the major difference between a sword and dagger. Medieval period swords were developed according to the fighting techniques prevalent at that era. These swords were mainly used for slashing. Sword making was not an easy task in the medieval period and it involved the hard work of various men. The medieval sword making involved a forger, a person for shaping the blade, a person for finishing the blade, a person for polishing and a person who made the hilt of the sword. In the medieval period, countries like Germany, Italy, Spain and France were the major sword making areas. Swords were either used by people in war or for everyday use. The most popular swords of that era were Christian symbol swords and were worn as a part of medieval grab. Rapiers were the most popular sword of civilians, which have long thin flexible blades that was good for dueling with one hand. Rapiers stayed in trend until the 17th century.

Sword making required considerable talent and the maker of sword had little knowledge of metallurgy, carbon contents and the exact temperature requirement and most of the medieval sword makers used intuition in forging a good steel sword. Generally the good blade metal is free of flaws. In the 11th century, the Norman type of sword was developed with a cross guard or quillions, which protected the hand from being cut as well as easily trapped the sword of the opponent. Norman sword was one of the most popular swords that were used throughout the 12th and 13th centuries. Most of the time, the sword was designed to be the most affective against armour. Sword making required considerable talent and the maker of sword had little knowledge of metallurgy.

To match up with the latest range of armour, innovative designs of swords were more prevalent in 14th and 15th centuries and were called as longs word. The blade and grip area was lengthened and it allowed for two handed use and hence had stronger momentum when used. This type of sword was double edged wide and 4-4.5 feet long and was known for its cutting, reaching and thrusting abilities. Longs word was considered as the ultimate battle sword. Medieval swords were swinging weapons, which were used with tremendous force and were considered as offensive weapons. These were mainly used to protect warriors relying on shield and body armour. Some of the distinguish features of medieval swords are:

' Pommel - It served as a counterpoise to the blade for increased maneuverability.

' Handle - In the medieval period sword, the handle was of increased length to allow double-handed grip.

' Crossbar - Crossbar was added between the handle and the blade for balance and also for protection of the hand.

' Blade - Blade of the medieval swords were straight, pointed and double edged.