The Long sword or Two handed sword
The Claymore and Doublehander swords of the late middle ages in combat
Growing from the knights sword of the early middle ages, these huge monster blades were king of the Western European battlefields for two hundred years
The long sword held a brief fascination for the western European armies in the late medieval and early renaissance period. Sword design from the bronze age into the medieval period saw the gradual lengthening of the sword, both of the blade and then of the hilt. Beginning around 1350 the use of very long swords began in earnest. These swords were designed to be used with both hands on the elongated grip or with one hand on the grip and the other on a covered center part of the blade designed for leverage. Tactics included using an overhead plunging attack upon the heaviest plated armor.
The use of these swords, along with the evolutions taking place in firearms development and armor piercing arrows signaled the demise of the mounted armored knight on the battlefield. The two most famous users of these long sword types were the Scottish highlanders with their two handed claymores and the Germanic Landsknecht mercenaries. The most feared of the Landsknecht would be called a Doppelsöldner, (Double soldier) and would receive twice the pay of a regular fighter. These men would carry the zweihänder, a two-handed sword as long as a man was tall. Its main purpose was to down charging horsemen and cut off oncoming pike heads.
Use of these swords lasted from roughly 1350 to 1550, declined in the late 16th century, and they were obsolete by the early 17th century. During this time period they were not carried universally by the military units in which they served, with the older Knights sword seeing use as a sidearm or with auxiliary units. The design was retired to the status of museum pieces during the renaissance where they were replaced by the very much shorter and lighter rapier in civilian use and the saber and small sword in military use.
