Thanks to the efforts of mass culture, the most incredible rumors are always hovering around the two-handed swords of the Middle Ages. Some endow weapons with a pound weight, others with incredible dimensions, and still others argue that swords of this size could not exist as military weapons. Popular Mechanics decided to dot the i's and tell you about the most popular types of two-handed swords.
Claymore
Claymore (claymore, claymore, claymore, from the Gaulish claidheamh-mòr - "big sword") is a two-handed sword that has become widespread among the Scottish highlanders since the end of the XIV century. As the main weapon of the infantry, claymore was actively used in clashes between tribes or border battles with the British.
Claymore is the smallest of all its brethren. This, however, does not mean that the weapon is small: the average length of the blade is 105-110 cm, and together with the handle, the sword reached 150 cm. Its distinctive feature was the characteristic bend of the arches of the cross - down towards the tip of the blade. This design made it possible to effectively grip and literally pull out any long weapon from the enemy's hands. In addition, the decoration of the bow's horns - punching in the form of a stylized four-leaf clover - became a distinctive mark by which everyone easily recognized the weapon.
In terms of size and efficiency, the claymore was arguably the best two-handed sword. It was not specialized, and therefore it was used quite effectively in any combat situation.
Zweichander
Zweichander (German Zweihänder or Bidenhänder / Bihänder, "two-handed sword") is a weapon of a special unit of landsknechts, who are on double pay (doppelsoldner). If the claymore is the most modest sword, then the Zweihander really was distinguished by its impressive size and in rare cases reached up to two meters in length, including the hilt. In addition, it was notable for a double guard, where special "boar fangs" separated the unsharpened part of the blade (ricasso) from the sharpened one.
Such a sword was a weapon of very narrow use. The fighting technique was quite dangerous: the owner of the Zweichander acted in the front ranks, pushing as a lever (or even completely cutting off) the shaft of the enemy pikes and spears. To possess this monster required not only remarkable strength and courage, but also considerable skill of a swordsman, so that the mercenaries did not receive double salaries for their beautiful eyes. The technique of fighting with two-handed swords bears little resemblance to the usual blade fencing: such a sword is much easier to compare with a reed. Of course, the Zweichander did not have a scabbard - it was worn on the shoulder like an oar or a spear.
Flamberg
Flamberge ("flaming sword") is a natural evolution of the regular straight sword. The curvature of the blade made it possible to increase the lethality of the weapon, however, in the case of large swords, the blade came out too massive, fragile and still could not penetrate high-quality armor. In addition, the Western European school of fencing suggests using the sword mainly as a thrusting weapon, and therefore, curved blades were not suitable for it.
By the XIV-XVI centuries, the achievements of metallurgy led to the fact that the cutting sword became practically useless at all on the battlefield - it simply could not penetrate hardened steel armor with one or two blows, which played a critical role in massive battles. The gunsmiths began to actively look for a way out of this situation, until they finally came to the concept of a wave blade, which has a number of successive antiphase bends. Such swords were difficult to manufacture and were expensive, but the effectiveness of the sword was undeniable. Due to a significant reduction in the area of the striking surface, upon contact with the target, the destructive effect was greatly enhanced. In addition, the blade acted like a saw, cutting through the affected surface.
Flamberg's wounds did not heal for a very long time. Some generals sentenced captured swordsmen to death solely for carrying such weapons. The Catholic Church also cursed such swords and branded them as inhumane weapons.
Espadon
Espadon (French espadon from Spanish espada - sword) is a classic type of two-handed sword with a tetrahedral cross-section of the blade. Its length reached 1.8 meters, and the guard consisted of two massive arches. The center of gravity of the weapon was often shifted to the edge - this increased the penetrating power of the sword.
In battle, such weapons were used by unique warriors who usually did not have any other specialization. Their task was to, swinging huge blades, destroy the enemy's battle formation, overturn the first ranks of the enemy and pave the way for the rest of the army. Sometimes these swords were used in battle with cavalry - due to the size and mass of the blade, the weapon made it possible to very effectively chop the legs of horses and cut through the armor of heavy infantry.
Most often, the weight of military weapons ranged from 3 to 5 kg, and heavier specimens were award or ceremonial. Weighted warblade replicas were sometimes used for training purposes.
Estok
Estok (fr. Estoc) is a two-handed piercing weapon designed to pierce knightly armor. A long (up to 1.3 meters) tetrahedral blade usually had a stiffening rib. If the previous swords were used as a means of countermeasures against cavalry, then the estok, on the contrary, was the weapon of the rider. Riders wore it on the right side of the saddle in order to have an additional means of self-defense in the event of a loss of the lance. In equestrian combat, the sword was held by one hand, and the blow was delivered due to the speed and mass of the horse. In a skirmish on foot, the warrior took him in two hands, compensating for the lack of mass with his own strength. Some examples of the 16th century have a complex guard, like a sword, but most often there was no need for it.
