Longsword

Longsword
Swiss longsword, ca. 1500 (Morges museum)
Type	Sword
Service history
In service	Late Middle Ages, Renaissance
Specifications
Weight	avg. 1.1–1.8 kg (2.4–4.0 lb)
Length	total: avg. 100–130 cm (39–51 in) blade: avg. 90–110 cm (35–43 in)

total: avg. 100–130 cm (39–51 in)

A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for two-handed use (around 16 to 28 cm (6 to 11 in)) and a straight double-edged blade of around 85 to 110 cm (33 to 43 in), The "longsword" type exists in a morphological continuum with the medieval knightly sword and the Renaissance-era Zweihänder. It was prevalent during the late medieval and Renaissance periods (approximately 1350 to 1550), with early and late use reaching into the 13th and 17th centuries.

The term "longsword" is ambiguous, and refers to the "bastard sword" only where the late medieval to Renaissance context is implied. has been used to refer to Bronze Age swords, Migration period and Viking swords as well as the early modern dueling sword.

Historical (15th to 16th century) terms for this type of sword included Spanish espadón, montante, or mandoble, Italian spadone or spada longa (lunga), Portuguese montante and Middle French passot. The Gaelic claidheamh mòr means "great sword"; anglicised as claymore, it came to refer to the Scottish type of longsword with v-shaped crossguard. Historical terminology overlaps with that applied to the Zweihänder sword in the 16th century: French espadon, Spanish espadón, or Portuguese montante may also be used more narrowly to refer to these large swords. The French épée de passot may also refer to a medieval single-handed sword optimized for thrusting.