In the European High Middle Ages, the typical sword was a straight, double-edged weapon with a single-handed, cruciform hilt and a blade length of about 70 to 80 centimetres. This type is frequently depicted in period artwork, and numerous examples have been preserved archaeologically.
Sword, dated c. 1250–1330, British Museum
Great Seal of Henry II of England, showing the king as an armed horseman, c. 1154.
Detail of a sword being drawn from its scabbard, Morgan Bible fol. 28v, c. 1250.
Soldiers in mail armour with swords, German miniature of the Massacre of the Innocents, c. 1250.
The English language terminology used in the classification of swords is imprecise and has varied widely over time. There is no historical dictionary for the universal names, classification, or terminology of swords; a sword was simply a single-edged or double-edged knife.
Hand-and-a-half sword, probably German, c. 1400–1430
Warring States era jian (double edged sword)
Han dynasty Jian swords (above)