Where Can I Find Measurements of Medieval Swords?

Detailed technical information on late medieval swords can be hard to find, because most collections only have a few and because swords are 'artist's work' not 'engineer's work.' Making a good one is about instinct and sense for form not reason and language. Although Peter Johansson has success designing the outline of swords using geometry, most people who make good swords don't use this method.

This page has links to photos and measurements of late medieval European swords in some online collections. For the purposes of this essay, a "sword" is straight and two-edged and reasonably long. Thus falchions, lange Messers, and backswords do not count (but some of the weapons which collectors call "rapiers" do). "Late medieval" is roughly 1200-1520.

If you want print references, check out the books by Marko Aleksić and Ewart Oakeshott in the bibliography. Craig Johnson of A&A has suggestions here.

Skip directly to one-handed swords, long swords, and two-handed swords.

One-Handed Swords

One-handed swords are ones intended to be wielded in one hand. Some people today call them "arming swords," but when medieval people said "arming sword" they seem to mean the sword you wear with your armour (as opposed to the lighter shorter one you wear around town, or the hanger which attaches directly to your hipbelt, or the long stiff "tuck" or "estoc" you use to thrust at the gaps in armour). So the name "arming sword" means different things to different people.

Wallace Collection A499 European sword dating c. 1490-1520
Wallace Collection A462 Oakeshott type XV? 74.5 cm long, 1450 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 07.53.2 European sword from around the year 1200. Oakeshott Type X? 95.5 cm long, 81.6 cm blade, 1158 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 25.188.12 European sword, badly corroded. 91.8 cm long, 75.6 cm blade, 850.5 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number 36.149.14. European sword from around the year 1500. Oakeshott type XV with what looks like a hollowed-out blade. 79.4 cm long, 66 cm blade, 850.5 g
accession number 32.75.226. European word in the Oakeshott type XVIII family. Late 14th or early 15th century? 96.6 cm long, 74.3 cm blade, 1276 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art Accession Number 32.75.227. European sword. Hexagonal cross-section, fuller for about 1/2 of the blade's length, gently tapered with a point like a gothic arch- Oakeshott type XIX? 104.4 cm long, 88.3 cm blade, 1219 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art Accession Number 14.25.1096. Sword with a Passau mark. Hexagonal cross-section, fuller for about 1/4 of the blade's length, gently tapered with a point like a gothic arch- Oakeshott type XIX? 94.3 cm long, 79.1 cm blade, 1134 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art Accession Number 32.75.225. European sword with a line from Virgil on the pommel and an illegible inscription on the blade. Oakeshott Type XIV. 102.2 cm long, 81.3 cm blade, 1673 g.
Metropolitan Musuem of Art accession number 14.25.1165 sword (Oakeshott type XIX?), possibly Italian or Spanish c. 1500. 113 cm long, 95.8 cm blade, 1332.4 g
Cleveland Museum of Art accession number 1919.69 European sword ?15th century?, Oakeshott type XV? 103.5 cm long, 1060 g
Cleveland Museum of Art accession number 1921.1252 European sword. Oakeshott type XVI or XVII? 85.3 cm long, 71.7 cm blade, 335 g
Cleveland Museum of Art accession number 1916.1600 European sword. 104.2 cm long, 87.3 cm blade, 1720 g

Long Swords

Long swords are swords designed to be used with both hands, but capable of being used comfortably in one and worn at the hip.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number 08.261.9. European sword of the 15th century. Oakeshott Type XVIa. Almost a long sword. 102.9 cm long, 84.1 cm blade, 1289.9 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art Accession Number 54.46.11 European long sword, Oakeshott type XVa. Possibly from around the year 1500? 116.2 cm long, 86.5 cm blade, 1190.7 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1988.26 Long sword with Istanbul arsenal marks, German c. 1500-1525. 127.6 cm long, 96 cm blade, 1814 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art accession number 29.150.143 Long sword with Alexandria arsenal marks (before 1419) (Oakeshott type XVIIIc?). 111 cm long, 86.7 cm blade, 1644 g
Metropolitan Museum of Art accession number 14.25.1196 European long sword with the upper half of the tang bare. 122.9 cm long, 93.7 cm blade, 1616 g

Two-Handed Swords

Two-handed swords are designed to be used with two hands against multiple opponents. They are usually roughly shoulder high and heavier than other kinds of swords. They were usually carried on the shoulder rather than being worn on the hip or at the saddle bow. Two-handed swords are not my main interest, and quite a few survive from the early 16th centurys, so this listing is less complete than the listings above.