English Longsword according to J. Ledall
The European longsword was developed in response to improvements in armour design in the 14th and 15th centuries. Although there are occasional examples of two-handed swords prior to this, during the 14th century European armour began to incorporate steel plating for added protection, which in return resulted in the development of new weapons. The longsword was could be used single- or two-handed, and able to cut, thrust, pierce or bludgeon as the situation demanded, and soon became the standard weapon of the European knight.
The records of the Masters of Defence show that prizes were fought with the two-handed sword extremely commonly. Additionally, the earliest works on English swordplay in existence are devoted to the two-handed sword; the anonymous Harleian MS, the Cotton Titus MS, and Additional MS. 39564, signed by “J. Ledall”. In addition, Silver tells us that the two-handed sword is to be used in the same manner as the quarterstaff. While the vast majority of continental longsword technique is derived from the teachings of the 14th century German sword master Johannes Lecküchner, the evidence from Silver, Ledall, Cotton Titus and Harleian MS.3542 would indicate that the English developed their own system quite independently of the European mainstream.
During Term 3 we will be looking at the basic attacks and defences described in Ledall, which may be used with any sized two-handed sword. Term 4 will focus specifically on a weapon of Silver’s “perfect length” which is capable of being used in one hand as well as two, and look at the implications of including single-handed techniques in the two-handed sword fight.