Armament of a knight in the Middle Ages. Types and designs of swords

Malkus or malchus (Italian malchus) - this is how a Falchion with a strong bevel of the butt is sometimes called; the bevel was necessary to give this sword a piercing property. The origin of this name is interesting. And it comes from the name of Malkus - a character in the New Testament, a slave of the high priest who participated in the arrest of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. All the evangelists report about the servant of the high priest and the cutting off of his ear by the Apostle Peter, but only John the Theologian calls him by the name Malchus (in Latin Malchus). Only Luke reports the healing of the slave. This episode was depicted by medieval artists and often (but not always) they placed a falchion with a beveled butt into Peter’s hand.

Detail of the painting "The Arrest of Christ", 1520, Burgundy. Kept in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, France. One of the stained glass windows at King's College, Cambridge. Upper detail of the altar of the Church of the Virgin Mary in Krakow. 1477-89. Here at St. Petra falchion without a bevel, the butt is simply sharpened to a quarter. Malkus's saber is of interest.

Misericorde (French misericorde - knife of mercy) - this is the name of a dagger with a narrow diamond-shaped blade section for penetration between joints knight's armor. Known in Western Europe since the 13th century, and in fact is not of any kind special kind daggers. For piercing Gothic armor, the best daggers are the Rondel type and the slightly smaller Bullock type.

Fencing textbooks show several techniques effective application dagger, as a weapon of murder, it gives odds even to two-handed swords.

hand sword (English Greatsword, Longsword or Bastard, German Langschwert or Anderthalbhänder, French L "épée batarde) – main distinctive feature This type of sword has a long handle of 15-25 cm, for two hands. And the blade is 80-110 cm long. The width of the blade is 4.1-3.1 - tapering towards the tip. Weight 1.2 - 2.4 kg (most 1.5 kg). Appeared in connection with the need to increase the fighting qualities of the sword, which led to the lengthening and weighting of the blade. Period most widespread– approximately 1350 to 1550 (but the earliest and late period use in the 13th and 17th centuries). A sheath on a sling is required. In English-language literature, the name Bastard (illegitimate) is often found, which suggests that many swords are difficult to determine whether they are one-and-a-half-handed or two-handed.

With a long blade it is easy to inflict a more serious wound, especially if cut from a horse. Long swords are used for slashing, slashing and thrusting. For more specific application purposes bastard swords you have to change their shape. All parts of the sword are used for offensive purposes, including the pommel and crossguard. The pommel, located at a considerable distance from the heel of the blade, better balances the sword - so fencing even with one hand does not present any difficulties.

Swords of subtypes XIIa and XIIIa from 1250-1350 are mentioned as predecessors to the later one-and-a-half-handed swords. The name of these two subtypes is the words "great sword". Oakeshott highlights their one-and-a-half-handed grip and relatively large blade, approximately 90cm (36 inches), which were larger and wider than contemporary swords. Later, in the late Middle Ages, c. 1350-1550 a variety of sword subtypes appeared:

Blade length ≈ 81 cm (32 in), subtype XVIa (early 14th century).

Blade about 86 cm (34 inches): 18th century subtype (mid 15th to early 16th century).

With a blade length averaging 86 (34 inches), varying from 75 to 100 cm (30 to 38 inches): Type XX (14th and 15th centuries), subtypes XXa (14th and 15th centuries).

With a blade length of about 89 cm (35 inches): subtype XVa (late 13th to early 16th century), XVIIa (mid 14th to early 15th century).

Longest. Blade averages 100 cm (39 in) with an average of about 92–110 cm (36 to 42 in): subtypes XVIIIa (mid 14th to early 15th century), XVIIIb (early 15th to mid 16th century), XVIIId (mid 15th to early 16th century), XVIIIe (mid 15th century to early 16th century).

It should be noted that the last XVIII subtype is most often classified as two-handed swords. Oakeshott clearly does not distinguish between one-and-a-half-handed and two-handed swords.

Handle knight's sword 13th century. The sword probably belonged to Master Conrad, Landgrave of Thuringia and Hesse. 1239-1241 German Historical Museum (DHM). Berlin.

Swords from left to right: 1) second. floor. 14th century; 2) around 1400; 3) lane floor. 14th century; 4) 14th century. German Historic Museum (DHM). Berlin.

"Knight with two sons" 1518-1520. thin Lucas Cranach I. Shown is a knight's armor, a helmet-armée, a decorative shield, and a sword suitable for use with two hands; the pommel of a dagger is visible.

This sword was kept in the courthouse of the Swiss city of Sursee, dated around 1550. The blade is double-edged, 100 cm long, 5.2 cm wide at the heel, without fullers. The handle handle is covered with wood and braided with leather. The scabbard is wooden, covered with leather, and has a small brass tip. Total length 136.5 cm. Weight without sheath 2.535 g, with sheath 2790 g. It is not clear whether it is two-handed or one-and-a-half-handed.

Pappenheimer sword is a type of combat rapier, characterized by a long, thick blade and a very complex hilt. The guard consists of a cup made up of two wide petals covering the ricasso and a cross, the front end of which is bent down and the back up, and one (and often a whole system) arch covering the fingers. The one-handed handle is topped with a heavy fixed apple

People rich enough to not have to work constitute a privileged class, strictly separated from the rest of society. In this upper class, everyone, excluding clergy, are warriors by profession, in the terminology of the Middle Ages, “knights”.

Charlemagne also obliged all free people of his empire to bear arms. The need to protect oneself, a tendency towards idleness and adventure, a predisposition to military life brought in all medieval Europe to the formation of a military aristocracy. To attract people to military service, there was no need for the highest authority of the state. Since secular people believed military life the only honorable way of life, then everyone strove for it; the military, knightly class included everyone who had enough money to join it.

The first condition for becoming a knight was the opportunity to purchase weapons at your own expense. Meanwhile, starting from the 9th century, they fought exclusively on horses. Therefore, the medieval warrior was called chevalier in France, caver in the south, caballero in Spain, Ritter in Germany, in Latin texts ancient name soldier, miles, became synonymous with knight.

Throughout feudal Europe, war is fought in the same way, and the warriors are armed almost identically.

Armor and weapons of medieval knights

A person who is fully armed for battle, a knight, has his body protected by armor. Until the end of the 9th century, this was armor, a tunic made of leather or fabric, covered with metal plaques or rings; later armor is everywhere replaced by chain mail, a shirt made of metal rings with gauntlets and a hood and with a slit at the top so that it can be worn like a shirt. At first the chain mail reached the feet; when it was shortened to the knees, they began to cover their legs with hoop stockings for protection; Spurs shaped like the tip of a spear were attached to these stockings. The hood covered the back of the head and head and reached the chin, leaving only the eyes, nose and mouth open.

During the battle medieval knight put a helmet on his head - a conical steel cap surrounded by a rim and ending with a metal or glass ball (cimier); the helmet was equipped with an iron plate that protected the nose (nasal - nasal, it disappeared by the end of the 12th century) and was tied to the chain mail with leather straps. Only in the XIV century. armor made of metal plates and a helmet with a visor appear, which survived until the 17th century - weapons Bayard and Henry IV, which, however, is often mistaken for the usual armament of a medieval knight.

To repel blows, the medieval knight wore a shield made of wood and leather, covered with metal strips and decorated in the middle with a plaque (boucle) made of gilded iron (hence the name of the shield - bouclier). At first round, the shield then becomes oblong and lengthens to the point that it covers the rider from shoulders to toes. The knights hung it around their necks on a wide belt; during the battle it was worn on left hand through handles located on the inside. It was on shields that, starting from the 12th century, they began to draw a coat of arms, recognized by one or another family for its emblem.

The knight's offensive weapons were a sword (branc), usually wide and short, with a flat hilt, and a spear with a long and thin shaft made of ash or hornbeam, ending with a diamond-shaped iron tip. Below the tip, a rectangular strip of material (gonfanon - banner) was nailed, which fluttered in the wind. The spear could be thrust into the ground with a handle ending in an iron tip.

Knights. Film 1. Chained in Iron

Dressed and armed in this way, the medieval knight was almost invulnerable, and over time the weapons were increasingly improved, making the warrior look like a living fortress. But at the same time he becomes so heavy that he needs a special kind of horse to fight. The knight has two horses with him: an ordinary one (palefroi) for riding, and a fighting one (dextrier), which is led by a servant by the bridle. Before the battle begins, the knight puts on his armor, mounts his war horse and rushes into battle, pointing his spear forward.

Only knights were considered true warriors; stories about medieval battles tell us only about them, and only about them the battle columns consisted. But they were accompanied on their campaigns by other riders on less hardy horses, dressed in a tunic and a hat, equipped with lighter and less expensive armor, armed with a small shield, a narrow sword, a pike, an ax or a bow. A knight who had heavy weapons could not do without these companions: they led his war horse (on the right side, hence the name dextrier), carried his shield, helped him put on armor at the moment of battle and sit in the saddle. Therefore, they were usually called valets (servants) or ècuyers (shield bearers), and in Latin - scutifer (shield bearer) or armiger (armiger). In the early Middle Ages, knights kept these squires in a subordinate position. Composed at the end of the 11th century. " Song of Roland"they are spoken of as lower class. They shaved their heads like servants and received coarser bread at table. But little by little brotherhood in arms brought the squires closer to the knights; in the 13th century both groups already constituted one class - the highest class of secular society, and to both of them they applied the ancient Latin name noble (nobilis), which constituted belonging to upper class(edel in German).

Karabela(Polish: Karabela) - Polish military saber, with a wide curved blade with a double-edged yelman, the blade is on the curved side. The handle of the saber is equipped with a cross with a crosshair, so this saber differs little from the Turkish Kilij. Home distinctive feature is the tip of the handle in the shape of an eagle's head, and many carabelas also have a ring (paluh) for the thumb on the handle.

Parameters: blade length 83 cm; handle length 10 cm; The width of the cross varies from 7 to 20 cm. Weight is 1200-1600 grams.