The shape of the pommel and the length of the grip, (and its shape, but we will deal with that another time) significantly influence how a sword functions, and can give us insights into how original pieces might have been used. We examine two Oakeshott type XVIII arming swords from the 15th century and discuss how these differences impact their use.
Fornovo type XVIII sword by Arms and Armor
Henry V sword by Arms and Armor
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985