Medieval Weapons Buying Guide: Swords, Axes, Polearms and Knives by Century
The Middle Ages ran a thousand years, from the fall of Rome to the fall of Constantinople, and the weapons changed as much as everything else did. The sword a Viking carried in 850 and the sword a landsknecht carried in 1520 share a name and almost nothing else. This guide sorts medieval weapons by type and by century, explains what each was for, and gives a straight answer on which to buy first. Everything mentioned is gathered on the medieval weapons collection.
The weapons, by type
Swords
The prestige weapon throughout, and the one that changed most. The early medieval sword is the Viking blade: broad, one-handed, made for the shield wall. By the 12th century it has become the knight's arming sword, narrower and pointier as mail improved. The 14th century brings the longsword, hand-and-a-half, with a blade long enough to fight in two hands against plate. The falchion and messer run alongside as the single-edged cleaving swords of the same centuries. The period ends with the two-handers: the greatsword, the German zweihander and the Scottish claymore.
Axes
The Norse weapon above all. The bearded axe with its hooked lower edge, the long-hafted Dane axe of the huscarls, and the smaller hand axe that doubled as a tool. Axes stayed in use through the whole period because they were cheap and because an axe does things to a shield that a sword cannot.
Polearms
What most soldiers actually carried. The spear throughout; the halberd and poleaxe from the 14th century as the answer to plate armour. See our polearms buying guide for the family in detail.
Knives
The seax, the single-edged knife of the Saxons and Norse that every freeman wore, from a few inches to the length of a short sword. Later the rondel and ballock knife of the knight, and in Scotland the dirk.
Maces, flails and war hammers
The blunt weapons of the plate-armour age, when an edge stopped mattering and mass did. We add them to the range as they are made.
The weapons, by century
If you are building a display around a period, this is the sort that matters.
8th to 11th century, the Viking Age. Viking swords in the Ulfberht, Carolingian and Petersen patterns, bearded and Dane axes, the seax, the round shield and the Gjermundbu helmet. The whole period is on the Viking weapons and armor page.
11th to 13th century, the age of mail. The arming sword and kite shield, the crusader and Templar swords, the spear and the early falchion.
14th and 15th century, the age of plate. The longsword and bastard sword, the falchion and messer, the halberd and poleaxe, the war hammer and the rondel.
Late 15th and 16th century, the end of the period. The greatsword, the zweihander and the claymore: two-handed swords for men who fought without shields because plate had made them unnecessary.
What to check before buying
Steel
1095 high carbon is the traditional monosteel, typically 56 to 58 HRC, and takes the antiqued finish that suits a medieval piece. Pattern-welded Damascus is layered high carbon steel forged and folded so the pattern runs through the blade, and it is the nearest modern equivalent to the pattern-welded swords of the early period. A few designs, some crusader and Templar swords among them, are stainless and are marked as such; they need less upkeep and suit a piece that will hang untouched. Both high carbon steels want to be kept clean, dry and lightly oiled.
Construction
Read the listing. Tang construction, hardness and dimensions are stated on every product page and vary by design. A guard should sit tight against the shoulder with no play, and a pommel should be peened or threaded firmly, not glued.
Size
A seax fits in a hand; a halberd is taller than a door; a zweihander is longer than most people are. Check overall length against the wall or stand before ordering. Our wall mounts and stands list what each will hold.
Which to buy first
A longsword. It is the sword most people mean when they say medieval sword, it fits a standard wall mount, and it anchors a display that can grow in either direction, back toward the Viking sword or forward toward the greatsword. Second, an axe or a halberd, because a sword alone reads as a sword and a sword beside a polearm reads as a period. Third, a seax or a shield to fill the wall. If the budget allows one piece and you want it to stop people in the doorway, it is the zweihander.
The iconic medieval weapons article walks through the history weapon by weapon, and the types of swords guide covers the sword families in full.
Frequently asked questions
What was the most common medieval weapon?
The spear. Swords were expensive and carried by the wealthy; most soldiers carried a spear, an axe or a knife.
What is the difference between a longsword and a bastard sword?
Very little in practice. Bastard sword, or hand-and-a-half sword, describes a longsword short enough to use one-handed when needed. The terms overlap heavily.
What is the difference between a greatsword and a zweihander?
The zweihander is the specifically German 16th century two-hander, often with parrying lugs above the guard and a leather-wrapped ricasso. Greatsword is the broader term for any two-handed sword of the late period.
Are these functional or decorative?
Our Damascus and 1095 pieces are hand forged, hardened high carbon steel. Construction details are on each listing, and the stainless pieces are marked as such.
About the author
Owen Juarbal is Director of Marketing and head writer at Battling Blades. He has been with the company since 2021 and writes or reviews every guide the team publishes. Read more about Battling Blades.
