The Arming Sword: The Knight's One-Handed Blade
Picture a medieval knight and you will almost certainly picture this sword: a straight, double-edged blade a little over 30 inches long, a simple cross guard, a one-handed grip, and a heavy wheel pommel. It is the most common sword of the Middle Ages and the one most people mean when they say "medieval sword" — yet it rarely gets its own name. Historians call it the arming sword, or the knightly sword. Here is what it was, how it was used, and how to tell it apart from the longsword that eventually joined it.
What Is an Arming Sword?
The arming sword is the one-handed, cruciform-hilted, double-edged sword of European knights from roughly 1000 to 1400. The name comes from its place in a knight's kit: it was the sidearm he wore when fully armed, the weapon at his hip while the lance or spear was in his hand. In the sword typologies historians use today, it covers most of the Oakeshott types from X through XIV, and its lineage runs straight back through the Viking and Carolingian swords to the late Roman spatha.
The typical arming sword carried a blade of 28 to 32 inches, an overall length of 34 to 38 inches, and a weight of 2 to 2.5 pounds. That last number surprises people. The arming sword was a light, fast weapon, balanced a few inches in front of the guard, and it could be moved with the wrist as easily as the arm.
Sword and Shield: How the Arming Sword Was Used
The arming sword was built to be used with something in the other hand — a kite shield, a heater shield, or later a buckler. The shield did the defensive work, and the sword was free to cut, thrust, and bind. This is the weapon of the Norman conquest, the Crusades, and the age of mail armor, where a broad cutting blade was the best answer to an opponent wearing riveted rings.
As plate armor spread in the 14th century, the blade changed with it. Early arming swords were broad and parallel-edged for cutting; later ones tapered to a stiff, acute point to thrust into the gaps of plate. The I.33 manuscript, the oldest surviving European fencing manual (around 1300), teaches exactly this sword paired with a buckler, and the techniques are fast, close, and surprisingly modern.
Arming Sword vs. Longsword
This is the comparison that causes the most confusion, because in games and films the two are used interchangeably. The difference is the grip. An arming sword has a one-handed grip of roughly 4 inches; a longsword has a grip of 7 to 10 inches that accommodates both hands, plus a longer blade to match, for an overall length of 40 to 48 inches and a weight of 2.5 to 3.5 pounds.
Historically the longsword did not replace the arming sword — it joined it. A 15th-century knight in full plate might fight with a longsword in both hands because his armor made a shield unnecessary, but he still wore an arming sword as a sidearm and used it when fighting mounted with a lance. The bastard sword, or hand-and-a-half sword, sits between the two, with a grip just long enough for a second hand when needed.
Anatomy of the Arming Sword
Four parts define the type. The blade is straight and double-edged, often with a fuller running most of its length to reduce weight without losing stiffness. The cross guard is a simple straight or slightly curved bar — the cruciform silhouette that gives the medieval sword its shape. The grip is sized for one hand, usually wood wrapped in leather or cord. And the pommel, most often a wheel or disc on arming swords, is the counterweight that pulls the balance point back toward the hand and lets a 2-pound sword feel lighter than it is.
Owning an Arming Sword Today
For collectors and practitioners, the arming sword is the most versatile medieval blade to own: light enough to handle for hours, historically accurate for an enormous span of European history, and the correct sword for sword-and-buckler study. Ours are hand-forged in 1095 high-carbon and Damascus steel, sharpened, with sheaths included. Browse the one-handed and hand-and-a-half blades in our longsword collection, see the Norman knightly sword for the classic pattern, or build your own sword with the blade length, grip, and pommel you choose.
Arming Sword FAQ
What is an arming sword?
The one-handed, double-edged, cross-hilted sword of medieval European knights, used from roughly the 11th to the 15th century. It is the standard "knight's sword" of the Middle Ages and was typically paired with a shield.
How long is an arming sword?
Blades ran 28 to 32 inches, with an overall length of about 34 to 38 inches. Weight was usually 2 to 2.5 pounds.
What is the difference between an arming sword and a longsword?
The grip. An arming sword is a one-handed sword with a short grip; a longsword has a grip long enough for two hands and a longer blade. Longswords did not replace arming swords — knights carried both.
Is an arming sword the same as a broadsword?
Not historically. "Broadsword" is a later term for basket-hilted military swords, though modern usage often applies it loosely to any broad-bladed medieval sword, including the arming sword.
Why is it called an arming sword?
Because it was the sword a knight wore when fully armed — the sidearm carried alongside a lance, spear, or later a longsword.
Can you use an arming sword with two hands?
Not comfortably. The grip fits one hand; a second hand can only grip the pommel. For a sword usable both ways, look at the bastard or hand-and-a-half sword.
