Swordfighting+by+Amanda-GMS

UNDER CONSTRUCTION BY AMANDA-GMS Swords became the most popular weapon of the middle ages (medieval-castles.org). Construction of the swords became very important since the quality of the weapon often determined the outcome of a fight. Types of swords varied, but there have always been two main categories: the longsword and the shortsword. Sword fighting itself had a huge impact on weaponry used in the middle ages, which therefore gives it a part in history. __**CONSTRUCTION**__ Usually, the construction of swords elapsed into a rather large period of time. Almost always, blacksmiths made the swords. Numerous pieces made up the entire sword. In fact, one scan of a Viking sword showed it to be welded out of fifty-eight sections. In the early middle ages, the metal used for swords had been soft, but as time progressed, methods developed to make the metal harder. The sharp edges on swords got welded on separately. (swordforum.com) **__TYPES__** Furthermore, swords had two main types. Longswords made up the first category. Longswords always had double edges and long handles. Most of the time, shortswords made up the second category. Shortswords had been primarily used for stabbing (Macdonald 18). Vikings used shortswords, and longswords usually belonged to people of a higher class. Longswords had symbolism in the knighting ceremony, or accolades (middle-ages.org) **__HISTORY__** In addition, swords have a very interesting history. Shortswords appeared in history first and longswords appeared later. It became a common practice for swords to be sprayed with venom, though this could be counterproductive if the wielder cut himself. Swords declined in the sixteen hundreds after the invention of firearms (World Book 2001 1063) Today sword fighting goes by the name of fencing, which uses blunt weapons.

In conclusion, swords and sword fighting showed significance to the middle ages. Swords had been used for over one thousand years in battle. Swords are very important to the history of middle ages weaponry.

Works Cited

"The Making of Medieval Swords." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar 2011. . Macdonald, Fiona. //You Wouldn’t Want to be a Medieval Knight//. Salariya Book Company, 2004. 18. Print. "Medieval Weapons." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar 2011. . Goering, Joseph. "Sword." //World Book Encyclopedia//. 2001. Print. "Medieval Swords." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar 2011. 