Mandoble Carlos V

The grandswords are weapons that had their popularity peak in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and were used in combat on foot. Despite the fact that the first specimens date from the High Middle Ages, it is in the Renaissance when its use spread to deal with the pike lines of the time.

The grandswords are characterized by their weight (they could perfectly exceed 6.5 Ibs) and their large size - the blade measured 47 inches on average. Although there are documented specimens that far exceeded these dimensions. For example, the "Sempill Sword" from Scotland, which measured around 100 inches long and weighed approximately 23 Ibs.

These type of swords stood out for their versatility, being able to be employed in the open field against infantry and cavalry -slashing the legs of the horses with a single cut-, in the defense of positions and straits and to prevent the assault on the walls in besieged populations. Sometimes, they were complemented with a shield hanging from the neck called a tarja.

Steve Hick speculates on the grandswords as a base weapon in the study he made of fencing in the Iberian peninsula kingdoms since the 15th century. The reason for this was because it was considered superior to the rest of the swords -except for the flail- given that it was the only one that allowed to face several opponents at the same time successfully.

Because this type of sword was used with two hands, the hilt occupied between a fifth and a quarter of the weapon and came equipped with quillons in the shape of a cross. As for the pommel, it used to be round to allow the left-handed wrist to rotate and increase the speed of blows and lunges that, compared to other weapons of the time, could be delivered at a considerable distance due to its size.

To add versatility, the start of the blade was not sharp so that the wearer could grasp it with the complementary hand and make it more effective in close-range combat. To improve this functionality, most of the jaws had spikes at the beginning of the cutting edge to allow a better grip and that the hand did not slip to the cutting edge. These spikes had another function: that the opponent's sword could not slide until it reached the wearer's hand.

These are swords whose use spread especially in the Germanic territories, Switzerland and their place of origin: the Scandinavian regions. Although if we refer specifically to the Renaissance greatsword, its predecessor, according to most historians, can be placed in the Scottish 'claymore': a sword designed to knock down horsemen.