Sword Typology

From http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?37550-Big-Sword-small-Hallway&p=989907&viewfull=1#post989907 - I thought this note was worth reposting.

The current* medievalist sword typology for western European crossbar-hilt straight-blade cut & thrust swords goes as follows:

1. Arming Sword - a one handed sword about 3' to 3'6" total length. Until pretty late in the middle ages these were the only swords. They are pretty close to Classical-era straight edge longer blades like the Roman Spatha.
2. Bastard Sword - similar blade to longer arming sword, but hilt long enough for two-handed use. Typically about 3'6" to 4' total length.
3. Longsword - longer blade & hilt, designed for two-handed use but wieldable one-handed at a pinch. Typically about 4' to 5' total length. Eg medieval claymore. These come in around 1350-1400 AD.
4. Two-handed sword (zweihander) - giant late medieval polearm sword, definitely two-handed only. About 6' total length for practical designs, the really giant ones are believed to have been ceremonial. These are mostly 16th century, so barely medieval.

For RPGs I generally have the D&D 'greatsword' be what medievalists currently call the 'Longsword', ie a primarily two-handed sword up to 5' long that can be carried in a scabbard. D&D 'longsword' covers 'arming sword' and (in 5e D&D) the' bastard sword'. The 4e D&D exotic 'Fullblade' would be a Zweihander.

*They seem pretty settled on this, with some fuzziness around the bastard sword vs longsword distinction. It's a bit different from the early 20th century sources Gygax used, and also different from what people of the era used (mostly 'sword' and 'big sword').