This is not intended to be terribly accurate, but better than what you'd learn from certain popular roleplaying games.

Sword names are problematic. In reality, terms like "long sword" & "war sword" evolved with the times. In the 5th century, a spatha would've been a long sword. In the 12th century, a knight's arming sword would have been called a war sword.

gladius: The gladius was the sword of the Roman legions from the 3rd century BC. Roughly 24" in length.

seax: The Saxon seax (knife) could be as long as a gladius, but had a single edge.

spatha, viking sword, arming sword: From about the 1st century to the 10th century, the spatha was 29–39". This then developed, around the 10th/11th centuries into the cruciform sword of the knights.

falchion: The falchion was a single-edged (machete- or sabre-like) sword about the length of a spatha used starting in about the 11th century. Sort of a compromise between an axe & a sword.

long sword, bastard sword, war sword: Around the 13th/14th centuries. The knight's "war sword" was a longer sword, typically used two handed. (Though not so big as to require two hands.) It was typically kept on his horse while his "arming sword" was worn on his person.

tuck, estoc: A specialized sword of the 16th century with a rigid, edge-less blade. It was designed for thrusting through mail or the joints between plates. (Or even piercing plate?) A second hand could grip the blade to provide extra power.

(...rapiers, smallsword, &c.)

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I would probably convert these to classic D&D terms thusly:

• gladius, seax = short sword
• spatha, viking sword, arming sword, falchion = sword (AD&D longsword)
• long sword, bastard sword = two-handed sword

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I wonder if the idea of the bastard sword as being equally a one or two handed weapon is accurate. Perhaps effective use of this sword really required two hands, even if both hands aren't always gripping the sword. It seems like it wouldn't be effective for sword & board fighting.

Perhaps, also, it isn't really worthwhile distinguishing mechanically between a late medieval longsword (aka bastard sword) & claymores or Zweihänders.

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From this ENWorld post by Shadowdragon:

OK, I think I've been able to sort out some swords from the late middle ages (1300-1500)

• Arming Sword: one-handed, equally good at slashing as it is at piercing
• Cut and Thrust: one-handed, better at piercing than slashing
• Estoc: can be used one- or two-handed, piercing only (although I guess it could be used as a club), low damage but has armour penetration
• Falchion - one-handed, slashing/chopping sword
• Longsword - can be used one- or two- handed, equally good at slashing as it is at piercing
• War Sword - two-handed, better at slashing than piercing

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Classic D&D

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