Dark Luther
11-24-2006, 12:26 PM
You guys didn't expect me to begin these threads and not talk about my all time favorite sword...
The Schiavona is considered one of the most beautiful and rare swords in history - along with being one of the most particular and specificly made...
It is generally known for being very multi-purpose,
and was the bane of many a rapier wielder...
The sword itself is a cross between several concepts.
At first glance it appears as a rapier -
with a straight blade and a basket hilt.
The basket itself is particularly designed - not as a lace but as a very thick cage that could take more than a normal rapier basket could. It also weighed more...
but there was a reason for this...
The blade itself you see wasn't one of a rapier but of a true broadsword. The blade was more akin to a light bastard or long sword used in earlier periods by one hand -
which was strange because the Schiavona was begun being used by the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance.
Thus this sword was essentially a broadsword with a basket hilt. Or was it...?
In truth the measurements -
( 93.2 cm × 3.4 cm × 0.45 cm ) as an example -
showed a weapon of true multi purpose use.
It was heavy enough and at first had two blades so that it made a perfect slashing sword.
But it's strong backbone ( using two fillers ), it's wide blade, and straight length made it a perfect piercing sword.
The sword was kept between a very delicate balance between having a good counter weight at the hilt in order to stab and thrust - and still being blade heavy to keep a momentum for slashing and parry.
In practical use - the weapon would be a great asset in facing a combined army of militia ( mostly un-armored infantry in tight groups weak against slashing ) - and then facing a contigent of heavily armored elite infantry in say full plate...
This multi-purpose weapon not only did it's job, but was one handed as well and could thus be used in conjunction with a rondell or a buckler and off hand weapon.
The schiavona had it's limitations -
and the precise nature of it's design caused it to be terribly difficult to wield without knowing the specific techinique with which to move it...
Unlike a regular broadsword which is very blade heavy and you slash depending on it's weight and you just directing -
the schiavona used a very particular use of the wrist similar to a katana ( though quite different in the way the wrist flicked ). With a katana you have two hands - with the top wrist flicking forward and the lower flicking back. Even one handed the katana is used like this with the absence of the lower hand...
The schiavona is much heavier but still requires the use of the wrist - though more towards bringing the sword in than to flick.
Once the slash has been made - the weight requires the hand to be parrallel ( the back of the hand facing up ) - to lift it higher for a second swing ( the weight will drag the blade down a littl ) - then you must lower the hand causing a seesaw effect with the blade up. This is only a spark moment as almost fluidly you should begin the second cut.
An easier method is the pendulum approach which uses the weight bringing the word down - like a pendulum.
It's much more predictable, uncontrolled, and is generally better for parry...
In thrusts - the weapon again requires particular movement.
Regular thrusts used by rapier will cause bad aim since the blade is so large it will weight the tip to move at a lowered slope.
A solution is to bring the sword back and at a higher angle - and thrust forward but at a lowering fashion much like a jet liner landing at a strip ( but not with the nose up - with the nose forward ). Some prefer the elbow up - as it help control the thrust - others prefer it low as it guards you and allows retrieval better.
All depends on if your defeatest or confident...
Other methods include thrusting from below - almost as if throwing a soft ball or making an undercut from a distance - difficult to describe... - but the main factor is using the body's rotation to do the thrust while keeping the sword close until it bursts from your abdomen or hip...
History:
The schiavona was used by the Illyrian mercenaries of Venice,
mostly from the area of Illyria ( now modern day Croatia ) called Dalmatia - which consisted of the coast line along the Adriatic sea.
The Doge of Venice controlled most of Illyria and Dalmatia, and thus used soldiers from there almost as fast shock infantry.
In time though these men began to serve a more particular role as body guards to Venice authority.
Using these soldiers as their main line of security was of course in great irony considering Venice held a strong grip on their nation's freedom - often noting the chance similarity of their names - Slavs, to slaves...
The sword itself was named after what the Italians called them - Schiavoni ( a name given so they would not develop nationalistic feelings from home ).
The sword though would grow in great popularity - specially with heavy calvary all across Europe, and would be a popularly traded to many nations.
The later versions of the Scottish Claymore in fact were a direct spawn from Schiavona brought back by Scottish mercenaries.
The later Claymore though had a shorter blade and a differant basket hilt.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this week's addition to our weekly threads. If you have any more questions feel free to ask...,
as always I ask if you read this article to post something and tell me your thoughts or what you think,
any advise is well taken...
For further reading, or to look at these swords
I have some links:
Schiavona:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiavona
http://www.thearma.org/essays/schiavona.htm
http://www.sword.cz/schiavona1.jpg
Scottish Basket Claymore:
http://www.arscives.com/vevans/images/2.2-Scottish-Basket-Hilt.jpg
The Schiavona is considered one of the most beautiful and rare swords in history - along with being one of the most particular and specificly made...
It is generally known for being very multi-purpose,
and was the bane of many a rapier wielder...
The sword itself is a cross between several concepts.
At first glance it appears as a rapier -
with a straight blade and a basket hilt.
The basket itself is particularly designed - not as a lace but as a very thick cage that could take more than a normal rapier basket could. It also weighed more...
but there was a reason for this...
The blade itself you see wasn't one of a rapier but of a true broadsword. The blade was more akin to a light bastard or long sword used in earlier periods by one hand -
which was strange because the Schiavona was begun being used by the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance.
Thus this sword was essentially a broadsword with a basket hilt. Or was it...?
In truth the measurements -
( 93.2 cm × 3.4 cm × 0.45 cm ) as an example -
showed a weapon of true multi purpose use.
It was heavy enough and at first had two blades so that it made a perfect slashing sword.
But it's strong backbone ( using two fillers ), it's wide blade, and straight length made it a perfect piercing sword.
The sword was kept between a very delicate balance between having a good counter weight at the hilt in order to stab and thrust - and still being blade heavy to keep a momentum for slashing and parry.
In practical use - the weapon would be a great asset in facing a combined army of militia ( mostly un-armored infantry in tight groups weak against slashing ) - and then facing a contigent of heavily armored elite infantry in say full plate...
This multi-purpose weapon not only did it's job, but was one handed as well and could thus be used in conjunction with a rondell or a buckler and off hand weapon.
The schiavona had it's limitations -
and the precise nature of it's design caused it to be terribly difficult to wield without knowing the specific techinique with which to move it...
Unlike a regular broadsword which is very blade heavy and you slash depending on it's weight and you just directing -
the schiavona used a very particular use of the wrist similar to a katana ( though quite different in the way the wrist flicked ). With a katana you have two hands - with the top wrist flicking forward and the lower flicking back. Even one handed the katana is used like this with the absence of the lower hand...
The schiavona is much heavier but still requires the use of the wrist - though more towards bringing the sword in than to flick.
Once the slash has been made - the weight requires the hand to be parrallel ( the back of the hand facing up ) - to lift it higher for a second swing ( the weight will drag the blade down a littl ) - then you must lower the hand causing a seesaw effect with the blade up. This is only a spark moment as almost fluidly you should begin the second cut.
An easier method is the pendulum approach which uses the weight bringing the word down - like a pendulum.
It's much more predictable, uncontrolled, and is generally better for parry...
In thrusts - the weapon again requires particular movement.
Regular thrusts used by rapier will cause bad aim since the blade is so large it will weight the tip to move at a lowered slope.
A solution is to bring the sword back and at a higher angle - and thrust forward but at a lowering fashion much like a jet liner landing at a strip ( but not with the nose up - with the nose forward ). Some prefer the elbow up - as it help control the thrust - others prefer it low as it guards you and allows retrieval better.
All depends on if your defeatest or confident...
Other methods include thrusting from below - almost as if throwing a soft ball or making an undercut from a distance - difficult to describe... - but the main factor is using the body's rotation to do the thrust while keeping the sword close until it bursts from your abdomen or hip...
History:
The schiavona was used by the Illyrian mercenaries of Venice,
mostly from the area of Illyria ( now modern day Croatia ) called Dalmatia - which consisted of the coast line along the Adriatic sea.
The Doge of Venice controlled most of Illyria and Dalmatia, and thus used soldiers from there almost as fast shock infantry.
In time though these men began to serve a more particular role as body guards to Venice authority.
Using these soldiers as their main line of security was of course in great irony considering Venice held a strong grip on their nation's freedom - often noting the chance similarity of their names - Slavs, to slaves...
The sword itself was named after what the Italians called them - Schiavoni ( a name given so they would not develop nationalistic feelings from home ).
The sword though would grow in great popularity - specially with heavy calvary all across Europe, and would be a popularly traded to many nations.
The later versions of the Scottish Claymore in fact were a direct spawn from Schiavona brought back by Scottish mercenaries.
The later Claymore though had a shorter blade and a differant basket hilt.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this week's addition to our weekly threads. If you have any more questions feel free to ask...,
as always I ask if you read this article to post something and tell me your thoughts or what you think,
any advise is well taken...
For further reading, or to look at these swords
I have some links:
Schiavona:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiavona
http://www.thearma.org/essays/schiavona.htm
http://www.sword.cz/schiavona1.jpg
Scottish Basket Claymore:
http://www.arscives.com/vevans/images/2.2-Scottish-Basket-Hilt.jpg