That’s a pretty big claim from 18th Century fencing master Wylde, right?

Well we’re going to look what a Broadsword is, who used it, how you fight with it, and see why is was so popular with swordsmen for hundreds of years.

What’s a Broadsword (and what is it broader than)?

The British Isles are no strangers to the idea of a straight bladed, two edged sword. Celts, Vikings and Crusaders would all be familiar with the concept of broad thin blade at your side as a secondary tool for defence (swords are great but usually play second fiddle to the spear and the bow).

But somewhere in the 16th century people evolved the design. Metal bars built around the cross-guard hilt to protect the hand began to develop into full steel baskets, even more protective than the swept hilts of the Italian rapiers.

We’re not sure who came up with this idea, but we have a few theories:

• The English borrowed the idea from the “Schiavona” basket hilted swords carried by eastern European mercenaries in Italy[2].

• Highland mercenaries touring Germany took the idea from there back to Scotland (and later imported German blades to fit Scot hilts[3]).

• It was an independent creation of the British Isles, but it’s hard to pinpoint from where. The earliest surviving examples were made in England but in the late century they called the hilts “Irishe” or “”Heland”[4].

Regardless the basket hilt completely changed sword-fighting on the Isles.

Imagine you’re a swordsman. You have two problems:

• You don’t want to get hurt (or killed!).

• You want the other swordsman (or swords-woman, Britain had plenty![5]) to stop trying to hit you. Usually solved by hitting them back till they stop.

To cut at the other guy you need to reach forward to swing your sword, but then you’ve exposed your hand. Before the basket everyone solved that with gauntlets, bucklers in the off hand to cover the sword hand or special footwork and weird looking guards to keep the hand back.

Now someone hands you a sword with a fancy steel basket around the hand.

Suddenly you get reach forward all you want, and no need to carry that heavy buckler or gauntlet! The forearm is still vulnerable and with new techniques come new problems but the part of you that wants to keep your fingers tells you it’s a good trade.

That is, unless you fancy the thrust over the cut. Then you might scoff at all these new basket hilted swords and go buy yourself the newest evolution of the rapier. A straight pointed blade with no edge, faster, lighter, slimmer.

What was everyone calling it again?

Oh yea, the Smallsword. It’s slimmer than the Broadsword. Which is broader than a Smallsword.

We weren’t a very creative people when it came to names.

Who wielded the Broadsword?

The 16th century

Swordsmen of the 16th century began to forge baskets straight onto their cruciform hilts, calling them “Short Swords” or “Single hilts[6]”, everyone knowing a good idea when they saw it.

George Silver’s “Brief Instructions” is the earliest manual we have for the British basket hilted sword[6]. It shows us a transitional mix of old and new swordsmanship, with wide sweeping movements to hack through helmets and armour. We also see some of the point forward guards that would eventually dominate British swordsmanship.

In Silver’s time duelling with rapiers was fashionable, he devotes a big chunk of his manual to criticising the Italian Rapier as a weapon badly made for defence.

Hilts too small, blades too long, with both rapier fighters usually ending up dying from their wounds.

Modern HEMA-ists who study Italian rapier manuals point out that Silver makes some straw-man arguments here and it really was the English people that started making themselves madly long rapiers that the Italian masters wouldn’t approve of [4].

Before the rapier craze the single hilted sword and buckler was in fashion. They said it was a very safe style, with roaming gangs of sword and buckler men brawling now and then just for fun:

“All the high streetes, were much annoyed and troubled with hourely frayes, of sword and buckler men, who tooke pleasure in that bragging fight; and although they made great shew of much furie, and fought often. Yet seldome any man hurt, for thrusting was not then in use: neither would one of twentie strike beneath the waste, by reason they helde it cowardly and beastly.”[4]

Because you might be a roaming thug with a sword, but you’re still a good sport.

The 17th century

By the 17th Century it was pretty unfashionable to be duelling. More rapiers around meant it was a deadlier pastime, and with some of the lower and middle classes getting in on the game[7] it just wasn’t as “classy” as before.

Duels might not have been as popular in England any more, but keeping a Broadsword with you (sometimes called a “Back-Sword”) was still a good idea.

Heading north?

Feuding Highland clans, Border Reivers and Wardens skirmishing over the Anglo-Scottish border[8]. With backsword and basket hilted daggers in hand they made travelling some roads dangerous.

Over in Ireland?

Highwaymen, gangs and coffee house duelling clubs. You might even be lucky enough to come across one of the famous Swordsmen-adventurers like William Lamport, soldier, pirate, and hero of the oppressed Mexican people (remembered as the inspiration for Diego de la Vega, aka Zorro![9]).

Surely you could travel about England safe and unarmed?

Maybe not. Our 17th century fighting manuals tell us what to do if you get attacked walking in the country[10], in the dark, in the pub[11], or when you’re sitting down minding your own business [12]!

The 18th century

This is where the Broadsword really makes a name for itself.

In the 18thC we have the Highlander’s charge with Broadsword and targe crashing into hedges of English bayonet points, fencing schools all across the Isles teaching Broadsword fencing to sword-scholars, and the best of them? Hungry for fame and fortune Stage Gladiators duke it out on stage for the people’s amusement.

Two combatants climb the stage to the sound of trumpets and drums[9], and watched by judges, ready surgeons and a cheering crowd they fight using any number of sharp weapons.

The most popular? Our friend the Broadsword.

Gladiators were amazingly skilled fencers with titles like “Tall boy”, “Invincible Irish Championess” and “The Terrible Champion”.

They say there’s no business like show-business, judge for yourself:

“Figg offered the serjeant the choice of swords, of several that were brought upon the stage, about two inches in breadth, and the points ground off. I had the curiosity to take one of them in my hand, and found that it was sharp edged enough to cut off an arm or a leg.  […] The serjeant made a blow at Figg, which cut a pretty large piece of his stocking, without touching the leg. Figg, whose coolness and judgement were surprising, felt the stroke; ho, ho! Said he. I see thou hast a mind to my leg, but take care of thy own, and with the same breath whipped off a large piece of the calf of his adversary’s leg”[9]