GourmetItalia said
Ahhhh, given that Altaea's Interest thread's entering second page status, I figured I'd throw a post here to both clarify Nevis' expertise in historical matters and move the chain 8)These are now referred to as , which is a term used to describe the cultural history surrounding the Greco-Roman world prior to the Western Roman Empire's downfall. Many Renaissance artists, in particular, began to emulate, study, and mimick many Greco-Roman disciplines considered lost or forgotten over the centuries. In this respect, many architectural, art, and anatomical disciplines owe refinement due to discoveries made during the Renaissance as well as the movement's, Classical Antiquity hungers.Regarding name classifications, naming conventions are skewed because not all known names were recorded onto books. Medieval naming standards weren't as meticulous, varied, or specific as today's standards are, in fact, what's both fascinating and altogether odd is that common medieval naming practices involved issuing very few names or in some cases the same name for differing objects or subjects while one object or subject discipline usually carried many names .Not entirely familiar with two handed swords, but owing to certain readings, the long swords certainly did not offer any tactical advantages against pikelines, stiff close quarters engagements, or static kite shield/round shield/hoplon walls. There are several books that offer some sort insight into utilizing two handed swords for severing pikeheads and utilizing twirling movements to keep fighters at bay so to say they were useless is far from accurate! On the other hand, even though two handed swords certainly did have greater reach, they required open space for the best exploitation. I do recall reading about various battlefield accounts involving Gaullic longswordmen having difficulty penetrating Roman Legionary lines. This was due to numerous issues regarding the static manner, in which Roman soldiers fought and the lack of open space required to effectively wield their loose fighting styles. I understand that the Flamberge was an effective weapon and when I mentioned my two cents on two handed swords, what I meant was that they could be most effective for shock troops operating outside pikewalls when open gaps appeared within various static shield or pike lines. I'm not an expert so Nevis can certainly take over here 8)
Another history buff here, actually specializing in late medieval/Renaissance weaponry by chance, lol. Two-handed swords like the Zweihander or Bidenhander were quite common during the first half of the 16th century in mainland Europe. They were used almost exclusively in pike&shot formations. They were used on the flanks and rear to protect the square from flanking maneuvers and cavalry. They were also used in the center to protect the standard, and to take advantage of a gap if it appeared in an enemy square. To be fair, these great-swords were generally phased out and replaced with halberds as time went on, but men skilled in the use of a Zweihander were seen in very high regard (especially amongst the famous Landsknecht mercenaries from the German principalities). Generally, men who could wield these weapons were given double the pay of a normal soldier and wore more armor as a result, which is where their name "DoppelsΓΆldner" or double-soldier.
Hope that helps!