Event 1

Two-handed swords from Kvetun Armoury


Two-handed swords

Two-handed swords


As Giacomo di Grassi wrote, "with this sword, one can, like a galleon among galleys, resist many types of weapons. In war, sword masters were located near the commander or standard-bearer, to protect them in the most extreme and dangerous case." Two-handed swords took on their recognizable classical form in the first quarter of the 16th century and became an attribute of the armies of the modern era. They accompany battalions of pikemen, artillery batteries, and protect commanders and banners on numerous battlefields of the 16th and 17th centuries through all the Europe and beyond. Warriors with two-handed swords also guarded the galleys of the Venetian fleet, and their heroism was seen, for example, at the Battle of Lepanto in 1572. These weapons were also popular for self-defense, especially on the streets of the Iberian Peninsula.

The two-handed sword is widely represented in the Italian and Iberian sources of the 16th and 17th centuries and exists in two main forms: a sword that reaches to the owner's armpit and a sword that is more or less in the same height as the owner. The first, lighter and more maneuverable option, is a perfectly balanced fencing weapon, while the second type becomes a weapon capable of withstanding large groups of opponents in military and civil situations, which makes it somewhat similar to the poleaxe and halbeard. The specific name for this subtype of two-handed swords is sapadone or montante, reflecting their power and size.

It is possible to vary the length of the blade when ordering, so you can choose choose a sword not only for your height, but also preferences in technique.

Sources on the two-handed sword tradition:

  • Pietro Monte Exercitiorum Atque Artis Militaris Collectanea
  • Achille Marozzo Opera Nova
  • Marc'Antonio Pagano Le tre giornate

Sources about the spadone tradition:

  • Giacomo di Grassi Ragione di adoprar sicuramente l'Arme
  • Francesco Fernando Alfieri Lo Spadone

Sources about the montante tradition:

  • Domingo Luis Godinho Arte de Esgrima
  • Diogo Gomes de Figueiredo Memorial Da Prattica do Montante