Medieval sword weight at a glance
The ranges describe typical swords of each type — museum originals and good replicas alike. A single sword may fall outside them, but not by much: a sword was a tool meant to be fast, not heavy.
| Type of sword | Overall length | Weight | Point of balance from the guard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viking sword (8th–11th c.) | 85–95 cm | 1.0–1.4 kg | 12–15 cm |
| One-handed knightly sword (11th–14th c.) | 85–100 cm | 1.0–1.4 kg | 10–15 cm |
| Longsword / bastard sword (14th–16th c.) | 115–130 cm | 1.3–1.8 kg | 7–12 cm |
| Two-handed sword (15th–16th c.) | 135–170 cm | 2.0–3.0 kg | 12–18 cm |
| Falchion, messer | 80–100 cm | 0.9–1.4 kg | 11–20 cm |
| Medieval dagger | 30–46 cm | 0.3–0.55 kg | 2–6 cm |
How much did a knight's sword weigh
A knight of the 11th–14th century fought with a one-handed sword of 1.0–1.4 kg, with a shield in the other hand. He had to be able to swing it through a whole battle, mounted and on foot, and every extra few grams went straight into a tired shoulder.
The Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410 fought with the same swords as the Polish knights facing them: one-handed swords and longswords, usually weighing 1.1–1.6 kg. The military orders had no heavier swords of their own — the difference was in the mantle, not the blade.
The heaviest swords
The heaviest fighting swords are the two-handers of the 15th and 16th centuries. The sword attributed to William Wallace is about 163 cm long and weighs about 2.7 kg — in its present form, after later alterations.
Parade swords, carried before rulers in processions and ceremonies, could be heavier. They were never used in combat, so there was no reason to keep their weight down.
Where the heavy sword myth comes from
Stories of swords weighing 10 or 15 kilograms come from 19th-century ideas of a 'crude' Middle Ages, from decorative replicas cast thick and without taper, and from films in which a sword has to look menacing rather than work. A five-kilogram sword would exhaust a swordsman within a minute.
There is a second reason: how heavy a sword feels depends more on its balance than on its weight. Two swords of identical weight can behave completely differently — one balanced close to the guard feels light; one balanced far down the blade drags the arm forward.
Why replicas weigh more than originals
Many modern replicas have thicker blades with less distal taper than the originals — it is cheaper to make and more forgiving of heat-treatment mistakes. The result is a few hundred grams more. When choosing a sword, look at the point of balance as well as the weight; a good longsword has it 7–12 cm from the guard.
Our swords on the scale
Length and weight of the swords in the armoury right now — taken straight from their specifications.
| Sword | Overall length | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Templar Longsword “Baldwin” | 122 cm | 1.75 kg |
| Bastard Sword “Zawisza” | 128.5 cm | 1.85 kg |
| Bosworth Longsword | 120 cm | 1.305 kg |
| Templar Longsword “Montgisard” | 132 cm | 1.72 kg |
| Longsword “Olbracht” | 132 cm | 1.72 kg |