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A bastard sword is commonly thought a generic name for a large number of straight-bladed European swords used with either one or two hands. In actuality, a Bastard Sword was a specific type of weapon. A compromise between the lightness of the one-handed Longsword, and the two handed Greatsword (Or two-handed sword, a generic name sometimes assigned to it) a Bastard Sword is, in all practicality, a modified longsword. It is made to be versatile in that a strong person is capable of wielding it in one hand, and it's weight makes it difficult to guard against. It was originally a spinoff of the Greatsword however, and most are actually made more for thier two-handed capabilities.
A Bastard Sword's weight is balanced correctly so that it is not only powerfull enough to dismount a riding opponent, but it is also capable of the finesse and speed sometimes needed on the battlefield. At the same time, it's length and weight make it almost as effective as a greatsword for breaking up pike formations (which was the original purpose of the Great or Two-Handed sword)
Also known as hand and a half swords, they appeared in virtually all West European countries after 1000 AD and remained in use well into the 1500s. It earned it's name from the fact that it is a "Bastard" version of longswords and Greatswords. A Bastard Sword has a longer blade and hilt than a normal longsword, and is also somewhat heavier. It is worth noting that a Bastard Sword's blade is not much thicker or wider than the hilt, unlike a Great/Two-Handed sword, which are typically defined by thier thick blades.
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