Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
the Scottish late medieval claymore ... The weight of an average sword of 70 cm (28 in) blade-length would weigh about 700 to 900 g (1.5 to 2.0 lb). [20]
The term claymore is an anglicisation of the Gaelic claidheamh-mòr "big/great sword", attested in 1772 (as Cly-more) with the gloss "great two-handed sword". [3] The sense "basket-hilted sword" is contemporaneous, attested in 1773 as "the broad-sword now used ... called the Claymore, (i.e., the great sword)", [4] although OED observes that this usage is "inexact, but very common".
A common weapon among the clansmen during the Jacobite rebellions of the late 17th and early 18th centuries was the Scottish basket hilted broadsword, commonly known as claidheamh mor or claymore meaning "great sword" in Gaelic. British Major Jack Churchill (far right) leads commandos during a training exercise, sword in hand, in World War II.
Bronze Age European swords. Harpe: mentioned almost exclusively in Greek mythology; Iron Age European swords. Falcata: one-handed single-edged sword – blade 48–60 cm (19–24 in) – with forward-curving blade for slashing
The Scottish and Irish warrior Alasdair Mac Colla is sometimes credited with inventing the Highland charge during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms [1] to meet a particular set of battlefield challenges. [2] It was initially known as the Irish charge, due to the Irish component of Alasdair Mac Colla's Royalist military invasion of Covenanter Scotland.
Due to their length and weight, which was typically at least 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) and around 2 kg (4.4 lb), Zweihänders required two hands, as the name implies; as such they require at least 25 cm (9.8 in) for the hilt. [2] Zweihänders that were 4 kg (8.8 lb) in weight or more were confined to parade and ceremonial use. [citation needed]
Scottish swords continued to use the more traditional "V" cross-guards that had been on pre-Norse Gaelic swords, culminating in such pieces as the now famous "claymore" design. This was an outgrowth of numerous earlier designs, and has become a symbol of Scotland.
This page was last edited on 15 February 2016, at 05:45 (UTC).; Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License; additional terms may apply.