Not sure if this has been brought up before, but I didn't find anything with the search engine, so here goes.

Basically, I'd like to ask if there's a minimum and maximum length for the crosses on longswords.

IOW: How short can the quillons be before they become ineffective for standard techniques? And how long can the quillons be before they get in the way?

I like quillons as long as possible without them hitting my wrist. I swing a two-handed sword sword different then a single so it varies. Curved quillons is a greatway of getting both protection and wrist mobility. On a rapier I like them long and straight because I'm not swinging, rather I am rotating them to trap blades. So the answer really depends on how you grip and use the sword.

Here are some actual measures from swords and blunts I use.

My single has a Straight cross guard that is 6.25 " across. Any longer and it would hit my wrist when I roll the sword back in my hand.
I have a single that is 8.75" across but works fine because it has a curve.
My bastard sword has an 8" straight guard. With two-handed weapons I roll my hand back less.
I have a Longsword that has a straight 11.75" guard. That works because it has a 12" handle (38" blade) and I hold the sword an inch above the guard.
My rapiers all have 12" guards.
I had a dagger with a 12" guard and I had to bend that into a curve because was hitting my wrist.

The worse qillion for me on a cutting sword is those bow-tie ones that fair towards the wrist. I have seen some cool ones in an "S" shape that naturally go to the side of your wrist.

Just some ideas for you to digest, but the key element is how YOU fight.

I have a Del Tin with 17" quillons and two large side rings but this is a " Huge " two hander and bigger than a longsword.

That should be about close to the maximum one could expect from a two hander meant to be used, some ceremonial presentation swords were even bigger but these are too heavy to be actual battle weapons.

So, the maximum is somewhere between 12 and 17 inches, depending on the size of the rest of the sword? That sound about right?

Any clue on the minimum length?

Vassilis Tsafatinos wrote:

Just some ideas for you to digest, but the key element is how YOU fight.

I don't, actually. This is more a question of academic interest.

Anyway, I'm not asking with the intent of finding a comfortable cross length. Rather, I'm curious about what kind of extremes one can go to and still have a functional (albeit uncomfortable) weapon.

For example, if I make a longsword with a cross only -shall we say- six inches long, is it still possible to use it as a longsword?

Anders:

I've forgotten where I got the information, but my impression is that the length of the guard is supposed to be the same as the length of the grip.

Hi Anders,

The length of the guard on my Baron is 8 inches (20.32cm), and on my Liechtenhauer it's 9.25" (23.5cm). I think these would be on the short side, but as was mentioned earlier, it depends on how you fight.

What Vassilis said.


Might also be worth noting that I really hated S-curved guards when I first started collecting...after I started using a bit I really grew to appreciate them. Neat ergonomics at work.

I'm not really sure how this fits into the discussion, but since I have one, the guard on my Castellan is 7-3/8".

The width of the cross equaling the length of the grip is also mentioned in Guy Windsor's Swordsman's Companion as part of the overall dimensions of a good practice longsword. I have to agree from a personal preference standpoint, as shoulder problems prevent full extension of my arm and some of the longer cross arms seem to be magnetically attracted to my skull-