Hey everyone, I'm a 16 year old kid, just joined the forum, though ive been surfing the site for a little while now for all my hammered steel needs. There's this one thing thats been bugging me for a long time, im not sure if i missed a topic or explanation anyware, or if its common knowledge for all weapon enthusiasts, but why is a bastard sword called a bastard sword? How did it get this name? Thanks to anyone that can help a newbie out!

Forms of European Edged Weaponry

Sword Terminology

bas·tard (bstrd)
n.
1. A child born out of wedlock.
2. Something that is of irregular, inferior, or dubious origin.
3. Slang A person, especially one who is held to be mean or disagreeable.
adj.
1. Born of unwed parents; illegitimate.
2. Not genuine; spurious: a bastard style of architecture.
3. Resembling a known kind or species but not truly such.

Sheridan,
in french, the term épée bâtarde, bastard sword in english, is used to designate the hand and a half sword, neither a true two hander nor a true one hander, hence its irregular name, it's a bastard, neither completely one nor completely the other.
Calizzano (le grand livre des armes blanches, editions de vecchi, paris 1989) leaves the reader with the impression that the term only entered the language after the advent of the two handed Espadon (or great sword, or claymore,or biddenhander,or zweihander, depending on the language reference you are using), and came about for the reason noted above, ie that this sword is neither one or the other ( neither a one hander nor a two hander).
Viollet-le Duc makes no specific mention of the term in his Encyclopédie Médiévale, and Edge & Paddock's "Arms&Armor of the Medieval Knight" also avoids the use of that term, preferring "sword of war" ( as opposed to arming sword or two handed sword).
I would use the term bastard sword not as a classification tool, but rather as descriptive of what is generally understood as a hand and a half sword.
Cheers, JCH

Hey there. I'm always very interested in this as well. I've used the term bastard sword quite a lot without knowing really what it means. I'd like to see the responses to this topic. Just so you know you're not alone in this :)


By the way, I'm also 16. Its nice to see that our younger audience has interest in these sorts of things.

Thanks for all the help everyone! This makes everything alot clearer and makes alot more sense compared to other explanations I've heard from not so valid sources. Thanks too for the confidence booster Grayson :D !