Oakeshott typology
It categorises the swords of the European Middle Ages (roughly 11th to 16th centuries[1]) into 13 main types, labelled X through XXII.
The historian and illustrator Ewart Oakeshott introduced it in his 1960 treatise The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry.
Oakeshott slightly expanded the system with two transitional types, VIII and IX, and then he started work on his own typology.
[1] Oakeshott's 13 sword types are distinguished by several factors, the most important of which characterize its blade: cross section, length, fuller characteristics, and taper.
In 1981, Oakeshott introduced Subtype Xa to include swords of similar blades that have narrower fullers, originally classified under type XI.
Typical of the High Middle Ages, these swords begin to show greater tapering of the blade and a shortened fuller, features which improve thrusting capabilities while maintaining a good cut.
The Cawood sword is an exceptionally well preserved type XII specimen, exemplifying a full-length taper and narrow fuller, which terminates 2/3 down the blade.
It certainly existed in the later 13th century, and perhaps considerably earlier, since the Swiss National Museum in Zürich possesses an example that has a Viking Age–type hilt but clearly a type XII blade.
The earliest known depiction of a type XII sword in art is in the statue of the Archangel Michael in Bamberg Cathedral, dating to c. 1200.
Subtype XIIa (originally classified as XIIIa) consists of the longer, more massive greatswords that appear in the mid–13th century, which precede the later long-swords and were probably designed to counter the improved mail armor of the time.
The XIIa was originally a part of the XIIIa classification, but Oakeshott decided they "taper[ed] too strongly" and were "too acutely pointed" to fit appropriately.
Type XIII swords feature as a defining characteristic a long, wide blade with parallel edges, ending in a rounded or spatulate tip.
They correspond to the knightly greatswords, or Grans espées d'Allemagne, appearing frequently in 14th century German, but also in Spanish and English art.
[7] Ewart Oakeshott describes swords of Type XIV classification as short, broad and sharply-pointed blade, tapering strongly from the hilt, of flat section (the point end of the blade may, in some examples, have a slight though perceptible mid-rib, with a fuller running about half, or a little over, of its length.
In contrast to type XIV, these are more greatly designed for thrusting above cleaving, their appearance coinciding with the rise of plate armor.
[9] A flat cutting blade which steadily tapers to an acute point reinforced by a clearly defined ridge, making it equally effective for thrusting.
Oakeshott found some to be heavy swords, some examples weighing more than 2 kg (4.4 lb), used for combat against armored opponents.
Subtype XXa: narrower blades with a more acute and linear taper, though these can still be distinguished in part by their multiple fullers.
[13][14] Broad heavily tapering swords, similar to the fashionable Italian civilian Cinquedea of the late 15th century.
[15] Broad flat blades, some sharing a moderate to heavy taper with Type XXII though not as heavily or consistently.
The proportions, history of surviving examples, and often ornate decoration indicate these may have mostly served a ceremonial role more than as weapons of war.
