Aaron2 said:
The term "broadsword" is a renaissance term used to describe swords of normal dimensions when comparing them to the skinny rapiers that were popular in that period. Broadswords tended to have parallel sides and basket hilts. The swords used by Rob Roy (in the movie of the same name) are typical.
Oh, dear. Where does one start in the face of this? My. But it's quite a set of statements there. First, dear fellow, I'll say that you certainly have had a, "creative" (to not lie but still somehow maintain a semblance of politesse) historical "education"--if "education" is the appropriate word in this case.
"Broadsword" was not in common use until the late 18th century, long after the Renaissance had ended. It was coined to refer to swords similar to the "Scottish" model, which were considered "broad" not only in comparison to gentlemen's
smallsword (weapons we would recognize as a "rapier" having been out of fashion for at least a century) but also were fairly "broad" of blade in comparison to the newer fashion of cavalry sabre favored by the English military (although the old Dragoon swords were every bit as stout as the Scottish, making them also "broadswords").
Now, the broadswords (or claymores, take your pick, either term is correct in this case) of the movie
Rob Roy are proper broadswords, but they are not, by any stretch of the imagination, to be considered typical of any sort of Renaissance nor medieval sword. This basket-hilted design was invented some time in the 16th century, long after the medieval era was over.
Finally, regarding the "skinny rapier" comment. That's just too daft for words.
To confuse the amateur and ill-educated further, the term "broad sword" has been used since roughtly AD1000. However, it was always in reference to single weapons and not considered a type of weapon. Thus, an individual sword could be "a broad sword" but it was not "a broadsword".
Now, to make matters worse, D&D TOTALLY AND UTTERLY got "longsword" and "shortsword" wrong. Historically, the "longsword" was a weapon that could be wielded in two hands but wasn't quite as long as the great honking German devices used along with pikemen. It also wasn't quite a bastard sword, althoug in the D&D level of detail, they could be considered just about equivalent. A "shortsword" was synonymous with "sword"--that being any sword suitable for use with one hand only and more good for cutting than for thrusting. However, that was how the terms were used by real swordsmen instead of Victorian armchair antiquarian sword collectors.
