Editing Longsword (section)

==Morphology==
[[File:Sword cross section.svg|thumb|Different blade cross-sections. At the top, variants of the diamond shape. At the bottom, variants of the lenticular shape.]]

The swords grouped as "longswords" for the purposes of this article are united by their being intended for two-handed use.  In terms of blade typology, they do not form a single category. In the [[Oakeshott typology]] of blade morphology, "longswords" figure as a range of sub-types of the corresponding single-handed sword types.<ref>[http://www.albion-swords.com/articles/oakeshott-typology.htm Oakeshott's Typology of the Medieval Sword A Summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204003314/http://www.albion-swords.com/articles/oakeshott-typology.htm |date=4 December 2010 }}, [[Albion Swords]] (2005).</ref>

*Types XIIa and XIIIa represent the Great Sword or War Sword type used in the 11th and in the 14th century. They represent larger versions of type XII and type XIII swords which were the standard [[knightly sword]]s during the [[Crusades]]. They are primarily intended for cutting, with grips for either "hand-and-half" or two-handed use.  Type XIIa blades are broad, flat and evenly tapering, with a lenticular cross-section and a [[Fuller (weapon)|fuller]] running along about two thirds of the blade's length. Type XIIIa blades are broad, with a flat lenticular cross-section, parallel edges and a fuller running along half the blade's length.
*Type XVa is the classical two-handed  sword  of the 14th and 15th centuries (with early examples appearing from the later 13th century). These blades are strongly tapered, more narrow and slender even than the single-handed type XV variant, with a flattened diamond cross-section.
*Type XVIa is the classical "longsword" of the 14th and 15th centuries. These blades are long and slowly tapering, with a flat hexagonal blade cross-section and a fuller running along one third of the blade. They represent an optimised compromise between thrusting capability and retaining good cutting characteristics.
*Type XVII is a shorter-lived type, popular during the mid-14th to early 15th century. These blades are long, slender and acutely tapering, approaching the outline of type XVa, while still retaining a narrow hexagonal cross-section and a shallow fuller running along about one quarter of the blade.
*Types XVIIIb and XVIIIc represent the later longswords of the mid-15th to early 16th centuries. They have a flattened diamond cross-section, often with pronounced mid-rib, some being hollow-ground. Type XVIIIb blades are slender, comparable to XVa blades but longer, measuring between 90 and 107&nbsp;cm, with a correspondingly longer grip, often waisted for comfortable two-handed use. Type XVIIIc blades are somewhat broader and shorter (about 85&nbsp;cm), and sometimes have a short and narrow fuller.
*Type XX blades are broad, with lenticular or octagonal cross-sections. Their defining characteristics is that they have three fullers, a shallow central fuller running along half the blade's length, with two shallow parallel fullers along the first quarter. They were in use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Sub-type XXa has a more acutely tapering blade and a more acute point.