Best Sword Design Ever Made? Maybe BUT......

"This is 5 inches longer, and boy do you feel it?!" --Matt Easton, scholagladiatoria, 2022

Matt's magical sword producing shed never ceases to produce examples of antique military sabers.

Even though 18/19th century is pretty far from my main time period of interest, I find it makes for my favorite videos from Matt because it seems it's when his passion really comes out to shine the most.

Fun to watch Matt hold up a late 19th Century pattern Royal Horse Artillery sword - identical to what my great-grandfather would've carried while serving in the Royal Canadian Artillery in Flanders and Archangelsk during WWI and immediately afterwards - and be able to look over my shoulder at the virtually identical sword I bought when I was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Artillery in 1989. Solingen rather than Wilkinson, but there you are. History hasn't ended - we're still living it.

My favorite basket-hilted sword is the Schiavona, there is just something about the symatry of it .

Answer is clearly the spadroon.

The Schiavona is similar, but has one advantage: you can put the index finger over the guard and the thumb along the blade, so more grip options. Also way better looking and cooler pommel imo

Loved the breakdown of the different kinds of swords and their applications!

How big a fencer are you ??? Matt Easton!! Just an old timer warrior. Wow !!! You are a very trained swordman. ❤

Here's a rough video idea: I'm sure there must be some strategy for using a slower more cumbersome sword against a more nimble one, even if it isn't optimal, I imagine there must be ways of navigating the fight, even if you're still disadvantaged.

As expected, a brilliant analysis of the pros and cons of this weapon. Thank you.

a good all-purpose double edged blade with the gracefulness of a rapier. The basket is really nice, like a rib cage.

13:40 kinda reminds me of the STI 2011. Someone went "damn, this gun handles wonderfully despite being in .45 and the trigger is just stellar. Let's make a modern one out of it." The resulting beastie is one of the top competition picks to this day.

Your films are first class , I have learnt a huge amount since watching , thank you .

I just rewatched your earlier video on this model. I'll once again note that this sword is similar to George Silver's "short sword" in its basic details, & he considered it a good sidearm for fighting on foot. He specified blades of 37-40 inches, the ability to cut & thrust well, & a basket hilt. We don't know the exact details of the basket hilt he wanted, but we know it allowed something along the lines of the thumb-up grip, which he recommended for using in his variable fight. Because of that clear description of how to hold the sword in certain position as well as the existence of 16th-century British backswords with long & rather narrow blades, I suspect Silver's short sword had a somewhat nimbler blade than this cavalry sword. By 16th/17th-century standard, 38 inches is not a long blade for fighting on foot. I get around a 42in blade with Girard Thibault's measure, & his rapier system includes a fair number of cuts. & other authors recommended significantly longer rapiers. Shorter & lighter swords almost identical to later infantry officer's swords existed in the 16th century & early 17th century, but nobody seems to have gotten that excited about them & instead preferred additional reach (at least for unarmored single combat on foot). Perhaps they were just wrong, but I doubt it. It seems awfully curious that so many people would have carried such long & heavy sidearms if they could have done better (or even as well) with more convenient ones. It's more likely that later infantry were shorter & lighter primarily for convenience of carry.

Matt, I really enjoyed the linked article. Nice work tracking down Charles James Mitchell, Esq. Thank you for taking us along on that journey.

Thanks, Matt. For some reason, when watching this, I started thinking about the old video about the high quality replica of the Sutton Hoo sword, and was wondering whether it would be possible to revisit it now you have better camera resolution. The old footage was good for the day, but imagine being able to see the pattern welds and decoration in 4K on a big screen!

Matt thank you for covering this fascinating sword design.

So... essentially 19 mins to say 'size matters'. We love you, Matt Easton!

I'd love to buy a replica of the original full sized version actually.