Known as  Slaughter Swords, the 16 Century Scottish Lowlander two handed sword was a true statement of strength and power on the battlefield, and standing at nearly 6 foot tall its not surprising.

Apparently these Lowlander swords were often chosen by the many nomadic Scottish mercenaries of old who would be paid as extra required help when a battle was about to ensue.

The Lowlander looks very unwieldy and cumbersome but this is actually the opposite of how the sword handled, it was surprisingly well balanced and could be wielded, slashed and thrust at the enemy who was brave enough to take it on in combat.

The lowlander has very long quillions  with inwardly pointed quatrefoils that offered some hand protection and helped to glance away an enemies sword, if the enemy got too close they could of course caused some injury by their own right.

The very nice young lady standing next to the sword below, is about 5 foot 3 inches tall for comparison, as a photo of the sword on its own does not give any idea of its scale.

The specification for the Lowlander is as follows.  The blade is 4 foot long, the handle is just under 1 foot 8 inches long giving the overall length of 5 foot 8 inches.  The thickness of the blade is .270 inch or 6.85mm which was quite narrow in perspective to the cross section and length but it helped to keep the weight down to a reasonable 6 lb 14oz.

                                            TWO HANDED GREAT SWORD

The Two Handed Great Sword is another huge sword variant of the Lowlander.  It is also meant to be carried whilst slung over the back as it would be impossible to wear it on a belt.

This sword is 2½ oz short of 7lb, it has a blade just under 3½  foot long and with its 15inch handle is over 4½ foot long.  So in comparison to the Lowlander this sword is actually smaller, but it is by no means any less lethal on the battlefield.

Built onto the long slanted quillions is a large loop that protrudes out at 90 degrees...

 ...so the sword could be swung at the enemy and could penetrate armor and shields with the sharp point  as the inertia would have given the sword extra force.

This sword would have been like a cross between a short Halberd, a Pike and a battering ram! as it is truly awe inspiring.

Below is an early Renaissance two handed great sword, it is quite ornate and the blade has been engraved with a nice pattern that gives the sword a more austere look...sporting wide quillions and two large loops for the hands to grasp and use the sword battering ram style.

In the hands of a skilled swordsman these great swords would have been terrifying to come up against.  In the past centuries there were guys who did nothing but train all day every day to handle the great sword so its use in combat was second nature and expertly wielded.

For centuries this was the way that armies armed themselves, it was only with the advent of firearms that made them all obsolete. You could be tooled up with a shield, knife, sword and thick padded clothing but this would not stop you getting shot and killed at 50 yards.

I am not affiliated with any store that sell swords, so please don't ask me to order for you.