OAKESHOTT TypeXV Swords
In Oakeshott's typology, Type XV is the first sword designed specifically to counter plate armor. It emerged in the late 13th century and remained in widespread use throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.
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Credits: Sword Buyers Guide
During the 13th century, knightly armor was in transition—from chainmail to plate defenses. By the 14th century, full plate armor had made a knight nearly invulnerable on the battlefield. Traditional cutting swords, faced with hardened steel plates, were no longer effective.
What the battlefield demanded was a new kind of weapon: one that could find and penetrate the gaps between plates, pierce the mail worn underneath, and deliver a decisive thrust. Type XV was built exactly for that purpose.
Type XV's design revolves around a single core function: thrusting.
- Blade: Straight edges, strongly tapered, ending in an acute point. Flattened diamond cross-section with a pronounced central ridge running from guard to tip. No fuller — the ridge provides maximum stiffness for penetration.Credits: The Sword in the Age of Chivalry
- Grip: Single-handed use, medium length — about 4 inches (10 cm).
- Guard & Pommel: The guard is typically straight (Style 8), with sharply downturned tips. Pommels are predominantly disc or wheel-shaped.
Type XV also has a longer-gripped variant, classified by Oakeshott as Type XVa.
The blade is similar to Type XV — generally more slender — but the key difference is grip length: Type XVa grips range from 7 to 10 inches (18–25 cm), making it usable with one hand or two. It represents the earliest form of the "bastard sword" (hand-and-a-half sword) .
Type XV may have appeared as early as the second half of the 13th century, reaching its peak during the mid-to-late 14th century. It was the first sword type designed primarily for thrusting, marking a new direction in sword design — one driven by the realities of plate armor.
Below are some historical examples of Type XV swords: