Basket - hilted sword The basket - hilted sword is the name of a group of early modern sword types characterized by a basket - shaped guard that protects the hand . The basket hilt is a development of the quillon s added to swords ' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages . Also known as the broadsword , the basket - hilted sword was a military sword , termed " broad " in contrast with the rapier , the slim dueling sword worn with civilian dress during the same period . Morphology . The basket - hilted sword is a development of the 16th century , rising to popularity in the 17th century and remaining in widespread use throughout the 18th century , used especially by heavy cavalry up to the Napoleonic era . One of the earliest basket - hilted swords was recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose , an English warship lost in 1545 . Before the find , the earliest positive dating had been two swords from around the time of the English Civil War . At first the wire guard was a simple design but as time passed it became increasingly sculpted and ornate . The basket - hilted sword or broadsword was a heavy military sword , contrasting with rapier , the light sword worn with civilian dress which evolved from the " espada ropera " or " spada da lato " type during the same period . Since the blade of the rapier had become narrow and thrust - oriented , the heavier blades became known as " broadsword " . By the 17th century there were regional variations of basket - hilts : the Walloon hilt , the Sinclair hilt , schiavona , mortuary sword , Scottish broadsword or " claymore " ( also " claybeg " ) , and some types of eastern European pallasches . The mortuary and claymore types two were common in Britain , whether domestically - produced or acquired through trade with Italy and Germany . They also influenced the 18th - century cavalry sabre . During the 18th century , the fashion of duel ing in Europe focused on the light smallsword , and fencing with the broadsword came to be seen as a speciality of Scotland . A number of fencing manual s teaching fencing with the Scottish broadsword were published throughout the 18th century . Descendants of the basket - hilted sword , albeit in the form of backsword s with reduced " half " or " three - quarter " baskets , remained in use in cavalry during the Napoleonic era and throughout the 19th century , specifically as the 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sword , the Gothic Hilted British Infantry Swords of the 1820s to 1890s , the 1897 Pattern British Infantry Officer ' s Sword and as the Pattern 1908 and 1912 cavalry swords down to the eve of World War I . Subtypes . Schiavona . The Schiavona was a Renaissance sword that became popular in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries . Stemming from the 16th - century sword of the Balkan mercenaries who formed the bodyguard of the Doge of Venice , the name came from the fact that the guard consisted largely of the " Schiavoni " , Istrian and Dalmatian Slavs . It was widely recognisable for its " cat ' s - head pommel " and distinctive handguard made up of many leaf - shaped brass or iron bars that was attached to the cross - bar and knucklebow rather than the pommel . Classified as a true broadsword , this war sword had a wider blade than its contemporary civilian rapier s . It was basket hilted ( often with an imbedded quillon for an upper guard ) and its blade was double edged . A surviving blade measures 93 . 2 cm × 3 . 4 cm × 0 . 45 cm and bears two fullers or grooves running about 1 / 4 the length of the blade . Weighing in at around 1 . 1 kg , this blade was useful for both cut and thrust . The schiavona became popular among the armies of those who traded with Italy during the 17th century and was the weapon of choice for many heavy cavalry . It was popular among mercenary soldiers and wealthy civilians alike ; examples decorated with gilding and precious stones were imported by the upper classes to be worn as a combination of fashion accessory and defensive weapon . Mortuary sword . A similar weapon was the cut - and - thrust mortuary sword which was used after 1625 by cavalry during the English Civil War . This ( usually ) two - edged sword sported a half - basket hilt with a straight blade some 90 – 105 cm long . These hilts were often of very intricate sculpting and design . After the execution of King Charles I ( 1649 ) , basket - hilted swords were made which depicted the face or death mask of the " martyred " king on the hilt . These swords came to be known as " mortuary swords " , and the term has been extended to refer to the entire type of Civil War – era broadswords by some 20th - century authors . This sword was Oliver Cromwell ' s weapon of choice ; the one he owned is now held by the Royal Armouries , and displayed at the Tower of London . Mortuary swords remained in use until around 1670 when they fell out of favor among civilians and began to be replaced with the smallsword . Sinclair Hilt . The Sinclair Hilt was one of the earliest basket - hilt designs and was of south German origin . On average the blade of a Sinclair or " compound " hilt sword measured 38in . It had long quillon s and an oval leather - wrapped grip that was originally designed for falchion blades but was soon applied to the broadsword . It had a large triangular plate very similar to the ones used on main gauche daggers and was decorated with pierced hearts and diamonds . Hilts of this design were also used on other weapons including sabres , cutlass es , rapiers , backswords and civilian hunting hangers . A similar weapon was the Pallasch which had the same hilt and straight blade but was single - edged . It was used until the mid - 18th century by the Austrian army and inspired the British 1796 Heavy Cavalry Sabre . It is believed that these swords were brought back to Scotland by George Sinclair ' s mercenaries who had served on the continent . The Sinclair hilt broadsword influenced the development of the Scottish basket - hilted claymore , which was used by highlanders in the 17th and 18th century . After the Jacobite Wars it became a symbol of Scotland . Walloon sword . The so - called walloon sword ( " épée wallone " ) was common in Germany , Switzerland , the Netherlands and Scandinavia in the Thirty Years ' War and Baroque era . Basket - hilted rapiers made during the same period are known as Pappenheimer rapier s . The Walloon sword was favored by both the military and civilian gentry . Its hilt was ambidextrous with shell - guards and knuckle - bow that inspired 18th century continental hunting hanger s . Following their campaign in the Netherlands in 1672 ( when many of these German - made swords were captured from the Dutch ) , the French began producing this weapon as their first regulation sword . Weapons of this design were also issued to the Swedish army from the time of Gustavus Adolphus until as late as the 1850s . Fencing technique . George Silver in his " Paradoxes of Defence " ( 1599 ) , published some material on broadswords , but no instructive details . Two later books by Silver , " Brief Instructions on my Paradoxes of Defence " , and " Rules of Defence to be observed in open Fyght , & c . " , contained more detailed instructions in the use of the broadsword . Silver advises three principal " fyghts " , or stances for attack , one with the hilt held above the wielder ' s head with the point towards the wielder ' s knee ; the second with the wielder ' s hilt just below chest level with the point towards the wielder ' s left foot ; and the third having the hands held low and the point held upright . The " wards " or parries were made from these middle positions by moving the sword to the right or left . Silver was also the first author of any nationality to distinctly advocate parrying and riposting , to which he devoted an entire chapter .