Scottish Two-Handed Great Sword

Timeline

1. c. 1300–1440Scotland · ScotlandDuring Scotland's wars of independence there are records of two-handed longswords in use, with a forward-angled straight crossguard with spoon-shaped terminals, laying the formal foundation for the later quatrefoil-guard claymore; blades were mostly imported from Solingen in Germany.
2. 1441–1550Western Highlands of Scotland · WestThe Western Highland claymore took on its iconic quatrefoil guard terminals and a downward-extending tongue guard, with an overall length of about 120–140 cm and a weight of about 2.2–2.8 kg, becoming a status symbol of clan chiefs and warriors.
3. 1500–1600Scottish Highlands and Borders · ScotlandIn 16th-century Highland clan wars and Anglo-Scottish border conflicts, the two-handed great sword was wielded by clan chiefs and elite warriors, used in combination with round shields and dirks; Lowland and shell-guard variants were also forged locally in Scotland.
4. 1689–1900Scotland · ScotlandBy the late 17th century the two-handed great sword was replaced on the battlefield by more agile basket-hilted broadswords; after the 18th century the term claymore came to refer to basket-hilted swords, and Romantic writers such as Scott shaped the two-handed great sword into a symbol of Scottish nationhood, with surviving examples becoming museum treasures.