Cleveland Museum of Art

Estoc

Date

early 1500s

Medium

steel, wood and leather

Culture

Germany, early 16th Century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The French word estoc means "thrust" and therefore was adopted as the name for this long thrusting sword. It has a fairly long grip and simple cross-shaped hilt. The rigid blade, designed for thrusting at armored opponents, is three-sided for strength. The estoc was sometimes carried from the saddle. From the early 1300s, it was used by cavalrymen as an auxiliary side arm when a horseman had dismounted. Swords like this one were developed to counteract and pierce the increasingly heavy armor and sophisticated plates that nearly covered a knight.

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