Expert weapons historian and fight arranger Mike Loades presents this new hands-on series on the key weapons that forged Britain’s history in the medieval arms race. First up is the Sword - the classic accessory for every swashbuckling hero. But behind the romantic image is a battlefield weapon of chilling brutality and Mike is uniquely qualified to demonstrate just how effective the sword can be. He puts fighting techniques to the test as ten students embark on a crash course in medieval battle skills; he visits the site of the Battle of Barnet, to find out why close quarter combat took such a pivotal role in this Wars of the Roses clash; he demonstrates just how long you can sword fight in full plate armour; and he gets in the saddle to demonstrate the difficult skill of sword fighting on horseback.
