Short swords are sometimes in reference to long daggers. Although some short swords are indeed long daggers, these are very different from how daggers are used. Typical in the old times, swords are usually made with a regular length of 50 to 60 inches or longer, long enough for a warrior to easily reach his opponent. But short swords were also made for battles which were widely used by the Romans. Many ancient cultures have also used the short swords and were able to develop different designs to increase their effectiveness in combat.

Today, short swords are still very popular, not in battles, but among battle sword collectors. Finding authentic ones can be very expensive but replicas can be ordered from trusted sword merchants. Here are some popular types of short swords that enthusiasts might consider:

Gladius

These are Roman army swords and can easily be considered as the most popular among short swords. The Roman army soldiers are fully armed in battles so a whole battle ensemble consists of a gladius (double kodachi ), a scutum (shield), javelins, a dagger and darts. The usage of these equipments is precise as javelins are first to be used to disable enemies from holding their shields, next is the use of the gladius in attack protected by the scutum. These swords are used mostly by thrusting the opponent but the design is also suitable in cutting and chopping motions during battle. If a soldier is disarmed, he has the dagger as the next resort.

Baselards

These are long Swiss daggers that normally measures from 16 inches up to 28 inches. The weapons are made with a crossguards and round-shaped pommels. The blade is double edged and very distinctive for having diamond-shaped cross-sections. Baselards were popularly used by the Swiss pikemen during the 15th and 16th centuries as secondary weapons.

Cinquedea

A short sword or long dagger popularly used by civilians in northern Italy during 15th up to the early 16th century. The name cinquedea means "five fingers" which is the width of its blade close to the guard. The blade measurement varies from 15 inches up to 28 inches in length and has a rounded point. It was primarily made to be used for thrusting during an encounter or battle. It was a common practice to carry the weapon horizontally close to the buttocks for easy lateral drawing from the back.