A longsword, also known by the names “hand and a half sword”, the “bastard sword”, and the “war sword” required the use of both hands to grip the sword and maintain control of it. As a result it was never the most common sword used in battle in medieval times, but it was effective at killing people.
Longswords were popular among knights in England at the end of the 14th and early 15th centuries. They were also very popular in Switzerland in the middle of the 15th century among common soldiers. Also, the townspeople of Germany adopted the longsword in the mid to late 15th century for use in fencing guilds.
Well, using a longsword in battle totally depends on the skill of the person who is using it and on the opponent. In case the opponent happens to wear no armor or very light armor. A long sword could be used very fiercely and efficiently in battles for as long as the person who is using it carries the right skill and knows how to make his way around with it.
However, there were other weapons such as a spear that were equally popular. Again, the choice of weapon in the battlefield depends on the skill of the person using it.
