1 00:00:06,500 --> 00:00:08,917 Narrator: Tonight, legendary blades 2 00:00:09,042 --> 00:00:13,375 wielded by the most fearsome fighters. 3 00:00:13,542 --> 00:00:17,917 Heads severed, arms lopped off with this sharp sword. 4 00:00:18,042 --> 00:00:20,417 Blood spilled all over the field. 5 00:00:20,542 --> 00:00:23,667 Narrator: From the brutal Viking axe... 6 00:00:23,792 --> 00:00:28,167 Michael Livingston: One berserker warrior kills 40 men with his axe. 7 00:00:28,250 --> 00:00:31,125 Narrator: ...to the razor-sharp samurai sword... 8 00:00:31,208 --> 00:00:35,167 They are single-edge blades wielded with efficiency. 9 00:00:35,250 --> 00:00:38,667 They could slice through anything. 10 00:00:38,792 --> 00:00:42,000 Narrator: ...to the deadliest double-edged weapon of all. 11 00:00:42,167 --> 00:00:44,750 You were not looking to simply win. 12 00:00:44,875 --> 00:00:49,083 You were looking to massacre. No one is to be left alive. 13 00:00:51,667 --> 00:00:54,833 Narrator: We explore history's bloodiest blades 14 00:00:54,917 --> 00:00:57,833 and the warriors who made them so lethal. 15 00:00:57,958 --> 00:01:02,500 No longer was it just punctures from a spear. 16 00:01:02,625 --> 00:01:07,042 Now we're talking limbs and heads flying off of bodies. 17 00:01:09,417 --> 00:01:14,167 Narrator: Not all inventions are made with good intentions. 18 00:01:14,292 --> 00:01:16,042 Unlock the twisted history 19 00:01:16,167 --> 00:01:19,292 behind the world's darkest marvels. 20 00:01:25,208 --> 00:01:27,583 Narrator: 793. 21 00:01:27,708 --> 00:01:30,917 The Vikings raid a wealthy Christian monastery 22 00:01:31,042 --> 00:01:32,833 on the island of Lindisfarne 23 00:01:32,958 --> 00:01:36,167 near present day Newcastle, England. 24 00:01:36,250 --> 00:01:39,708 One of the more frightening events to happen in England, 25 00:01:39,875 --> 00:01:43,875 in the Middle Ages is when what we call the Vikings show up. 26 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,833 And they show up in force for one of the first times on record 27 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,250 at a place called Lindisfarne, and they destroy the abbey. 28 00:01:54,583 --> 00:01:57,625 Kelly Devries: It's an old monastery. It's a rich monastery. 29 00:01:57,750 --> 00:02:02,417 It's existed forever. We've got evidence of its wealth. 30 00:02:02,542 --> 00:02:07,458 And we hear that they went in and killed everybody. 31 00:02:07,542 --> 00:02:11,500 They just wantonly destroyed an entire monastery 32 00:02:11,667 --> 00:02:13,542 that had been there for centuries, 33 00:02:13,667 --> 00:02:16,833 that had a place in a religious society. 34 00:02:16,958 --> 00:02:19,000 The monks did not put up a fight, 35 00:02:19,125 --> 00:02:20,792 and so many of them are killed. 36 00:02:20,875 --> 00:02:23,208 Larissa Tracy: And it's the monks who survive 37 00:02:23,333 --> 00:02:24,292 who write the story. 38 00:02:24,375 --> 00:02:26,292 And they create this image 39 00:02:26,417 --> 00:02:28,875 of Vikings as these most horrific, 40 00:02:29,042 --> 00:02:33,917 brutal, savage, crazed warriors. 41 00:02:34,042 --> 00:02:37,875 Michael Livingston: The terror of this as these Vikings come ashore 42 00:02:38,042 --> 00:02:40,167 and take everything was extraordinary. 43 00:02:40,333 --> 00:02:44,167 These people come off the water in these boats 44 00:02:44,292 --> 00:02:47,292 and wreck the joint, burn it, and then leave. 45 00:02:47,375 --> 00:02:49,167 This becomes the M.O. of the Vikings. 46 00:02:49,250 --> 00:02:52,708 The Vikings were often feared 47 00:02:52,833 --> 00:02:57,125 because they were more of a hit and run force. 48 00:02:57,208 --> 00:03:01,375 They would row up to a dock, disembark, 49 00:03:01,500 --> 00:03:04,333 cause havoc and chaos in the towns. 50 00:03:04,458 --> 00:03:07,250 You know, rape, pillage, grab what they could, 51 00:03:07,375 --> 00:03:09,458 load their boats back up, 52 00:03:09,542 --> 00:03:12,667 and leave before the town could ever put up a defensive 53 00:03:12,750 --> 00:03:16,250 or an offensive against these Vikings. 54 00:03:16,375 --> 00:03:17,917 And they'd just move off to the next town 55 00:03:18,042 --> 00:03:22,167 and do the same thing town, and town, and town again. 56 00:03:23,875 --> 00:03:25,333 Narrator: The key to their successful raids 57 00:03:25,458 --> 00:03:29,458 is an arsenal of deadly weapons. 58 00:03:29,583 --> 00:03:31,833 Kelly Devries: The Viking weapons are heralded in history, 59 00:03:31,958 --> 00:03:33,083 and they should be. 60 00:03:33,208 --> 00:03:35,375 They're weapons of war. 61 00:03:35,542 --> 00:03:37,500 They're weapons of destruction 62 00:03:37,625 --> 00:03:40,333 of a people who were bent on destruction, 63 00:03:40,458 --> 00:03:42,833 often for destruction's sake. 64 00:03:44,458 --> 00:03:45,750 Narrator: But of all their weapons, 65 00:03:45,875 --> 00:03:47,625 there is none more fearsome 66 00:03:47,750 --> 00:03:51,250 and fabled than the Viking axe. 67 00:03:51,375 --> 00:03:52,708 Kelly Devries: If you think about an axe 68 00:03:52,875 --> 00:03:54,708 and the damage it could do to someone. 69 00:03:54,833 --> 00:03:58,542 I mean, if it doesn't hit with a dead-on blow 70 00:03:58,667 --> 00:04:02,833 that penetrates the body or takes off a limb or so, 71 00:04:02,917 --> 00:04:06,833 the percussive force of just the rest of the axe is going to kill the person. 72 00:04:06,958 --> 00:04:09,083 Michael Livingston: So, you have bearded axes, 73 00:04:09,208 --> 00:04:12,875 which have a blade that sort of extends down towards the haft. 74 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,833 And you have other axes, Danish axes, which are longer hafted, 75 00:04:16,958 --> 00:04:18,500 and which you can get a better swing on 76 00:04:18,583 --> 00:04:21,458 to chop down a big tree or chop down a big person. 77 00:04:21,542 --> 00:04:24,042 Shane Adams: For a bearded axe, 78 00:04:24,208 --> 00:04:25,667 there's many different fighting edges, 79 00:04:25,792 --> 00:04:28,417 but the one definite kill edge 80 00:04:28,542 --> 00:04:31,708 is that rounded sharpened head of the axe 81 00:04:31,875 --> 00:04:35,625 with the weight behind it being able to, you know, carve into your body. 82 00:04:37,875 --> 00:04:39,958 Michael Livingston: An axe isn't just for killing people. 83 00:04:40,083 --> 00:04:43,875 It's also something you can use on the fly to repair the boat-- 84 00:04:44,042 --> 00:04:48,292 the very thing that you're dependent on to cause this warfare. 85 00:04:48,375 --> 00:04:52,042 So, axes are like a Swiss Army knife, if you will, 86 00:04:52,208 --> 00:04:55,000 but one that's really large and you can decapitate a person with. 87 00:04:55,083 --> 00:04:59,500 Narrator: This versatile tool may also be the weapon of execution 88 00:04:59,583 --> 00:05:04,458 used in a sadistic ritual known as the blood eagle. 89 00:05:04,583 --> 00:05:09,458 Among the Vikings who have become very famous, 90 00:05:09,583 --> 00:05:11,500 one of them is Ragnar Lothbrok. 91 00:05:11,625 --> 00:05:15,208 Now, Ragnar is thrown into a pit of vipers, 92 00:05:15,375 --> 00:05:18,208 a pit of snakes, by King Aella of Northumbria, 93 00:05:18,375 --> 00:05:21,625 and he's killed in this pit of snakes. 94 00:05:21,708 --> 00:05:24,500 And according to legend, in vengeance for that, 95 00:05:24,625 --> 00:05:27,792 his son Ivar the Boneless and his other sons 96 00:05:27,875 --> 00:05:32,250 take their revenge on Aella by perpetuating the blood eagle. 97 00:05:32,375 --> 00:05:37,333 Jordan Wagner: The idea is taking a sword, and you cut open the skin. 98 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:40,250 Then you're using an axe to break the ribs, 99 00:05:40,375 --> 00:05:43,542 to expand them outward, potentially upward. 100 00:05:43,667 --> 00:05:46,292 Larissa Tracy: So they are open like a pair of wings, 101 00:05:46,417 --> 00:05:50,208 removing his lungs and placing them on his shoulders 102 00:05:50,333 --> 00:05:54,125 while they're still pulsing until he dies. 103 00:05:54,208 --> 00:05:57,417 Of course, they're covered in blood, so it gets the name blood eagle 104 00:05:57,542 --> 00:06:01,375 because it looks like wings of an eagle, bloodied. 105 00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:04,208 Larissa Tracy: This story has become embedded 106 00:06:04,333 --> 00:06:06,667 in the image of Viking savagery, 107 00:06:06,750 --> 00:06:09,542 and it's associated with their use of weapons, 108 00:06:09,667 --> 00:06:11,875 particularly the axe. 109 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,792 Narrator: Another famous saga with an axe at its center 110 00:06:14,875 --> 00:06:18,833 is the story of Egil Skallagrimsson. 111 00:06:18,958 --> 00:06:21,542 Kelly Devries: Egil is a man in the 10th century. 112 00:06:21,667 --> 00:06:23,083 There's no question he's a psychopath. 113 00:06:23,208 --> 00:06:25,292 He kills for the meagerest of means. 114 00:06:25,417 --> 00:06:28,208 At six years old, he loses in a ball game. 115 00:06:28,333 --> 00:06:30,250 He goes home and gets an axe 116 00:06:30,375 --> 00:06:33,458 and puts it in his opponent's head. 117 00:06:33,542 --> 00:06:35,792 And his mother, she said, 118 00:06:35,875 --> 00:06:38,667 well, he's going to be a good Viking one day. 119 00:06:38,750 --> 00:06:41,667 Narrator: Proving mother knows best, 120 00:06:41,750 --> 00:06:45,417 Egil goes on to murder at least a few hundred more people 121 00:06:45,542 --> 00:06:48,333 during the course of his life. 122 00:06:48,417 --> 00:06:52,667 His legacy earns him the title of berserker, 123 00:06:52,792 --> 00:06:54,792 a unique class of Viking warriors 124 00:06:54,875 --> 00:06:58,125 known to fight in a rage-fueled trance. 125 00:07:01,875 --> 00:07:06,833 Vikings get a reputation as savage and horrible berserkers. 126 00:07:06,917 --> 00:07:09,833 They just go mad with a battle frenzy. 127 00:07:09,958 --> 00:07:11,583 And this is where we get the term berserk. 128 00:07:11,708 --> 00:07:13,833 Somebody going berserk is somebody who's just 129 00:07:13,958 --> 00:07:18,583 going completely mad in a frenzy. 130 00:07:18,708 --> 00:07:21,667 But there's a motivation behind that battle rage, 131 00:07:21,792 --> 00:07:26,000 and it was a way of psyching yourself up to face your enemies. 132 00:07:26,167 --> 00:07:30,000 And you could convince yourself that you were invulnerable 133 00:07:30,125 --> 00:07:31,167 when you were in that state. 134 00:07:31,292 --> 00:07:33,417 And so it has a very specific 135 00:07:33,542 --> 00:07:35,333 purpose on the battlefield. 136 00:07:35,458 --> 00:07:37,750 Berserkers were more psychopathic 137 00:07:37,875 --> 00:07:40,000 than the psychopaths that were Vikings. 138 00:07:40,167 --> 00:07:43,917 Eileen Joy: Berserkers were believed by some 139 00:07:44,042 --> 00:07:46,958 to have taken a kind of hallucinogen 140 00:07:47,042 --> 00:07:51,500 before going into battle to get themselves into a frenzy. 141 00:07:51,625 --> 00:07:53,500 Kelly Devries: All sorts of things about mushrooms 142 00:07:53,625 --> 00:07:55,625 and maybe other psychedelics and so forth. 143 00:07:55,708 --> 00:07:59,833 I think they were just bad eggs in a bad egg carton. 144 00:08:01,792 --> 00:08:04,583 Narrator: One of the most legendary berserker rampages 145 00:08:04,708 --> 00:08:08,667 occurs in a 1066 battle. 146 00:08:08,833 --> 00:08:10,708 Michael Livingston: After the death of Edward the Confessor, 147 00:08:10,833 --> 00:08:14,500 the King of England, there is no clear heir to the throne. 148 00:08:14,625 --> 00:08:16,833 So what ends up happening is a lot of people 149 00:08:16,958 --> 00:08:19,167 want to have the throne of England. 150 00:08:19,250 --> 00:08:22,833 Narrator: Including the King of Norway, Herald Hardrada, 151 00:08:22,958 --> 00:08:26,500 who assembles an army of nearly 9,000 Vikings 152 00:08:26,625 --> 00:08:29,542 and 300 ships to seize England. 153 00:08:29,667 --> 00:08:32,208 Michael Livingston: In what's called the Battle of Stamford Bridge, 154 00:08:32,375 --> 00:08:34,417 when Herald Hardrada comes ashore, 155 00:08:34,542 --> 00:08:37,000 they have essentially a Viking army. 156 00:08:37,083 --> 00:08:41,833 He supposedly gets caught out of position by the English, who marched very fast. 157 00:08:41,917 --> 00:08:44,875 He's on the wrong side of a river without any of his armor. 158 00:08:46,542 --> 00:08:48,500 And supposedly, according to one story, 159 00:08:48,583 --> 00:08:51,667 one berserker warrior of the Vikings 160 00:08:51,750 --> 00:08:55,708 stands on that bridge to buy his comrades time, 161 00:08:55,833 --> 00:08:58,667 and just starts mowing down the English, 162 00:08:58,792 --> 00:09:01,333 and kills 40 men with his axe 163 00:09:01,417 --> 00:09:04,250 before he himself is finally taken care of. 164 00:09:04,375 --> 00:09:08,750 Kelly Devries: Eventually he's killed in the most cowardly way, 165 00:09:08,875 --> 00:09:10,833 by a man in a boat who goes under 166 00:09:10,958 --> 00:09:14,042 and stabs him through the groin with his spear. 167 00:09:14,167 --> 00:09:18,083 Narrator: This ferocity on the battlefield can be attributed 168 00:09:18,208 --> 00:09:20,833 in part to the Viking belief system. 169 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,542 Larissa Tracy: Vikings seemed very fearsome 170 00:09:24,667 --> 00:09:27,500 because they believed in the idea of Valhalla. 171 00:09:27,625 --> 00:09:32,083 Michael Livingston: Valhalla is Odin's hall in the afterlife. 172 00:09:32,208 --> 00:09:34,958 This is about the best place you can go. 173 00:09:35,042 --> 00:09:38,417 When you get there, you get to spend the days fighting each other, 174 00:09:38,542 --> 00:09:40,417 and having sex, 175 00:09:40,542 --> 00:09:42,833 and having lots of things to drink 176 00:09:42,958 --> 00:09:44,667 and lots of things to eat. 177 00:09:44,792 --> 00:09:47,083 I mean, we have to admit, Valhalla's the cool heaven. 178 00:09:47,208 --> 00:09:50,458 Larissa Tracy: And so if they were slain on the battlefield, 179 00:09:50,542 --> 00:09:51,833 then that is how they were supposed to die. 180 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:54,833 They were happy to face that possibility. 181 00:09:54,917 --> 00:09:59,167 And it's that sense of fated finality 182 00:09:59,333 --> 00:10:02,750 that made them so terrifying to their enemies, 183 00:10:02,875 --> 00:10:05,333 because they weren't afraid to die. 184 00:10:05,458 --> 00:10:07,958 Narrator: Ultimately, the Vikings are defeated by the English 185 00:10:08,042 --> 00:10:11,167 in the 1066 Battle of Stamford Bridge, 186 00:10:11,333 --> 00:10:14,042 bringing an end to their raids shortly after. 187 00:10:14,208 --> 00:10:19,000 But one century later, a sword forged in Japan 188 00:10:19,125 --> 00:10:22,000 would gain even greater notoriety. 189 00:10:26,042 --> 00:10:30,167 Narrator: Kyoto, Japan, 1192. 190 00:10:30,250 --> 00:10:34,458 The Emperor Go-Toba appoints the first shogun. 191 00:10:34,583 --> 00:10:37,625 The shogun, it's a title, 192 00:10:37,708 --> 00:10:41,333 so it means basically the military leader of Japan. 193 00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:44,542 The shogun was the ultimate power. 194 00:10:44,667 --> 00:10:46,667 He could make any rule he pretty much wanted. 195 00:10:46,792 --> 00:10:49,500 Narrator: Supporting the shogun is an elite class 196 00:10:49,667 --> 00:10:53,042 of warrior knights known as the samurai. 197 00:10:53,208 --> 00:10:56,083 Mike Yamasaki: The samurai are a very unique persona. 198 00:10:56,208 --> 00:10:59,417 They're not like your typical warrior per se. 199 00:10:59,542 --> 00:11:02,750 Of course, it's common for a samurai to learn swordsmanship, 200 00:11:02,875 --> 00:11:07,167 how to ride a horse, basic military strategy. 201 00:11:07,250 --> 00:11:11,625 But they also had to learn brush writing and poetry, 202 00:11:11,750 --> 00:11:13,625 how to read the classics, 203 00:11:13,708 --> 00:11:17,000 so they had education on the higher level. 204 00:11:17,167 --> 00:11:19,333 Narrator: Their minds may be sharp, 205 00:11:19,500 --> 00:11:22,250 but their blades are even sharper. 206 00:11:22,375 --> 00:11:25,917 Mike Yamasaki: The sword always got the attention 207 00:11:26,042 --> 00:11:29,625 as the weapon of the samurai, 208 00:11:29,750 --> 00:11:32,333 and it became literally like, 209 00:11:32,458 --> 00:11:36,375 if you didn't have your sword, you weren't a samurai. 210 00:11:36,500 --> 00:11:40,792 Narrator: The samurai's most recognizable sword is the katana. 211 00:11:40,917 --> 00:11:44,042 It's lightweight, single-edged, 212 00:11:44,208 --> 00:11:46,917 with a razor-sharp curved steel blade, 213 00:11:47,042 --> 00:11:50,583 two to three feet in length. 214 00:11:50,708 --> 00:11:52,542 The katana, as a two-handed sword, 215 00:11:52,708 --> 00:11:56,500 was made in such a way that it was not just an offensive weapon, 216 00:11:56,667 --> 00:11:58,792 but also a defensive weapon. 217 00:11:58,875 --> 00:12:02,583 Larissa Tracy: Samurai warriors did not carry shields. 218 00:12:02,708 --> 00:12:05,542 Their swords were their shield. 219 00:12:05,708 --> 00:12:08,500 They were so fast and so skilled with the blade, 220 00:12:08,625 --> 00:12:10,875 the idea is their opponent's blade would never touch them. 221 00:12:11,042 --> 00:12:13,583 So the sword would have to be made in such a way 222 00:12:13,708 --> 00:12:15,167 to be able to take the shock 223 00:12:15,292 --> 00:12:17,833 of blocking another weapon striking it. 224 00:12:17,958 --> 00:12:20,750 At the same time, have that sharp edge 225 00:12:20,875 --> 00:12:22,208 to be able to take limbs and heads 226 00:12:22,333 --> 00:12:24,417 on the next fell swoop. 227 00:12:24,542 --> 00:12:29,000 It's one of the finest edged weapons ever made for combat. 228 00:12:29,125 --> 00:12:32,000 It is one of the most iconic weapons 229 00:12:32,125 --> 00:12:33,792 of the samurai era in Japan, 230 00:12:33,875 --> 00:12:36,292 and it's permeated pop culture. 231 00:12:36,375 --> 00:12:39,500 It's also really effective at what it does, 232 00:12:39,625 --> 00:12:43,333 which is cutting through things quickly and effectively. 233 00:12:43,458 --> 00:12:45,000 Mike Yamasaki: The katana is the weapon of power. 234 00:12:45,167 --> 00:12:46,833 A lot of people I've talked to said 235 00:12:46,958 --> 00:12:51,208 they would rather get shot rather than cut by a katana. 236 00:12:51,333 --> 00:12:56,042 They're razor-sharp and wielded with efficiency. 237 00:12:56,208 --> 00:12:59,208 They could slice through anything. 238 00:12:59,375 --> 00:13:03,042 Daniel Dickrell: It's also much lighter than a traditional longsword, 239 00:13:03,208 --> 00:13:07,333 so it can be swung faster and more effectively in combat. 240 00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:13,333 Narrator: The katana's legendary power begins with its forging. 241 00:13:13,458 --> 00:13:18,125 One of the unique characteristics of the katana is also its material structure. 242 00:13:18,250 --> 00:13:21,792 So, it has very hardened steel at the edge, 243 00:13:21,917 --> 00:13:23,667 which makes it very, very sharp, 244 00:13:23,833 --> 00:13:25,583 but it has a more milder steel in the core 245 00:13:25,708 --> 00:13:29,000 which makes it durable and flexible. 246 00:13:29,167 --> 00:13:34,750 Mike Yamasaki: It is built out of the highest quality iron ore 247 00:13:34,875 --> 00:13:37,667 which is smelted from sand iron. 248 00:13:37,750 --> 00:13:41,500 And that's what makes it so hard-- capable of shaving glass. 249 00:13:41,625 --> 00:13:45,083 Daniel Dickrell: The process of making the steel is taking iron sand, 250 00:13:45,208 --> 00:13:47,500 a very unique form of iron, and putting it 251 00:13:47,583 --> 00:13:51,625 in a very hot fire-- upwards of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. 252 00:13:51,708 --> 00:13:56,833 This process reduces that iron sand down into a carbon steel 253 00:13:56,958 --> 00:13:59,917 which then can be worked and made into the swords. 254 00:14:01,500 --> 00:14:03,042 Narrator: Once the sword is near completion, 255 00:14:03,208 --> 00:14:05,208 it is blessed by a Shinto priest 256 00:14:05,375 --> 00:14:10,208 to spiritually purify it in preparation for the samurai. 257 00:14:10,375 --> 00:14:12,125 Mike Yamasaki: It's like they're inseparable. 258 00:14:12,208 --> 00:14:15,250 A good sword is known to have a good soul, in a sense, 259 00:14:15,375 --> 00:14:18,083 and that soul is what's taken care of 260 00:14:18,208 --> 00:14:21,833 and appreciated by the owner, the samurai. 261 00:14:21,958 --> 00:14:24,000 So if your sword was on the ground, 262 00:14:24,083 --> 00:14:27,750 and somebody stepped over it, they're stepping over your soul. 263 00:14:27,875 --> 00:14:29,583 You're allowed to kill that person. 264 00:14:29,708 --> 00:14:32,208 Shane Adams: Now, as spiritual as the samurai were, 265 00:14:32,375 --> 00:14:35,667 the way they tested their swords was actually quite dark. 266 00:14:35,792 --> 00:14:39,292 The sword would be tested upon humans to see how well it would cut. 267 00:14:39,417 --> 00:14:42,375 Mike Yamasaki: As you can see on this sword, 268 00:14:42,500 --> 00:14:46,833 test cuts were often recorded in gold and silver. 269 00:14:46,917 --> 00:14:52,917 Most likely these were criminals that were slated to be executed. 270 00:14:53,042 --> 00:14:59,000 And they were "volun-told" to be the targets. 271 00:14:59,083 --> 00:15:02,167 So, like, one of these here, it's two bodies, 272 00:15:02,250 --> 00:15:04,083 also cut through the torso. 273 00:15:04,208 --> 00:15:08,625 So they would stack them and then cut down. 274 00:15:08,750 --> 00:15:10,667 Kind of sucks to be the bottom guy 275 00:15:10,750 --> 00:15:12,875 if it didn't go all the way through. 276 00:15:15,208 --> 00:15:18,333 Narrator: But not all test subjects were criminals. 277 00:15:18,458 --> 00:15:20,083 There were other samurai who were bad 278 00:15:20,208 --> 00:15:23,792 who wanted to test their skill or their sword 279 00:15:23,875 --> 00:15:26,000 on innocent bystanders. 280 00:15:26,125 --> 00:15:28,208 Now you have to understand that at that time 281 00:15:28,375 --> 00:15:31,083 the lower class were looked at as pawns 282 00:15:31,208 --> 00:15:33,250 and that their lives didn't matter. 283 00:15:33,375 --> 00:15:36,042 Greg Jackson: There were instances where evil samurai 284 00:15:36,208 --> 00:15:41,167 would hide and wait for a commoner to come by, 285 00:15:41,292 --> 00:15:43,542 and they'd test the sword out by seeing how well 286 00:15:43,667 --> 00:15:45,083 it ran through this commoner. 287 00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:51,792 There's a story about an evil samurai 288 00:15:51,917 --> 00:15:54,042 named Gonpachi, the bridge killer, 289 00:15:54,167 --> 00:15:58,375 and he would go out at night and he would kill for fun. 290 00:15:58,542 --> 00:16:01,333 These people were not the epitome of a true samurai. 291 00:16:01,417 --> 00:16:05,417 To kill somebody for your own selfish reason 292 00:16:05,542 --> 00:16:10,042 is against what's known as the good samurai code. 293 00:16:11,375 --> 00:16:13,000 Narrator: According to legend, 294 00:16:13,125 --> 00:16:16,000 it's not just a samurai that can be evil. 295 00:16:16,125 --> 00:16:18,458 It also extends to his sword. 296 00:16:20,083 --> 00:16:21,875 Shane Adams: There was an old tale 297 00:16:22,042 --> 00:16:25,042 about two swordsmiths, Muramasa and Masamune. 298 00:16:25,208 --> 00:16:27,750 And a challenge was set against them 299 00:16:27,875 --> 00:16:30,458 to see who made the best katana. 300 00:16:32,208 --> 00:16:34,417 The swords were made, finished, 301 00:16:34,542 --> 00:16:39,333 and placed into a river with the edge against the oncoming current. 302 00:16:39,417 --> 00:16:42,583 Muramasa's sword cut through everything. 303 00:16:42,708 --> 00:16:44,333 Fish, leaves, 304 00:16:44,417 --> 00:16:46,875 everything that that blade touched, it cut. 305 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,125 Whereas the Masamune sword only cut the leaves and grass 306 00:16:50,250 --> 00:16:52,167 that flowed through the water. 307 00:16:52,292 --> 00:16:54,125 Narrator: Believing his blade is superior, 308 00:16:54,250 --> 00:16:56,917 Muramasa quickly declares victory. 309 00:16:57,042 --> 00:17:00,292 Shane Adams: Until a monk came by and said, 310 00:17:00,375 --> 00:17:05,208 no, the sword that cut through everything was wicked. 311 00:17:05,333 --> 00:17:08,000 Where the Masamune sword was forgiving, 312 00:17:08,167 --> 00:17:10,292 because it left the fish alone. 313 00:17:10,417 --> 00:17:13,667 Masamune was so great, and Muramasa was so evil. 314 00:17:13,792 --> 00:17:15,958 Shane Adams: Muramasa swords became quite popular 315 00:17:16,083 --> 00:17:20,167 because everybody was intrigued about these blades of evil. 316 00:17:20,292 --> 00:17:22,667 And sure enough, some of these swords 317 00:17:22,792 --> 00:17:26,542 were used in horrific scenes of murder and violence. 318 00:17:26,708 --> 00:17:31,042 Mike Yamasaki: Tokugawa, who was the shogun at the time, 319 00:17:31,208 --> 00:17:33,667 was injured, as well as his father, 320 00:17:33,833 --> 00:17:35,167 by Muramasa blades. 321 00:17:35,292 --> 00:17:37,417 He always had a superstition 322 00:17:37,542 --> 00:17:40,500 that they would cause the death or bad luck of his family. 323 00:17:40,625 --> 00:17:45,125 So he made a law stating that it was illegal 324 00:17:45,250 --> 00:17:47,667 to possess Muramasa blades. 325 00:17:47,792 --> 00:17:52,708 And today there are very few because so many got destroyed. 326 00:17:52,833 --> 00:17:57,208 Narrator: But the katana isn't the samurai's only blade. 327 00:17:57,333 --> 00:18:01,458 There are others with a much darker purpose. 328 00:18:06,417 --> 00:18:08,542 Narrator: The katana is the weapon most associated 329 00:18:08,667 --> 00:18:12,458 with samurai warriors of feudal Japan. 330 00:18:12,542 --> 00:18:16,167 But there are two other samurai blades that are just as lethal. 331 00:18:16,250 --> 00:18:19,250 One is the wakizashi. 332 00:18:19,375 --> 00:18:21,083 Mike Yamasaki: A wakizashi is known to be 333 00:18:21,208 --> 00:18:23,333 the companion sword to the katana. 334 00:18:23,458 --> 00:18:28,208 And it's because katana were only allowed to be worn by samurai, 335 00:18:28,375 --> 00:18:31,292 but wakizashi could be worn by people of other classes. 336 00:18:31,375 --> 00:18:34,125 So that's why there was a lot of wakizashi made, 337 00:18:34,250 --> 00:18:38,042 and their numbers outnumber katana by far. 338 00:18:38,208 --> 00:18:41,833 A wakizashi is 12 inches to 24 inches, 339 00:18:41,958 --> 00:18:44,375 and a katana is 24 inches and longer. 340 00:18:44,542 --> 00:18:47,542 Narrator: Last but not least is the tanto. 341 00:18:47,708 --> 00:18:50,250 Greg Jackson: The tanto comes to Japan around the 9th century 342 00:18:50,375 --> 00:18:51,833 and it gains a lot of popularity. 343 00:18:51,958 --> 00:18:53,292 It's a very short blade. 344 00:18:53,417 --> 00:18:55,000 And because of that, it's easy to conceal, 345 00:18:55,125 --> 00:18:57,250 it's easy to wield, and it catches on. 346 00:18:57,375 --> 00:19:01,542 Mike Yamasaki: The tanto, it's basically a knife, a giant knife or a dagger. 347 00:19:01,667 --> 00:19:04,958 They were designed for stabbing or for slicing. 348 00:19:05,083 --> 00:19:07,125 And they were very thick, 349 00:19:07,250 --> 00:19:09,500 up to 9 or 10 millimeters thick. 350 00:19:09,625 --> 00:19:12,167 They still had a razor edge, but they were very strong. 351 00:19:12,250 --> 00:19:15,333 So you could almost punch through some parts of armor 352 00:19:15,500 --> 00:19:17,375 depending on the type of armor it was. 353 00:19:17,542 --> 00:19:21,083 Greg Jackson: So the tanto's our short one, 354 00:19:21,208 --> 00:19:25,667 the katana's the long one, the wakizashi is our middle length blade. 355 00:19:25,833 --> 00:19:28,000 The middle child if you will. 356 00:19:28,167 --> 00:19:31,125 Narrator: The skills required to wield just one of these blades 357 00:19:31,250 --> 00:19:33,750 can take a lifetime to perfect. 358 00:19:33,875 --> 00:19:35,625 But in the 17th century, 359 00:19:35,750 --> 00:19:39,917 a legendary swordsman invents a new style of fighting 360 00:19:40,042 --> 00:19:45,792 using two of them at once, known as Niten Ichi-ryu. 361 00:19:45,917 --> 00:19:49,167 Mike Yamasaki: Well, Miyamoto Musashi is heralded 362 00:19:49,292 --> 00:19:51,208 as Japan's greatest swordsman. 363 00:19:51,375 --> 00:19:53,083 Musashi was actually way ahead of his time. 364 00:19:53,208 --> 00:19:56,833 He was a pioneer as far as strategy goes. 365 00:19:56,958 --> 00:19:59,625 A lot of people would fight with their longsword only-- one sword. 366 00:19:59,750 --> 00:20:01,583 That was kind of like the unwritten rule. 367 00:20:01,708 --> 00:20:05,417 And he fought-- boom. Guy blocks. 368 00:20:05,542 --> 00:20:08,333 He pulls out his short sword and kills the guy. 369 00:20:08,458 --> 00:20:10,583 And now he can use two swords. 370 00:20:10,708 --> 00:20:13,250 That's going against what was the unwritten code. 371 00:20:13,375 --> 00:20:15,375 So he developed all these new strategies, 372 00:20:15,500 --> 00:20:17,500 and that's what made him dangerous. 373 00:20:17,667 --> 00:20:22,000 He had over 60 matches, and he died of natural causes, 374 00:20:22,167 --> 00:20:23,833 which tells you he was very good. 375 00:20:23,958 --> 00:20:26,292 Because generally when you lost a match back then, 376 00:20:26,417 --> 00:20:27,833 you didn't live. 377 00:20:27,958 --> 00:20:30,042 Narrator: But death doesn't always 378 00:20:30,208 --> 00:20:33,250 come at the hands of the enemy. 379 00:20:33,375 --> 00:20:36,875 When a samurai had to face dishonor 380 00:20:37,042 --> 00:20:39,333 or wanted to escape dishonor, 381 00:20:39,500 --> 00:20:42,417 he committed what's called ritual suicide, 382 00:20:42,542 --> 00:20:44,292 or hara-kiri seppuku. 383 00:20:44,417 --> 00:20:47,667 Greg Jackson: Seppuku is to take a sword, 384 00:20:47,792 --> 00:20:50,458 typically using a tanto or the wakizashi, 385 00:20:50,583 --> 00:20:55,250 plunge it into your gut, and basically debowel yourself. 386 00:20:55,375 --> 00:21:00,500 This was a way to preserve their honor as they leave this world. 387 00:21:00,625 --> 00:21:04,167 Samurai believed that their soul came from their stomach. 388 00:21:04,250 --> 00:21:06,333 So in times of seppuku, 389 00:21:06,458 --> 00:21:08,750 they would make an incision 390 00:21:08,875 --> 00:21:10,625 and open up their stomach, 391 00:21:10,750 --> 00:21:13,125 so their intestines would come out. 392 00:21:13,208 --> 00:21:16,792 And then eventually that samurai would die 393 00:21:16,875 --> 00:21:19,250 either, of course, of the blood loss, 394 00:21:19,375 --> 00:21:21,625 or would have an assistant with them 395 00:21:21,750 --> 00:21:25,250 that would then behead him at that point in time. 396 00:21:27,125 --> 00:21:30,167 The most famous story about seppuku 397 00:21:30,292 --> 00:21:33,833 was the story of the 47 ronin. 398 00:21:33,958 --> 00:21:38,792 Narrator: In 1701, Lord Asano Naganori is ordered to commit seppuku 399 00:21:38,875 --> 00:21:41,875 after assaulting a corrupt court official. 400 00:21:42,042 --> 00:21:46,208 When Naganori's death leaves his 47 samurai without a master, 401 00:21:46,375 --> 00:21:49,667 they become known as ronin. 402 00:21:49,792 --> 00:21:52,542 And their only goal in life was to avenge their lord, 403 00:21:52,667 --> 00:21:55,333 but they knew by doing so 404 00:21:55,458 --> 00:21:57,500 they would have to give up their lives. 405 00:21:57,625 --> 00:21:59,667 Narrator: After about two years of planning, 406 00:21:59,833 --> 00:22:03,125 the 47 ronin finally retaliate 407 00:22:03,250 --> 00:22:05,542 and kill the court official. 408 00:22:05,708 --> 00:22:08,500 Mike Yamasaki: They took his head, present it at the temple, 409 00:22:08,625 --> 00:22:11,667 and then waited there to get their punishment, 410 00:22:11,792 --> 00:22:14,625 which was, of course, because they were samurai, 411 00:22:14,708 --> 00:22:16,708 they were allowed to commit seppuku. 412 00:22:18,167 --> 00:22:20,333 Narrator: 46 of the 47 ronin 413 00:22:20,458 --> 00:22:24,292 end their own lives in ritualistic fashion. 414 00:22:24,417 --> 00:22:26,000 One of the men is pardoned, 415 00:22:26,083 --> 00:22:29,167 some say due to his young age. 416 00:22:29,292 --> 00:22:32,750 Everybody respects them to this day for what they did and how they did it. 417 00:22:32,875 --> 00:22:38,708 And they proved how deep the loyalty and honor was for a samurai. 418 00:22:38,875 --> 00:22:40,542 So in that sense, 419 00:22:40,708 --> 00:22:46,000 that's a pure example of what seppuku was. 420 00:22:46,167 --> 00:22:48,333 It was an end to the honor. 421 00:22:50,042 --> 00:22:54,000 Narrator: Seppuku isn't abolished until 1873, 422 00:22:54,167 --> 00:22:59,250 but some engage in the practice well into the 20th century. 423 00:22:59,375 --> 00:23:04,500 So there's an episode of modern seppuku 424 00:23:04,667 --> 00:23:07,167 by the famous author Yukio Mishima. 425 00:23:07,250 --> 00:23:10,583 Narrator: On November 25th, 1970, 426 00:23:10,708 --> 00:23:13,333 Mishima, with the help of one of his followers, 427 00:23:13,458 --> 00:23:17,375 performs seppuku in front of the Tokyo army base 428 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:20,833 after they fail to incite a coup. 429 00:23:20,917 --> 00:23:25,875 Mike Yamasaki: And he had one of his top students be his decapitator. 430 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,583 The first cut hit his shoulder. The second cut hit his head. 431 00:23:30,708 --> 00:23:33,458 And he's, like, totally panicking by now. 432 00:23:33,583 --> 00:23:37,000 And then the third cut, he finally did it. 433 00:23:37,125 --> 00:23:39,917 Narrator: While ritual suicide falls out of favor, 434 00:23:40,042 --> 00:23:45,250 there another grisly sacrifice that continues in modern day. 435 00:23:45,375 --> 00:23:48,000 Greg Jackson: The yakuza is an organized crime syndicate, 436 00:23:48,125 --> 00:23:50,667 and they would use the tanto. 437 00:23:50,792 --> 00:23:53,417 For them, it was the ritualistic blade 438 00:23:53,542 --> 00:23:56,667 if you had committed an offense to the organization. 439 00:23:56,792 --> 00:23:59,667 So what they would do is, if they did something wrong, 440 00:23:59,792 --> 00:24:03,417 they take out their finger, cut it with a tanto, 441 00:24:03,542 --> 00:24:05,542 and then wrap the finger up ritually 442 00:24:05,708 --> 00:24:11,000 and then give it to their boss as an offering. 443 00:24:11,083 --> 00:24:15,208 And most cases, it was a tanto that was used for this ritual. 444 00:24:15,375 --> 00:24:20,000 Narrator: The samurai blades have left their bloody mark. 445 00:24:20,083 --> 00:24:23,500 But there's another weapon that's believed to have killed 446 00:24:23,667 --> 00:24:27,625 the most soldiers prior to the invention of the gun. 447 00:24:31,708 --> 00:24:36,625 Narrator: Over a 1,000 years before the samurai first swing a katana, 448 00:24:36,708 --> 00:24:42,292 another deadly blade helps forge what would become the Roman Empire. 449 00:24:42,417 --> 00:24:46,042 Its name-- the gladius. 450 00:24:46,208 --> 00:24:49,625 Kelly Devries: The gladius was a short stabbing weapon. 451 00:24:49,708 --> 00:24:53,542 Sharp at the tip and devastating to have the blow. 452 00:24:53,708 --> 00:24:56,125 Devastating not because of the weapon itself, 453 00:24:56,250 --> 00:24:59,458 but devastating because of the man who wielded that weapon. 454 00:24:59,542 --> 00:25:01,250 The Roman soldier. 455 00:25:01,375 --> 00:25:04,875 The most disciplined killer in history. 456 00:25:05,042 --> 00:25:07,833 Narrator: But the Romans' initial inspiration for the gladius 457 00:25:07,917 --> 00:25:10,583 is found in the hands of their enemy. 458 00:25:12,458 --> 00:25:14,292 Narrator: 218 B.C. 459 00:25:14,375 --> 00:25:16,833 Rome declares war on Carthage, 460 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,667 triggering the second in a series of wars 461 00:25:19,833 --> 00:25:22,375 fought for dominance over the Mediterranean. 462 00:25:22,542 --> 00:25:25,542 These are known as the Punic Wars. 463 00:25:25,667 --> 00:25:31,042 Narrator: After their crushing defeat at sea in the First Punic War, 464 00:25:31,208 --> 00:25:36,333 Carthage, now led by the Great General Hannibal, has a new strategy. 465 00:25:36,458 --> 00:25:40,000 Joyce Salisbury: They have land armies with elephants, 466 00:25:40,083 --> 00:25:42,458 and Hannibal does the unthinkable. 467 00:25:42,542 --> 00:25:46,292 He takes the war to Italy, to Rome itself. 468 00:25:46,375 --> 00:25:51,375 He marches with his elephants coming over the Alps. 469 00:25:51,542 --> 00:25:53,417 So, he ends up in Italy 470 00:25:53,542 --> 00:25:57,958 and begins marching down the peninsula. 471 00:25:58,083 --> 00:26:00,333 Narrator: The two forces finally collide 472 00:26:00,458 --> 00:26:02,833 near the ancient city of Cannae, 473 00:26:02,958 --> 00:26:06,833 and Hannibal's men are armed with a secret weapon. 474 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:10,083 Known as the Gladius Hispaniensis, 475 00:26:10,208 --> 00:26:14,750 the sword originates from the Iberian Peninsula in present day Spain. 476 00:26:14,875 --> 00:26:20,167 Hannibal and his warriors were up against 80,000 Roman troops. 477 00:26:20,292 --> 00:26:23,958 Now, he knew that he only had 50,000 troops himself. 478 00:26:24,042 --> 00:26:28,000 But a lot of the warriors had sword in hand, 479 00:26:28,167 --> 00:26:31,792 up against those Roman soldiers with spears. 480 00:26:31,917 --> 00:26:33,958 It is a very effective weapon, the shortsword, 481 00:26:34,042 --> 00:26:38,000 and the Roman armies are not prepared for it. 482 00:26:38,125 --> 00:26:40,250 And that sword that they were wielding 483 00:26:40,375 --> 00:26:41,708 turned the tide in that battle. 484 00:26:43,625 --> 00:26:46,083 It's utter carnage, and one of the worst losses 485 00:26:46,208 --> 00:26:48,875 that Rome suffers, and really establishes Hannibal 486 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,833 as the greatest general of all time potentially. 487 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:53,875 Narrator: By most estimates, 488 00:26:54,042 --> 00:26:59,833 the Romans lose between 55,000 and 70,000 men. 489 00:26:59,917 --> 00:27:02,500 The Romans could hardly bury all their dead. 490 00:27:02,667 --> 00:27:05,792 There were limbs, there was blood. 491 00:27:05,917 --> 00:27:09,250 Hannibal is there for more than a decade, 492 00:27:09,375 --> 00:27:11,833 and he is just going up and down Italy just destroying things. 493 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,500 The massive amount of damage, 494 00:27:14,625 --> 00:27:16,333 the massive amount of loss, 495 00:27:16,458 --> 00:27:18,333 it's an incredible invasion. 496 00:27:18,500 --> 00:27:22,333 And then the Romans get smart. 497 00:27:22,458 --> 00:27:26,542 The Romans, I think, took back from that battle, not just a loss, 498 00:27:26,708 --> 00:27:30,708 but they learned from their mistakes and learned about that sword. 499 00:27:30,875 --> 00:27:34,125 Narrator: The Romans improved the Spanish blade 500 00:27:34,250 --> 00:27:37,542 by changing the material from iron to steel, 501 00:27:37,708 --> 00:27:41,333 which makes it stronger, lighter, and sharper. 502 00:27:41,417 --> 00:27:43,500 Daniel Dickrell: They added the pommel at the end 503 00:27:43,583 --> 00:27:44,833 to prevent the hand from slipping off, 504 00:27:44,958 --> 00:27:48,375 and various features that made it more usable 505 00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:50,625 on the Roman battlefield. 506 00:27:50,708 --> 00:27:55,708 Narrator: The Roman gladius measures less than two feet long, 507 00:27:55,875 --> 00:27:59,125 with a three-inch wide double-edged blade. 508 00:27:59,250 --> 00:28:01,458 Weighing just under two pounds, 509 00:28:01,583 --> 00:28:03,083 it can be swung with enough force 510 00:28:03,208 --> 00:28:07,833 to produce a gaping wound four inches long. 511 00:28:07,917 --> 00:28:10,167 A gladius has a wasp waist. 512 00:28:10,292 --> 00:28:11,542 So, the blade swells, 513 00:28:11,667 --> 00:28:13,750 and then it comes into a wasp waist, 514 00:28:13,875 --> 00:28:16,333 and then it broadens out again at the hilt. 515 00:28:18,417 --> 00:28:21,958 Narrator: This new and improved version of the gladius 516 00:28:22,042 --> 00:28:24,625 helps Rome level the playing field against Carthage 517 00:28:24,708 --> 00:28:28,458 during the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C. 518 00:28:28,542 --> 00:28:31,333 No longer was it just spear cuts 519 00:28:31,500 --> 00:28:32,708 and, you know, wounds, 520 00:28:32,833 --> 00:28:35,667 punctures from a spear. 521 00:28:35,750 --> 00:28:39,958 Now we're talking limbs and heads flying off of bodies. 522 00:28:42,917 --> 00:28:46,042 Needless to say, the Romans won, Second Punic War is over, 523 00:28:46,208 --> 00:28:50,583 and that's how the gladius becomes the kind of weapon 524 00:28:50,708 --> 00:28:53,375 that will change the future of ancient warfare. 525 00:28:57,583 --> 00:29:00,042 Narrator: 197 B.C. 526 00:29:00,208 --> 00:29:02,917 Another enemy is standing in the way 527 00:29:03,042 --> 00:29:07,375 of Rome's complete dominance of the Eastern Mediterranean. 528 00:29:07,500 --> 00:29:11,833 After the Romans had defeated the Carthaginians, 529 00:29:11,917 --> 00:29:15,750 they turn their attention to the east, to Macedonia, 530 00:29:15,875 --> 00:29:17,583 who had been an ally of Carthage. 531 00:29:17,708 --> 00:29:20,625 Narrator: The Macedonian forces 532 00:29:20,708 --> 00:29:23,292 are led by King Philip V, 533 00:29:23,375 --> 00:29:29,042 but he's no match for the fiercely armed Romans. 534 00:29:29,167 --> 00:29:31,500 When the gladius was introduced on the field of battle, 535 00:29:31,625 --> 00:29:36,125 very quickly King Philip saw his army began to get decimated. 536 00:29:39,167 --> 00:29:43,083 Aaron Irvin: You are now hacking limbs, killing enemies, 537 00:29:43,208 --> 00:29:47,167 literally cutting your way through the enemy's formation. 538 00:29:47,250 --> 00:29:49,917 This is not a war of attrition. 539 00:29:50,042 --> 00:29:53,458 You are now looking to do as much mortal damage 540 00:29:53,583 --> 00:29:56,083 as you can to the enemy. 541 00:29:56,208 --> 00:29:57,708 You are not looking to simply win, 542 00:29:57,833 --> 00:29:59,833 you are looking to massacre. 543 00:29:59,958 --> 00:30:02,167 No one is to be left alive. 544 00:30:02,292 --> 00:30:07,333 Narrator: The Roman army completely annihilates their enemy. 545 00:30:07,417 --> 00:30:11,500 Roughly 8,000 Macedonian soldiers are dead, 546 00:30:11,625 --> 00:30:15,333 and another 5,000 are captured. 547 00:30:15,417 --> 00:30:18,917 Joyce Salisbury: King Philip witnesses the scene 548 00:30:19,042 --> 00:30:22,917 with his army devastated, heads severed, 549 00:30:23,042 --> 00:30:27,583 arms lopped off with this sharp sword, 550 00:30:27,708 --> 00:30:30,417 blood spilled all over the field. 551 00:30:30,542 --> 00:30:33,875 And King Philip flees the scene ignominiously, 552 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,208 never to be seen again. 553 00:30:36,333 --> 00:30:39,333 The Romans had demonstrated once and for all, 554 00:30:39,417 --> 00:30:42,875 armed with the gladius, the eastern armies 555 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:44,458 could not stand against them. 556 00:30:44,542 --> 00:30:46,917 Greece fell, 557 00:30:47,042 --> 00:30:49,333 and Rome continued further east. 558 00:30:51,167 --> 00:30:52,917 Narrator: For the next three centuries, 559 00:30:53,042 --> 00:30:54,958 the Roman Empire grows, 560 00:30:55,042 --> 00:30:58,042 reaching its peak in 117 A.D., 561 00:30:58,167 --> 00:31:03,667 spanning over 2.2 million square miles. 562 00:31:03,792 --> 00:31:07,167 The gladius is what gives the Romans their edge on the battlefield. 563 00:31:07,333 --> 00:31:10,208 It allows their tactics to be effective 564 00:31:10,333 --> 00:31:13,167 and ultimately allows them to become 565 00:31:13,292 --> 00:31:16,375 the military superpower over the Mediterranean 566 00:31:16,500 --> 00:31:19,083 that they are still remembered as to this day. 567 00:31:20,875 --> 00:31:23,458 Now, the gladius was just a small sword. 568 00:31:23,542 --> 00:31:27,167 But throughout history, that gladius had become 569 00:31:27,250 --> 00:31:30,000 one of the most devastating weapons to mankind. 570 00:31:30,125 --> 00:31:32,250 It has taken more human lives 571 00:31:32,375 --> 00:31:36,875 than any other weapon until production of the gun. 572 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:41,292 Once Rome achieves its superiority on the battlefield, 573 00:31:41,375 --> 00:31:44,125 it achieves superiority in politics, and economics, 574 00:31:44,208 --> 00:31:46,333 and so many ways across the Mediterranean. 575 00:31:46,417 --> 00:31:48,792 It's the Roman sea as far as they're concerned. 576 00:31:48,917 --> 00:31:51,875 And all of this goes back to the gladius, 577 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:55,208 and its capabilities as a weapon of war. 578 00:31:55,333 --> 00:31:59,250 The Roman concept of warfare was not about attrition. 579 00:31:59,375 --> 00:32:01,250 It was not about wearing out the enemy. 580 00:32:01,375 --> 00:32:04,250 It was not about coming to agreements afterwards. 581 00:32:04,375 --> 00:32:07,792 Warfare was about wiping your enemies off the face of the earth. 582 00:32:07,875 --> 00:32:13,000 You could live happily because you were the only one left alive. 583 00:32:13,083 --> 00:32:15,833 The gladius itself represents punishment. 584 00:32:15,917 --> 00:32:18,458 It is the embodiment of Roman power. 585 00:32:18,542 --> 00:32:21,833 By the time we get to the imperial period in Rome, 586 00:32:21,917 --> 00:32:25,792 we see individuals who are sentenced to capital punishment 587 00:32:25,875 --> 00:32:27,833 being sentenced "ad gladium." 588 00:32:27,917 --> 00:32:32,167 In other words, those who have violated the laws of the state 589 00:32:32,250 --> 00:32:34,500 are punished by the gladius. 590 00:32:34,583 --> 00:32:37,292 The gladius is itself death. 591 00:32:37,375 --> 00:32:40,083 Narrator: The deadly sword is so iconic 592 00:32:40,208 --> 00:32:41,875 that it will become synonymous 593 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,458 with the most legendary bloodsport in history. 594 00:32:46,292 --> 00:32:47,958 Kelly Devries: The gladius will change 595 00:32:48,042 --> 00:32:51,083 when it becomes the weapon of the gladiators. 596 00:32:51,208 --> 00:32:53,500 Joyce Salisbury: And in fact, the term "gladiator" 597 00:32:53,583 --> 00:32:55,667 comes from the gladius, 598 00:32:55,750 --> 00:32:58,042 which is Rome's favorite weapon. 599 00:32:58,208 --> 00:33:01,708 Kelly Devries: Gladiator games are there for one purpose, 600 00:33:01,833 --> 00:33:05,125 to fulfill the bloodlust of a crowd. 601 00:33:05,208 --> 00:33:08,708 What are all these 50,000 people showing up to the Colosseum to see? 602 00:33:08,833 --> 00:33:12,250 It's not somebody get poked. It's somebody get slashed. 603 00:33:12,375 --> 00:33:15,083 Something to get cut. Bloodshed all over the place. 604 00:33:15,208 --> 00:33:18,417 And the more gruesome, the more violent, the better. 605 00:33:18,542 --> 00:33:21,333 They're there to show men hacking other men to bits. 606 00:33:21,417 --> 00:33:24,083 Shane Adams: These gladiators wielding the gladius, 607 00:33:24,208 --> 00:33:26,500 though they were trained killers, 608 00:33:26,625 --> 00:33:29,583 they were also trained to keep each other alive. 609 00:33:29,708 --> 00:33:32,250 They were trained to be able to just show blood, 610 00:33:32,375 --> 00:33:34,500 to be able to cut flesh in such a way 611 00:33:34,583 --> 00:33:37,083 that the person would be able to continue to fighting 612 00:33:37,208 --> 00:33:42,000 and would be able to survive for future fights to come. 613 00:33:42,125 --> 00:33:45,333 But you can just imagine the gallons upon gallons of blood 614 00:33:45,458 --> 00:33:48,500 that was spilled in that sand. 615 00:33:48,625 --> 00:33:49,917 It's entertainment, 616 00:33:50,042 --> 00:33:51,583 and entertainment will change the gladius. 617 00:33:51,708 --> 00:33:55,833 It's become a weapon for the Romans' pleasure. 618 00:33:55,917 --> 00:34:00,208 Narrator: The blades of the Romans, samurai, and Vikings 619 00:34:00,333 --> 00:34:02,833 each transformed history. 620 00:34:02,917 --> 00:34:07,125 But there's another that literally dwarfs the competition. 621 00:34:12,375 --> 00:34:13,833 Narrator: In the 15th century, 622 00:34:13,958 --> 00:34:16,333 a deadly new sword is gaining traction 623 00:34:16,500 --> 00:34:19,083 amongst mercenaries across western Europe, 624 00:34:19,208 --> 00:34:22,917 leaving behind bodies and bloodshed. 625 00:34:23,042 --> 00:34:25,333 Shane Adams: A Zweihander is a two-handed sword. 626 00:34:25,417 --> 00:34:28,500 A great, big, long two-handed sword. 627 00:34:28,583 --> 00:34:30,333 Michael Livingston: In fact, that's basically where it gets its name. 628 00:34:30,417 --> 00:34:32,458 "Two-hander" is what Zweihander means. 629 00:34:32,542 --> 00:34:36,167 Narrator: The sword consists of a long steel blade 630 00:34:36,333 --> 00:34:39,500 averaging about five feet in length 631 00:34:39,625 --> 00:34:43,542 and weighing upwards of ten pounds. 632 00:34:43,708 --> 00:34:47,042 They were impressive to see. Some of them have wavy blades. 633 00:34:47,208 --> 00:34:50,375 They are double-edged, and they can be wicked sharp. 634 00:34:50,542 --> 00:34:53,333 So, it has some usability as a weapon 635 00:34:53,417 --> 00:34:56,333 because of its size, but that's also its downfall. 636 00:34:56,458 --> 00:34:59,417 Aaron Irvin: You're not carrying this thing around one-handed. 637 00:34:59,542 --> 00:35:03,167 You're not using this like a traditional sword anymore. 638 00:35:03,250 --> 00:35:06,167 It's sort of almost a cross between a spear 639 00:35:06,333 --> 00:35:09,000 and a longsword simultaneously. 640 00:35:09,125 --> 00:35:11,333 Larissa Tracy: Now, carrying one of these swords into battle 641 00:35:11,458 --> 00:35:13,000 might be somewhat unwieldy. 642 00:35:13,125 --> 00:35:15,208 And, of course, wielding a Zweihander 643 00:35:15,333 --> 00:35:17,083 for too long can get tiring. 644 00:35:17,208 --> 00:35:18,792 But when you train with a Zweihander, 645 00:35:18,875 --> 00:35:21,208 you are learning specific moves, 646 00:35:21,333 --> 00:35:23,708 specific parries that are designed 647 00:35:23,833 --> 00:35:26,833 to essentially use the momentum of that blade itself. 648 00:35:26,917 --> 00:35:29,167 Kelly Devries: A baseball player, you can think about 649 00:35:29,250 --> 00:35:31,083 the same way you hold the bat. 650 00:35:31,208 --> 00:35:33,125 You're holding this weapon back. 651 00:35:33,208 --> 00:35:36,917 But it really is nothing more than a big blunt club. 652 00:35:37,042 --> 00:35:39,625 So what it's doing is it's hitting somebody, 653 00:35:39,708 --> 00:35:42,167 and killing them with a percussive blow 654 00:35:42,250 --> 00:35:43,750 rather than chopping them in two. 655 00:35:45,875 --> 00:35:47,542 And if you hit with enough force, 656 00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:50,208 and you hit the different quadrants of the body, 657 00:35:50,375 --> 00:35:52,292 you can slice through, 658 00:35:52,375 --> 00:35:55,792 or you can crush, or you can break bones. 659 00:35:55,875 --> 00:35:58,542 But you also have enough agility with the Zweihander 660 00:35:58,708 --> 00:36:01,583 to stab and thrust with both hands, 661 00:36:01,708 --> 00:36:05,000 and actually pierce and run your opponent through. 662 00:36:05,125 --> 00:36:07,667 Narrator: The warriors bold enough 663 00:36:07,750 --> 00:36:11,958 to wield this weapon are known as the landsknecht. 664 00:36:12,042 --> 00:36:15,167 Larissa Tracy: Landsknecht emerge in the 15th century, 665 00:36:15,292 --> 00:36:19,917 and they are both Swiss and German mercenaries, essentially soldiers for hire. 666 00:36:20,042 --> 00:36:22,833 Kelly Devries: They're paid to go in and just kill people. 667 00:36:22,958 --> 00:36:25,333 And they do it with the Zweihander because it's there 668 00:36:25,458 --> 00:36:27,625 and it can kill very, very effectively. 669 00:36:27,708 --> 00:36:31,167 Narrator: The sheer size of this two-handed monstrosity 670 00:36:31,292 --> 00:36:34,500 has a psychological effect as well. 671 00:36:34,625 --> 00:36:37,917 Kelly Devries: And we have to think of this as an imposing symbol. 672 00:36:38,042 --> 00:36:40,750 If you can imagine a mercenary going into a village, 673 00:36:40,875 --> 00:36:44,625 he wants everybody to run because he's carrying one of these Zweihanders. 674 00:36:44,708 --> 00:36:47,667 He wants that weapon to be feared. 675 00:36:47,792 --> 00:36:51,000 Narrator: But the most notorious Zweihander 676 00:36:51,125 --> 00:36:53,333 belongs to a man named Grutte Pier, 677 00:36:53,417 --> 00:36:56,875 and it's believed to be the largest European sword 678 00:36:57,042 --> 00:36:58,833 ever used in battle. 679 00:36:58,958 --> 00:37:01,833 Greg Jackson: Grutte Pier lives in northern Europe, 680 00:37:01,958 --> 00:37:03,583 and he's also extremely large. 681 00:37:03,708 --> 00:37:06,208 The man stands at seven-foot-tall. 682 00:37:06,333 --> 00:37:08,167 This man is quite literally a giant, 683 00:37:08,292 --> 00:37:09,917 but he's a gentle giant. 684 00:37:10,042 --> 00:37:13,333 Aaron Irvin: He is reported to be an excellent swordsman 685 00:37:13,417 --> 00:37:14,333 with the Zweihander. 686 00:37:14,458 --> 00:37:16,375 In fact, his own Zweihander 687 00:37:16,542 --> 00:37:18,833 measured somewhere upwards of 15 pounds. 688 00:37:18,917 --> 00:37:21,333 Greg Jackson: He's a peaceful guy. He's a farmer. 689 00:37:21,417 --> 00:37:23,500 He's happy with his wife, his two kids. 690 00:37:23,625 --> 00:37:25,167 Then the Black Band comes through. 691 00:37:25,292 --> 00:37:27,333 Shane Adams: The Black Band were a group 692 00:37:27,417 --> 00:37:30,833 of landsknecht mercenaries hired by the Saxons 693 00:37:30,917 --> 00:37:33,167 who would basically carry out the dirty work 694 00:37:33,292 --> 00:37:36,750 that the Saxons didn't want to be really recognized for doing. 695 00:37:36,875 --> 00:37:38,667 What they would do as part of any campaign 696 00:37:38,792 --> 00:37:42,083 is loot and rob and rape and steal 697 00:37:42,208 --> 00:37:44,000 from the surrounding countryside. 698 00:37:44,125 --> 00:37:45,833 As a result, the Black Band 699 00:37:45,958 --> 00:37:49,875 is incredibly notorious across northern Europe. 700 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,500 Greg Jackson: They come through Grutte's area. 701 00:37:52,583 --> 00:37:55,042 They wipe out his farm. They rape and murder his wife. 702 00:37:55,208 --> 00:37:56,708 They level his church. 703 00:37:56,875 --> 00:38:00,333 Basically, they destroy everything he cares about. 704 00:38:00,458 --> 00:38:03,125 Aaron Irvin: He is left homeless, property-less. 705 00:38:03,250 --> 00:38:04,833 He has nothing whatsoever. 706 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,500 And so Pier takes it upon himself to put together 707 00:38:08,583 --> 00:38:12,792 what becomes known as the Black Hope of Arum, 708 00:38:12,917 --> 00:38:16,708 his own mercenary band who is not looking to get hired, 709 00:38:16,833 --> 00:38:19,167 they're not looking to really get paid. 710 00:38:19,292 --> 00:38:23,708 They're really just looking to get revenge against the Germans, 711 00:38:23,875 --> 00:38:26,083 the mercenaries, the outsiders, 712 00:38:26,208 --> 00:38:28,208 who are within their territory. 713 00:38:28,333 --> 00:38:33,083 And the gentle giant turns into a war machine, 714 00:38:33,208 --> 00:38:36,042 and raises his own force 715 00:38:36,208 --> 00:38:38,500 and takes the fight to the Black Band. 716 00:38:38,583 --> 00:38:41,042 Shane Adams: Grutte Pier, meaning "Big Peter," 717 00:38:41,208 --> 00:38:43,500 with having a frame the size he had, 718 00:38:43,625 --> 00:38:46,333 he was easily able to wield that Zweihander. 719 00:38:46,417 --> 00:38:51,542 Where most people would not choose to use that weapon because of its length, 720 00:38:51,667 --> 00:38:55,542 Big Peter could twirl it around like a normal sword. 721 00:38:55,708 --> 00:39:00,583 In Pier's hands, the Zweihander becomes an incredibly deadly weapon. 722 00:39:00,708 --> 00:39:03,167 His sword is like a weed-whacker, 723 00:39:03,333 --> 00:39:04,958 just ripping through the countryside, 724 00:39:05,083 --> 00:39:07,125 leveling everything in its path. 725 00:39:07,250 --> 00:39:09,667 He's able to take out multiple enemies 726 00:39:09,750 --> 00:39:12,208 with a single swing of the blade. 727 00:39:12,333 --> 00:39:15,708 And the blade itself, his blade is heavy enough 728 00:39:15,875 --> 00:39:17,417 to cut through arms, cut through armor, 729 00:39:17,542 --> 00:39:19,125 cut through shields. 730 00:39:19,250 --> 00:39:21,708 Nobody is able to stand against him. 731 00:39:21,875 --> 00:39:24,417 Greg Jackson: Basically, become a David and Goliath in one. 732 00:39:24,542 --> 00:39:30,500 He is little David taking on this much larger evil band, 733 00:39:30,625 --> 00:39:32,125 and yet he is physically Goliath. 734 00:39:32,250 --> 00:39:33,542 He is himself a massive giant. 735 00:39:33,667 --> 00:39:35,667 Now, the rampage does not last forever. 736 00:39:35,792 --> 00:39:37,667 This is basically a four-year period, 737 00:39:37,750 --> 00:39:40,708 and Pier dies right after that. 738 00:39:40,875 --> 00:39:43,542 So he has a pretty short life, and frankly so does 739 00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:46,750 his beloved weapon of choice, the Zweihander. 740 00:39:46,875 --> 00:39:49,833 It's just too big to be wielded in a practical way on the battlefield. 741 00:39:49,917 --> 00:39:53,583 And by the 16th century, you're really only gonna find it in a museum. 742 00:39:53,708 --> 00:39:56,417 Aaron Irvin: Now the Zweihander was still a very intimidating, 743 00:39:56,542 --> 00:39:58,292 very showy weapon, 744 00:39:58,417 --> 00:40:02,500 and continued to be used in ceremonial circumstances, 745 00:40:02,625 --> 00:40:07,208 continued to be put on display all the way, really, up to the present day, 746 00:40:07,375 --> 00:40:11,000 even though its effectiveness on the battlefield was ultimately very limited. 747 00:40:11,125 --> 00:40:15,833 Like its famous wielder, the Zweihander legend lives on, 748 00:40:15,958 --> 00:40:18,667 just as Pier's does. 749 00:40:18,792 --> 00:40:23,000 Narrator: Whatever their size, shape, or body count, 750 00:40:23,083 --> 00:40:27,000 blades like the Viking axe, katana, gladius, 751 00:40:27,083 --> 00:40:31,083 and Zweihander made legends of the warriors who wielded them, 752 00:40:31,208 --> 00:40:34,583 inspiring fear and fascination, 753 00:40:34,708 --> 00:40:38,125 and forging a lasting legacy in blood.