New blade designs were developed at an ever faster pace between 1300 and 1500, during the Renaissance. The main change was the extension of the handle, which allowed the ambidextrous use, and longer blade. This type of sword, call in its time Langes Schwert (German longsword) or Spadone was common around 1400.
Another variant was the specialized pierce armor, rapier spade. The long sword was popularized by the ability to reach, cut and thrust, while the sword did for his ability to reach the gaps between the armor plates. The grip was sometimes wrapped with wire or animal skin to provide extra support, while the possibility of disarmament difficult to hit the hand. In the sixteenth century, the long Doppelhänder (now called Zweihänder (both Germanic terms refer to the use of both hands) finalized the tendency to increase the size of swords (especially by decreasing armor plates and the advent of firearms), and early Modern Age saw the return to the lighter weapons, one-handed.