Were they like three foot long butcher knives? Or were they a lot duller?
Would you slice someone up with them, or would it be more like hacking at them with a long hatchet?
You can also x-post this over to /r/swords and /r/wma, I'm sure they'll be happy to answer your question!
Ewart Oakeshotte, whose work on swords is well worth a read, claims that medieval swords were extremely sharp. The evidence for this largely relies on medieval accounts of battles, medieval literature and contemporary art. Surviving medieval swords haven't exactly kept their edge. Overall I think he makes a decent case even if some of the evidence is a bit shaky at times.
It is worth noting that we do know that medieval Europe had very high quality iron with which to work. We can determine this by testing surviving weapons and armour. The high quality of their iron, and as a result their steel, did a lot for the quality of the weapon overall.
Ewart Oakeshotte, The Archaeology of Weapons