We have all seen those kinds of movies. Chainmail? Plate armor? protects as much as if the enemies bathed on butter! Swords are everywhere, used by everyone, and cut everything.

The thing is, however, in reality, swords were worthless. Unles your enemy was a peasant in their torn little pulovers, your enemy was impervious to your sword, unless you could stab like a GOD.

Given this... Why the obsession with swords? What's the historical background of it? Could it be that the nobles, who moved from warriors to bureaucrats, having lost their knowledge of warfare, idolised the fist thing they found worthy based on its price? Because swords were, on top of being useless, insanely expensive.