$21.14
$25.58
English Medieval Crusader Knights Longsword 12th to 13th century This Medieval Crusader Knights Longsword 12th to 13th century. Its likely that the sword was in use over the reign of the following English Kings. End of the reign of Richard I of England 8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England#Heraldry John, King of England (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_England Henry III of England (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_III_of_England Edward I of England (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England Coming from a pivotal point of Medieval History this sword was known as ‘Great sword’, or ‘War Sword’ (long sword or bastard sword). These longswords by far are some of the most interesting and wonderful examples of Medieval warfare. The sword bearing the coat of arms of England, Three lions which were the arms on the second Great Seal of Richard I, used by his successors until 1340. The sword was discovered in a unknow section of the Danube river, the real mystery is how this English sword ended up there in the first place. Once can speculate but the likely hood is that it was a English noble knight attending to state business as a emissary attend court for diplomatic relations. The second option is that this sword was used in one of the many Eastern European crusades. Irrespective when analysing the overall design of the sword it points to an early type sword which is a good indicator of age. One cannot ignore the fact that this type of sword has many variations which evolved over the centuries. The main component here is the swords simplicity, this supported by similar period sword sharing the same quillon design and it’s longer pommel type. The later sword from the late 13th to 14th century differ greatly in the overall form, predominantly having rounded and pronounced pommels. This coupled with the evolution of the guard having not just straight but curved quillons which became more intricate. The general shape of the blades of that period where also broader. This Longsword falls into the Oakeshott Type XIIIa. Extracts from Medieval Sword by Ewart Oakeshott: “Characteristic of this type (whose sub-type contains the majority of surviving examples) is a blade whose edges run very nearly parallel to a rounded point, and whose tang is noticeably longer than the usual 3″-4″ (8.2cms or 11.1cms) of single-hand sword of the preceding types. The sub-type, XIIIa, is the ‘Grete War Sword’ par excellence with its very large blade 32″-40″ (81.cms or 11.cms) average length and long grip, of between 6″ and 10″ (15cms and 25.5cms). Pommel forms on survivors vary, though the ‘wheel’ shape of pommel-types I to K predominate. Crosses both on surviving examples and shown in art are nearly always straight, generally of Style 2. The are often mentioned in inventory, poem and chronicle as ‘Swerdes of Werre’, ‘Grans Espees d’Allemagne’, ‘Schlachtschwerte’, ‘Grete Swords’, Espees de Guerre’. ‘Grete War Swords’ and son on, always indicating large size and specific purpose. German tomb effigies of the 14th century; they are found nearly as often upon Spanish effigies of the same period, and occasionally on English ones. There are so few French knight tomb effigies left since the destructive efforts of the Revolutionaries of 1789 that it is not possible to quote a single French example. The very fact, I believe, that the French in the 13th and 14th centuries always referred to them as ‘big German swords’ is proof enough that Germany was their area of origin and greatest use. Those shown in art are generally dateable between say c.1250 and 1370; the German and Spanish effigies between 1320-1370. There is, however, archaeological evidence to suggest very strongly that these big, hand-and-a-half gripped swords were not uncommon as early as the 12th century. (See Appendix B). The XIIIa’s vary greatly in size, some being true two-hand swords. A prime example of such an outsize one is the sword of Edward III in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, which has been there since the Order of the Garter – or at least, St George’s Chapel – was founded in the mid-14th century. This sword is overall more than six feet long, yet its proportions are such that it must be classified as an XIIIa. By contrast, a more modest one is shown here at XIIIa.2 though it is still a very big sword. I know of a few good examples of Type XIII, all shown here, One of the best (XIII.1) used to be in the Harold Peterson Collection in Virginia; a second is in the Royal Armouries (shown here in Multiple Miscellaneous 1 below) a third in the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, and a fourth, a very big sword with an enormously broad blade, which I saw, and drew at Sotheby’s in the days of my youth, in 1935. There is a fifth in a private collection in Italy. These are shown below. Sub-type XIIIb has been isolated, though its variation from Type XIII itself is so slight that much isolation seems to be splitting hairs; but I have made it so, therefore I am committed to allowing it to stand. The only real difference from Type XIII is that the grip is shorter; the form of the blade remains the same.” Description: The swords overall condition is excellent for its age. The hilt is a crucifix form with rounded quillons small quillon block, an elongated tang and coffin shaped pommel. The guard itself is loose due to the missing handle, this allows the guard to traverse up the tang. The pommel inlaid with the coat of arms of England, the copper insert clearly displays the three lions. The blade is a long and strong blade having a slight cant in the tip section and is in superb shape, The edge showing the wear of time and combat, when grasping the sword its light weight and ease of movement instill the robustness and maneuverability of this longsword. The blade is also marked with the smiths stamp which is inlaid with gold. Whoever the crafted this sword was truly a master, the composition of the iron is superb allowing it to survive till today. Truly a rarely seen sword of Museum quality! Specifications: Overall Sword 125 CM Blade 96.5 CM Enquire now
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