Interesting link

Jim McDougall · 8th July 2008, 05:42 AM

Turned out even tougher than I thought! This sword is indeed in pretty remarkable condition, and as indicated in the article, an unusual hilt design for early 16th century Sweden. We know that Sweden relied heavily on imports for quality weapons, until King Gustav I began a production center at Arboga (west of Stockholm) bringing in German smiths.

The hilt on this excavated sword is stated to be similar to 'rikssvarden' (swords of the realm) commissioned by King Gustav I as ceremonial weapons. It seems that the sword, if dating early 16th century as suggested by the Royal Armoury, and of high quality steel as proposed as explanation for the remarkable condition, must have been commissioned to Germany. The crab claw hilt is most interesting as it represents the pas d'ane in the early stages of the development of hilt systems as fencing techniques began to change.

I really enjoyed the medieval swords in Finland thread, so this one is great to continue, and enjoyed some of the discussion on the condition of excavated swords as related to varying conditions of the deposit environment.

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8th July 2008, 05:42 AM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,200	Turned out even tougher than I thought! This sword is indeed in pretty remarkable condition, and as indicated in the article, an unusual hilt design for early 16th century Sweden. We know that Sweden relied heavily on imports for quality weapons, until King Gustav I began a production center at Arboga (west of Stockholm) bringing in German smiths. The hilt on this excavated sword is stated to be similar to 'rikssvarden' (swords of the realm) commissioned by King Gustav I as ceremonial weapons. It seems that the sword, if dating early 16th century as suggested by the Royal Armoury, and of high quality steel as proposed as explanation for the remarkable condition, must have been commissioned to Germany. The crab claw hilt is most interesting as it represents the pas d'ane in the early stages of the development of hilt systems as fencing techniques began to change. I really enjoyed the medieval swords in Finland thread, so this one is great to continue, and enjoyed some of the discussion on the condition of excavated swords as related to varying conditions of the deposit environment.