Monday, November 10, 2014

Famous Medieval Swords

From Medievalists:
[Joyeuse] is the traditional sword of Charlemagne and by the 13th century was used as the official sword for the coronation of the Kings of France. The Song of Roland describes how by Charlemagne's "side hung Joyeuse, and never was there a sword to match it; its colour changed thirty times a day." The sword now can be see in The Louvre, and scientific tests show that its part date from different times: the pommel to the 10th to 11th centuries, the crossguard to the 12th and the grip to the 13th century. However the blade itself dates from either the 9th or 10th century, so that part could be the same one used by the Carolingian emperor.
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