Edward III Sword by Arms & Armor
Apr 16, 2016 22:35:28 GMT
Post by Aikidoka on Apr 16, 2016 22:35:28 GMT
Edward III Sword by Arms & Armor
Historical overview
Edward III was king of England from 1327 until his death in 1377. His long reign of fifty years was the second longest in medieval England and saw vital developments in legislation and government—in particular the evolution of the English parliament—as well as the ravages of the Black Death. After a successful campaign in Scotland, he declared himself rightful heir to the French throne in 1337, but his claim was denied due to the Salic law. This started what would become known as the Hundred Years' War. Edward III enjoyed unprecedented popularity in his own lifetime, and even the troubles of his later reign were never blamed directly on the king himself. Edward's contemporary Jean Froissart wrote in his Chronicles that "His like had not been seen since the days of King Arthur".
The sword pictured below is thought to have belonged to England's great warrior-king Edward III. This association comes from a variety of factors: its blade and hilt are styles popular in the mid 14th century. More conclusive, though, are the engraved or chiseled badges of the Order of the Garter (a knightly order founded by Edward III) and a portcullis, a heraldic symbol with later associations to England's royal family. The pommel contains an enameled disc bearing the coat of arms of England quartered with those of France. Since no one save the royal family would carry the royal arms and since the arms do not include the heraldic labels of the princes (rather than the king), this sword can be firmly linked to Edward III, the first English monarch to quarter the arms of England and France during the dispute over France's throne.
This sword emerged from Spain in the late 19th century. It is said to have made its way into the hands of Louis Marcy. Marcy is now known as a maker and seller of fakes, dealing weapons and armor made to look old, or in some cases selling old pieces re-hilted and passed off as antique. Because of this association and perhaps because of the belief that it was simply "too good to be true," this exquisite sword was labeled as a fake by author Sir Guy Laking. This label persisted for most of the 20th century. Scientific tests performed late in the 20th century on the sword and its companion dagger have proven their true age. Appendix D of Ewart Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword contains a description of these tests, as well as a detailed explanation of Oakeshott's reasons for believing that this was indeed the battle sword of Edward III.
Description from the A&A website: "The blade is an excellent example of an Oakeshott Type XVIIIa. The etching on the blade depicts a very early example of the badge of the Order of the Garter and possibly the earliest use of the portcullis as a badge by an English Royal. Edward formed the Order of the Garter in 1348 and died in 1377 (thus the sword would fall into this period somewhere). This knightly order was the first and most prestigious of the royal sponsored orders. This magnificent sword is one of a very few that can be seriously attributed to its original owner, a King of England no less. Designed and constructed for battle, the grip and furniture bear the marks of extensive use."
Full Disclosure
I bought this sword with my own money. I have no connection to Arms & Armor.
Initial Impressions
I purchased this Edward III sword second hand from its original owner. The sword was made in February of 2007, a little more than nine years ago as of the writing of this review. That said, the sword was obviously well cared for since the blade is in excellent condition and the gilded bronze hilt is as spectacular as in photos of newly made swords.
Statistics
Blade Length: 33"
Grip Length: 6.25"
Overall Length: 41.5"
Guard Width: 8.75"
POB (Point of Balance): 3.5"
COP (Center of Percussion): 21"
Blade thickness at guard: 4.8mm
Blade thickness 1" from tip: 2.5mm
Blade width at guard: 2.5"
Weight: 3 lbs 10 oz
Components
The Blade
As mentioned above, the blade is a type XVIIIa. The blade is very broad and relatively thin, while still being fairly stiff.
The Hilt
The hilt is hand and a half in size. I can easily grip it with two hands, with the last two fingers of the lower hand on the large, flat pommel.
As mentioned above, the gilding on the hilt looks very nice and the hilt is still rock solid, even after 9 years. The previous owner said it had been handled occasionally and was displayed in his home the rest of the time.
Handling Characteristics
The sword weighs 3 lbs 10 oz, but feels fairly light in the hand and is easily wielded in one hand. The grip is wide and flat, which should aid in maintaining proper edge alignment.
Test Cutting
The first cutting session with this sword yielded some unexpected results. As mentioned above, the sword has a 33" blade and weighs 3 lbs 10 oz, but I was surprised to find that I much prefer to use it as a single hand sword. It is well balanced and very maneuverable. Also, when using a 2-hand grip, the large flat pommel tends to get in the way. I recall forum member shootermike making a similar observation regarding the large pommel on the Hanwei Albrecht II sword. I found the broad, thin type XVIIIa blade to be very effective at cutting tatami, but I also found it to be unforgiving of misaligned cuts.
One issue that I found during cutting is that one of the bronze bands that overlay the leather grip (the wide middle one) moved around a little during cutting (a couple of millimeters) . I'm not sure if it was originally glued in place or just tightly attached. It's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned, as it takes a fair amount of force to move it out of place, but I will contact Arms & Armor to get their advice on how to keep it from sliding out of place when cutting.
Conclusions
Pros:
- Beautiful gilded bronze hilt
- Well balanced sword
- Blade is very effective at cutting tatami
Cons:
- Large pommel gets in the way when cutting using 2-hand grip
- Bronze rings on grip can move during cutting
- Expensive, if bought new
Historical overview
Edward III was king of England from 1327 until his death in 1377. His long reign of fifty years was the second longest in medieval England and saw vital developments in legislation and government—in particular the evolution of the English parliament—as well as the ravages of the Black Death. After a successful campaign in Scotland, he declared himself rightful heir to the French throne in 1337, but his claim was denied due to the Salic law. This started what would become known as the Hundred Years' War. Edward III enjoyed unprecedented popularity in his own lifetime, and even the troubles of his later reign were never blamed directly on the king himself. Edward's contemporary Jean Froissart wrote in his Chronicles that "His like had not been seen since the days of King Arthur".
The sword pictured below is thought to have belonged to England's great warrior-king Edward III. This association comes from a variety of factors: its blade and hilt are styles popular in the mid 14th century. More conclusive, though, are the engraved or chiseled badges of the Order of the Garter (a knightly order founded by Edward III) and a portcullis, a heraldic symbol with later associations to England's royal family. The pommel contains an enameled disc bearing the coat of arms of England quartered with those of France. Since no one save the royal family would carry the royal arms and since the arms do not include the heraldic labels of the princes (rather than the king), this sword can be firmly linked to Edward III, the first English monarch to quarter the arms of England and France during the dispute over France's throne.
This sword emerged from Spain in the late 19th century. It is said to have made its way into the hands of Louis Marcy. Marcy is now known as a maker and seller of fakes, dealing weapons and armor made to look old, or in some cases selling old pieces re-hilted and passed off as antique. Because of this association and perhaps because of the belief that it was simply "too good to be true," this exquisite sword was labeled as a fake by author Sir Guy Laking. This label persisted for most of the 20th century. Scientific tests performed late in the 20th century on the sword and its companion dagger have proven their true age. Appendix D of Ewart Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword contains a description of these tests, as well as a detailed explanation of Oakeshott's reasons for believing that this was indeed the battle sword of Edward III.
Description from the A&A website: "The blade is an excellent example of an Oakeshott Type XVIIIa. The etching on the blade depicts a very early example of the badge of the Order of the Garter and possibly the earliest use of the portcullis as a badge by an English Royal. Edward formed the Order of the Garter in 1348 and died in 1377 (thus the sword would fall into this period somewhere). This knightly order was the first and most prestigious of the royal sponsored orders. This magnificent sword is one of a very few that can be seriously attributed to its original owner, a King of England no less. Designed and constructed for battle, the grip and furniture bear the marks of extensive use."
Full Disclosure
I bought this sword with my own money. I have no connection to Arms & Armor.
Initial Impressions
I purchased this Edward III sword second hand from its original owner. The sword was made in February of 2007, a little more than nine years ago as of the writing of this review. That said, the sword was obviously well cared for since the blade is in excellent condition and the gilded bronze hilt is as spectacular as in photos of newly made swords.
Statistics
Blade Length: 33"
Grip Length: 6.25"
Overall Length: 41.5"
Guard Width: 8.75"
POB (Point of Balance): 3.5"
COP (Center of Percussion): 21"
Blade thickness at guard: 4.8mm
Blade thickness 1" from tip: 2.5mm
Blade width at guard: 2.5"
Weight: 3 lbs 10 oz
Components
The Blade
As mentioned above, the blade is a type XVIIIa. The blade is very broad and relatively thin, while still being fairly stiff.
The Hilt
The hilt is hand and a half in size. I can easily grip it with two hands, with the last two fingers of the lower hand on the large, flat pommel.
As mentioned above, the gilding on the hilt looks very nice and the hilt is still rock solid, even after 9 years. The previous owner said it had been handled occasionally and was displayed in his home the rest of the time.
Handling Characteristics
The sword weighs 3 lbs 10 oz, but feels fairly light in the hand and is easily wielded in one hand. The grip is wide and flat, which should aid in maintaining proper edge alignment.
Test Cutting
The first cutting session with this sword yielded some unexpected results. As mentioned above, the sword has a 33" blade and weighs 3 lbs 10 oz, but I was surprised to find that I much prefer to use it as a single hand sword. It is well balanced and very maneuverable. Also, when using a 2-hand grip, the large flat pommel tends to get in the way. I recall forum member shootermike making a similar observation regarding the large pommel on the Hanwei Albrecht II sword. I found the broad, thin type XVIIIa blade to be very effective at cutting tatami, but I also found it to be unforgiving of misaligned cuts.
One issue that I found during cutting is that one of the bronze bands that overlay the leather grip (the wide middle one) moved around a little during cutting (a couple of millimeters) . I'm not sure if it was originally glued in place or just tightly attached. It's not a big deal as far as I'm concerned, as it takes a fair amount of force to move it out of place, but I will contact Arms & Armor to get their advice on how to keep it from sliding out of place when cutting.
Conclusions
Pros:
- Beautiful gilded bronze hilt
- Well balanced sword
- Blade is very effective at cutting tatami
Cons:
- Large pommel gets in the way when cutting using 2-hand grip
- Bronze rings on grip can move during cutting
- Expensive, if bought new
