Medieval Shrewsbury Sword, 15th C.

Medieval Shrewsbury Sword, 15th C.

On the 21st of July 1403, the Battle of Shrewsbury (Shropshire, England) saw the victory of Henry IV of England over an army led by his former supporter, Sir Henry Harry Hotspur Percy of Northumberland (made forever famous by Shakespeare in his 1598 history play Henry IV Part I). Percy, who had turned against the king and allied himself with Owain Glyndwr, the rebel leader of the Welsh Revolt of 1400-1415 (also known as Glyndwr Rising), was killed during the fray, leading his army to disperse and the rebellion to fall apart.

The double-edged blade is forged out of hardened and tempered EN45 spring steel. It has a diamond cross-section, gently tapers towards the pointed tip and is fullered on both sides. The broad central fuller ends about halfway down the blade. The edges are not sharpened and the blade's full tang is riveted to the pommel.

The hilt is composed of wooden core grip wrapped in brown leather, a faceted, hexagonal scent-stopper pommel made of steel and a flattened steel cross guard. The guard's quillons have flared terminals, each decorated with a cross-shaped cut-out. The pierced guard is about 23cm long and 0.5cm thick.

This late medieval hand-and-a-half sword comes complete with a brown wood-and-leather scabbard with steel throat and chape.

Please note that this sword is not a battle ready weapon. It is designed as a collector's or decoration/display piece and is not suited for combat reenactment. Besides its quality as a collectible, it is also perfectly suited as a prop, e.g. to complete your costume.

The same sword is also available as a practical blunt, fighting version with thicker edges and rounded tip (Product No. 0116332806).

Specifications:

• Material: EN45 spring steel (high carbon steel, not stainless), steel guard and pommel, leather- wrapped wooden handle
• Overall length: approx. 116cm
• Blade length: approx. 89cm
• Hilt length: approx. 24cm (grip approx. 19cm)
• Max. blade width: approx. 5.5cm
• Point of balance: approx. 16cm from the guard
• Incl. wooden scabbard with genuine leather cover and steel fittings
• Weight without scabbard: approx. 1.6 kg
• Weight with scabbard: approx. 2.1 kg

Specs may slightly vary from piece to piece.

The steel used here is not rust-proof and might show slight surface tarnishing in places. We recommend you to maintain the blade and the scabbard on a regular basis, for example using Ballistol Universal Oil, which is ideally suited for steel care.