Arms & Armor Black Prince
Original: Circa 1370, private collection
The Black Prince is a representation of the sword described by Oakeshott in
Records of the Medieval Sword (XVa.6). This has been identified as likely being the sword that was originally hung over the tomb of Edward, Prince of Wales,
"The Black Prince", in Canterbury Cathedral. This recreation is a faithful reproduction of that sword. The pommel is an
Oakeshott Type I, and the cross a Style 8, both of steel. The blade is a
Type XVa, a hand-and-a-half variant of the shorter single-handed Type XV, and is noted for having an acute profile taper.
This sword is intended for primarily thrusting, though it retains some cutting ability, and was developed as plate armour became prevalent on the battlefield.
One side of the pommel has four hearts arranged in a clover-leaf pattern, and the other side is empty. I have placed a replica coin of
Edward III (the Black Prince's father) in the empty recess.
See our
hands-on review for more information on this sword.
Overall length: 43.75"
Weight: 3.6 pounds
Width of guard: 9.5"
Blade: 34" long; 2" wide tapering to .5"
Grip and pommel: 9"
Point of Balance (PoB): 2" from guard
Center of Percussion (CoP): ~19.75" from guard
Maker:
Arms & Armor of Minnesota.
Inspired by an original sword that most probably hung above the tomb of Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince, in Caterbury Cathedral.
Inspired by an original sword that most probably hung above the tomb of Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince, in Caterbury Cathedral.
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