I'm curious as to what swords were in use during the Saxon Wars. Were the Petersen type K's already in use among the Franks? What about for the Continental Saxons? Or for that matter, what were the Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons (in England) using during this time?

I am assuming that the Scandinavians were using Petersen type A's. But I'd like to know what the Continental Saxons, English Anglo-Saxons, and the Franks were using during this time, say from around the 750's to the 800's.

This is a time period that I'm not very familiar with. I know a bit about earlier Migration Period stuff, and about later Viking Age stuff, but this early Viking Age/Transitional time period is relatively new for me. I like it! :lol:

Well, it's not one of my periods of interest per se, but the continental Saxons would have used more long seaxes then double edged swords.
The swords they used were mostly of frankish origin, though. The frankish swords have usually hiltstyles corresponding to Pettersen Types A, B C, D, E, H, G subtype 2. But I'm no expert in his types.

Generally, more three lobed or halfround pommels then pyramidical ones and mostly two part construction of the pommel.

The problem with this period is that due to the Christianisation of most of the peoples you mentioned, the most important archeological source for weapons, burials with gravegoods, ceases to exist.

This is precisely the area that I'm interested in and i have had the same difficulty as you in finding what kind of swords would be used in this period. However this http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=14152 discussion has some overlap with the time period you mentioned with really great charts

Just thought I'd put these up here. Some Osprey depictions of Carolingians:

http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/sdffdgergrdjjk.jpg
http://images.pricerunner.com/product/image/8...rms%29.jpg
http://mirageswar.com/uploads/posts/1209299956_w961.gif

Three swords, one from Norway and two from England, can give a rough idea on how swords were around this time.

The Steinsvik Sword is covered in Swords of the Viking Age, by I. Peirce, in pages 32, 33 and Plate IV.

A good pic of this sword can be found here: http://www.khm.uio.no/tjenester/foto/presse/
More here, page 3, photos 22 to 28: http://www.vikverir.no/ressurser/hist_mus_osl...amp;page=3


And these two from England:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highligh...ommel.aspx
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highligh...ommel.aspx

Patrick Barta has made an awesome replica of the last one: http://www.templ.net/english/weapons-antiquit...axon_sword

These pics are from Mr. Zuiderwijk's files. I have my doubts about the third one, the River Seine one, as it looks like a Petersen L to me. Not sure anyway.

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I'm not sure how does an actual Saxon sword look like but here is a reproduction made at Dragon's Breath Forge
[ Linked Image ]

This is a pretty sword, but the design is more or less fantasy, definitely not 8th century northern europe.