Posts: 1,903 Location: Toronto
Fri 10 Jan, 2014 6:51 pm
The current authority on this type of sword is Marko Aleksić.
See this article:
http://www.academia.edu/487202/Swords_with_Pommels_of_Type_N
And his full length book 'Medieval Swords from SouthEastern Europe'.
In
Oakeshott's terminology, this would be a sword with type N pommel (almost transitioning to O) and type 1 cross, although the blade does not fall neatly into his system - could be XIa, or Xa transitioning to XII, but the tang is longer than typical for any of those types. (Note that Oakeshott's system was based mainly on his knowledge of Western European swords; many Eastern European swords seem to deviate from his sytem in one way or another - see Aleksić's book which includes a number of such examples as well as an extended version of Oakeshott's system to account for some of these variations)
Based on Aleksić's work I'd generally agree with what Luka said about this particular sword but would put the date later.
There are several variants of type N pommels. Some swords with N variants have been dated as early as 1100, but in some cases that was likely based on outdated information (as in Oakeshott's Xa example in Records of the Medieval Sword, which is more likely mid 13th century) or in other cases the pommel may have been a replacement. For example a sword in Zurich, which was likely original built around 1100 but its pommel (which is of a different material) may have been a replacement from a a century or more later.
Aleksić says that swords like the one shown above (hand & half hilt and long type 1 cross) are often dated to early 13th century, but firm dating for such pommel types is scarce and tends to point out later dates, including a Transylvanian excavation (about 1240), one of the sculptures in Naumburg Cathedral (about 1255), and numerous sculptures at Frieburg (late 13th century). The more upwardly curved varieties tend to come in the second half of the 13th century ending in early 14th century (based on one find of an XVI sword with an O pommel).
So for this sword, I'd venture 1250-1275, assuming all the components are original.
- JD