Late medieval swords from Southeastern Europe

Reventlov · 28th February 2023, 10:24 PM

Inspired by this thread on Wallachian swords, I'd like to expand the discussion to Southeastern Europe as a whole, and cover the interesting and distinctive features of 15th- and early 16th-century swords from this region. The most comprehensive resource for this topic is Marko Aleksic's excellent book, Mediaeval Swords from Southeastern Europe, which he has made available in full on Academia.edu.

At the time, the dominant Christian power in this region was the kingdom of Hungary, and the distribution of knightly swords with unusual "Eastern" features roughly corresponds with the Hungarian sphere of influence, particularly to the south and east. Some interesting examples can also be found from the kingdom's northern and western periphery, including Poland, Bohemia, Austria, and modern Ukraine. There are also important connections with Italy, stemming in particular from the colonial and mercantile activities of Venice, and exemplified by the well-known spada schiavonescas ("Slavic swords") associated with Balkan soldiers in Venetian service.

For reference are the approximate territorial divisions in 1444, on the eve of the Ottoman victory in the Battle of Varna.

- Mark

28th February 2023, 10:24 PM	#1
Reventlov Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 132	Late medieval swords from Southeastern Europe Inspired by this thread on Wallachian swords, I'd like to expand the discussion to Southeastern Europe as a whole, and cover the interesting and distinctive features of 15th- and early 16th-century swords from this region. The most comprehensive resource for this topic is Marko Aleksic's excellent book, Mediaeval Swords from Southeastern Europe, which he has made available in full on Academia.edu. At the time, the dominant Christian power in this region was the kingdom of Hungary, and the distribution of knightly swords with unusual "Eastern" features roughly corresponds with the Hungarian sphere of influence, particularly to the south and east. Some interesting examples can also be found from the kingdom's northern and western periphery, including Poland, Bohemia, Austria, and modern Ukraine. There are also important connections with Italy, stemming in particular from the colonial and mercantile activities of Venice, and exemplified by the well-known spada schiavonescas ("Slavic swords") associated with Balkan soldiers in Venetian service. For reference are the approximate territorial divisions in 1444, on the eve of the Ottoman victory in the Battle of Varna. - Mark Attached Images