Edged arms in Varazdin castle

[urbanspaceman]

Thank-you... fascinating.

[Victrix]

Intererestingly the Google translation reads: “Crusader sword. Made of forged iron in 14thC. The blade is sharp with damasked gold cross. It was found near the river Bedjna at Pusta Bela fortress.” Turns out Pusta Bela fortress, 16km South of Varazdin, was built by the Knight Hospitallers and the nearby town is named after them to this day. Legend has it that King Richard Lionheart stayed here on his way back from the Holy Land. It’s known that King Richard financed the construction of the cathedral in Ragusa (Dubrovnik) after surviving a shipwreck there so it’s not too farfetched.

[Reventlov]

Originally Posted by Victrix

Intererestingly the Google translation reads: “Crusader sword. Made of forged iron in 14thC. The blade is sharp with damasked gold cross. It was found near the river Bedjna at Pusta Bela fortress.” Turns out Pusta Bela fortress, 16km South of Varazdin, was built by the Knight Hospitallers and the nearby town is named after them to this day. Legend has it that King Richard Lionheart stayed here on his way back from the Holy Land. It’s known that King Richard financed the construction of the cathedral in Ragusa (Dubrovnik) after surviving a shipwreck there so it’s not too farfetched.

If the Hospitallers were present until 1405, then the apparent dating (late 14th) of the sword allows for it to belonged to one of them, though being found nearby does not guarantee this.

I wonder if the label "crusader sword" at least partly stems from the "gold cross" on the blade - I think you can often find the term used casually in such cases. I suspect the marking is the same as the one which I take to be the shape of a sword or dagger. From what I can see, the proportions better match examples of the latter than actual cross markings, which are common and need not all be associated with crusaders.

[Victrix]

Originally Posted by Reventlov

If the Hospitallers were present until 1405, then the apparent dating (late 14th) of the sword allows for it to belonged to one of them, though being found nearby does not guarantee this.

I wonder if the label "crusader sword" at least partly stems from the "gold cross" on the blade - I think you can often find the term used casually in such cases. I suspect the marking is the same as the one which I take to be the shape of a sword or dagger. From what I can see, the proportions better match examples of the latter than actual cross markings, which are common and need not all be associated with crusaders.

My translation might be a bit dodgy. Not sure there were special swords as standard issue to crusaders. I think the museum description meant more a sword likely to have been used by crusaders. Which is fair given that it was found in their organised centre. The Knight Hospitallers often came from the high nobility and can be expected to have been armed with high quality arms. Or as you say the sword might have belonged to a secular visitor to their centre. Who really knows.

[serdar]

Originally Posted by Victrix

My translation might be a bit dodgy. Not sure there were special swords as standard issue to crusaders. I think the museum description meant more a sword likely to have been used by crusaders. Which is fair given that it was found in their organised centre. The Knight Hospitallers often came from the high nobility and can be expected to have been armed with high quality arms. Or as you say the sword might have belonged to a secular visitor to their centre. Who really knows.

You translated it right, museum indeed did write exactly Crusader sword.
As it belonged to crusaders.
Museums as far as Croatia is in picture, made a bunch of mistakes, and wrong atributions, or exact atributions that cant be proven in any way.

In Zagreb two history museum ex curators wrote books on yatagans and they write a bunch of noncenses and wrong stuf about production of them.

In Split museum they claim and they are proud that they have two “oldest” yatagans from 15 and 16 century and they claim that in their books, exhibitions atc. And those yatagans are Albanian made (Prizren) low quality silver, early 20 century yatagans with false year engraved, meant to scam collectors of antique weapons in those days.

Today curator of history museum doesent make diference between butter knife and kard.

And the list goes on.
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