Wallachian Swords of the 15th Century: What Types?

[Evgeny_K]

Originally Posted by Teisani

The sabres depicted match this type in my opinion http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...1&postcount=10.

Very interesting, thank you!

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by Evgeny_K

Very interesting, thank you!

You're welcome. By the way, do you have any additional info for this sabre? Maybe some additional photos to share? It's a really nice specimen.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...2&postcount=15

[Evgeny_K]

Originally Posted by Teisani

You're welcome. By the way, do you have any additional info for this sabre? Maybe some additional photos to share? It's a really nice specimen.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...2&postcount=15

I can make some shots in a couple of days.
And if you're inetested here are some additional pics of the previous sword (after it was cleaned):
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25450

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by Evgeny_K

...here are some additional pics of the previous sword (after it was cleaned)...

Thank you Evgeny, it's an interesting specimen, to say the least. I don't know much about these two-handed sabres, but I do have a couple of observations:

- the square-ish pommel and cross-guard are fairly similar to ones found on swords uncovered in the Carpatian basin and to the East of it (Moldova). As you mentioned this sabre was found near Moldova (see here http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...7&postcount=70).
- The sabres in the Chronicon Pictum are mostly depicted in the hands of magyars (conquest period) and cumans, so mostly E-Europe steppe nomads.
Remember that Moldova (pre-Mongol) invasion was politically part of Cumania. And the medieval state of Moldova started out in 1343 as a defence borderland (Marcă de graniţă/Grenzemark /Határőrgrófság) for the Kingdom of Hungary against the Tatars. The same Kingdom of Hungary depicted in the Chronicon Pictum, probaly done in the ~1370s (see Ariel's explanation here http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...6&postcount=94).
- The blade shape is interesting, the single fuller, the yelman, it could be considered just a variation on 15th century S-guard two-handed, Hungarian sabres. But I would argue that this could be a transitional form from the steppe sabre to the 14th century sabre. The single fuller isn't unheard of by that time, see the example here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...16-12-29_p.jpg)

So one hypothesis is that it could be a 1300s-1400s sabre from Hungary/Transylvania/Moldova asociated with the Cumans in these regions.

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by Teisani

- The blade shape is interesting, the single fuller, the yelman, it could be considered just a variation on 15th century S-guard two-handed, Hungarian sabres. But I would argue that this could be a transitional form from the steppe sabre to the 14th century sabre. The single fuller isn't unheard of by that time, see the example here:

Ah yes, and here's a steppe nomad sabre with a single wide fuller and a yelman. So we can say that these features existed by that time.

[Evgeny_K]

Dear Teisani, thank you for very interesting hypothesis. So you think this sword is earlier than 15th century S-guard Hungarian sabres?

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by Evgeny_K

Dear Teisani, thank you for very interesting hypothesis. So you think this sword is earlier than 15th century S-guard Hungarian sabres?

My guess is that it could be from the mid 1300s to the mid 1400s, an archaic form of the more familiar S-quillon sabres. But this is just a guess based solely on my above stated arguments. Do you have any idea if it was found north or south of Moldova?

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By the way, do you know where this one was found? http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...2&postcount=15

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by Evgeny_K

...So you think this sword is earlier than 15th century S-guard Hungarian sabres?

I just noticed that almost all the swords and sabres depicted in the Chronicon Pictum have long handles, which makes me wonder just how accurate are these representations. Surely not all swords of that period where two-handed.