Wallachian Swords of the 15th Century: What Types?

[Teisani]

As can be seen from the "Eques walachus" by Abraham de Bruyn 1576, and from the Wallachians in "Vera designatio Urbis in Littavia Grodnae" from Nuremberg 1568, the coat of arms associated with Wallachians (in the German lands at least) is the "lion rampant". See here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...1&postcount=65

This is odd since Wallachia's coat of arms was the bird/eagle with a cross and usually flanked by the sun and crescent moon. You can see here the wax sigil by Voivode Mircea the Elder from 1390 (left) and the Wallachian coat of arms on a bronze cannon made locally during Voivode Petru Cercel reign 1583-85 (right).

This CoA was used right until Wallachia's unification with Moldova in 1859.

So why are these mid 16th century German depictions using the "lion rampant" CoA?

Well the answer may be in Ulrich von Richental's "Concilium zu Konstanz" Augsburg 1483. In it, we see 3 Wallachian cases as having a "lion rampant" CoA. It says "Der durchluchtig fürst hertzog dispott inder meren walachy des bottschafft kam mitt dem thobermur" (Ulrich Richental fol 135b)



Actually, we see this association a few more times: Conrad Grüneberg 1483; Virgil Solis 1555; Martin Schrot 1581.


There is also this seal atributed to Petru Cercel (that's news to me, gotta look more into that).



Coat of Arms of "Der Dobermur her[zog] in der Hinder Walachye", Chonick, cca. 1475 from Vienna, Austria.



Another Coat of Arms of "Thebemur aus der walachei" from Ulrich von Richental's Chronicle of the Council of Constance

Sources:
https://tiparituriromanesti.wordpres...nstanz-sec-xv/
http://www.hubert-herald.nl/HellasGreatValachia.htm
https://ro.pinterest.com/alin_alexan...nian-heraldry/

[Teisani]

So where does this "lion rampant" come from? Well according to "Basarabii Valahiei, studiu heraldic si genealogic" 2016 by Tiberiu Frăţilă-Felmer pages 47-48, a personal seal of Mircea the Elder had a lion rampant. It was used on an alliance treaty with Polish-Lithuanian king Władysław II Jagiełło from 1411. The theory is that this seal was given to Mircea by his suzeran, king of Hungary, Sigismund of Luxembourg, possibly before the Nicopolis Campaign. This is quite likely considering that the House of Luxembourg includes the red lion rampant.

Mircea the Elder's personal seal, unfortunately very faint



Portret of Sigismund (almost 100 years after his death) by Albrecht Dürer in 1512. You can see the lion rampant CoA.

[Teisani]

For anyone interested in Vlad Țepeș topics, a new YouTube channel just appeared. Corpus Draculianum English.
https://m.youtube.com/@corpusdraculianum.english

[Teisani]

A few more close-ups of Dobromir's frescos from before 1526 in Argeş, Wallachia.
First is Sf. Artemie, fashionable as always, his symmetric cross-guard sports finger-ring to protect while placing his index finger over the guard. And of course...triple fullers.



Second, we have Sf. Mercurie, who looks sad, probably because his fingers are gonna get chopped off. Or because his octagonal pommel looks like it was beaten with an ugly stick.

[Teisani]

Warrior saints and others, from Dobrovăț monastery, Iaşi county, Moldova, painted in 1529. Not very well preserved unfortunately.
http://comoaraculturalaaromaniei.blo...rovat.html?m=1

[Teisani]

Moldovan heat treatment for ultra high-quality steel! Wow! Better than wootz!
Recipe from a Moldovan text by Manuil Drăghici, "Iconomia rurală și domesnică" printed at Iași, 1837.

"O căleală pentru cuțite sau pentru sabie, ca să tae fier.

Să ei spirt de râmă de pământ și pe atâta zamă de hrean pisat din el curs, să încălzești sabiia sau cuțitul în foc, și să călești în spirtul acela de patru sau cinci ori."

"A quenching for knives or for sabres, so that they cut iron.

Take earthworm spirit and as much juice drained from crushed horseradish, heat-up the sabre or knife in a fire and quench in that spirit, four or five times."

https://tiparituriromanesti.wordpres...ica-iasi-1837/

[Teisani]

Cozia Monastery - Bolnița Mănăstirii Cozia in Wallachia, Valcea county, 1542-43.

[urbanspaceman]

Originally Posted by Teisani

Moldovan heat treatment for ultra high-quality steel! Wow! Better than wootz!
Recipe from a Moldovan text by Manuil Drăghici, "Iconomia rurală și domesnică" printed at Iași, 1837.

"O căleală pentru cuțite sau pentru sabie, ca să tae fier.

Să ei spirt de râmă de pământ și pe atâta zamă de hrean pisat din el curs, să încălzești sabiia sau cuțitul în foc, și să călești în spirtul acela de patru sau cinci ori."

"A quenching for knives or for sabres, so that they cut iron.

Take earthworm spirit and as much juice drained from crushed horseradish, heat-up the sabre or knife in a fire and quench in that spirit, four or five times."

https://tiparituriromanesti.wordpres...ica-iasi-1837/

EARTHWORM SPIRIT ??? Am I missing something here? Found the horseradish at local supermarket but nobody stocks earthworm spirit. Is mescal a good alternative?