Wallachian Swords of the 15th Century: What Types?

[Teisani]

Depictions of Wallachian Voivodes in church frescos often lack weapons. These of Mircea I "the Elder" and his son Mihail are exceptions to the rule. We see them wearing daggers, not to their sides, but more like a bollock dagger.
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mircea_cel_Bătrân

[Teisani]

Zotu Tzigara / Ζώτος Τζιγαράς (died in 1599, Venice)
A greek from Ioannina, became spatar of Moldova, and son-in-law to Moldovan prince, Peter the Lame. Picture is an engraving from 1637 by. And a 1630 engraving by Antonio Bosio in a universal history written by Dorotei de Monembasia (manuscript kept by Zotu) and published by Apostol Tzigara (his brother).

Secolul al XVI-lea.
Cele mai vechi date despre strămoşii pe linie paternă, Tz.-S. le-a găsit în „sipetul cel îmblănit în piele de căprioară şi frumos ferecat”, păstrat cu sfinţenie de tatăl său, alături de portretul şi sigiliul lui Zotu şi Cronica editată de Apostol.
Spătarul Zotu (Zota),de origine albaneză, avea porecla
Tzigara. La 37 de ani era mare spătar în Moldova, căsătorit
cu fiica voievodului Petru Schiopul. Avea doi fraţi: Apostol
şi Panoson. Spre sfârşitul vieţii este silit să emigreze şi
moare la Veneţia, la 12 aprilie 1599.
„Din mândrul portret al Spătarului Zotu - scrie Tz.-S. -
ţinând în dreapta spada rangului său, iar în stânga
pumnalul prins în cingătoare, am împrumutat stema lui, o
mână ţinând o spadă, - pe care am adaos-o în inima
armoariilor Samurcăşeşti, cu sprânceana şi samurul, de la
care se trage numele. Această stemă combinată alcătuieşte
ex-libris-ul meu şi e gravată pe placa de marmură de pe
locul veşnicei noastre odihne”. (Memorii, 1, p.21)
Apostol Tzigara tipăreşte pe la 1630 o istorie universală în
limba greacă, scrisă de mitropolitul Dorotei de Monembasia
şi al cărei manuscris fusese păstrat de Zotu. Apostol publică
în lucrare şi portretul lui Zotu, în jurul căruia apare scris în
limba greacă: „Icoana luminatului domn Zota Tzigara, din
Ianina, marele spătar şi ginerele serenisimului principe a
toată Moldovlachia, domnului Petru-Voievod”. Gravura îi
aparţine lui Antonio Bosio.

Typical looking boot-hilt sabre at his side. A better version can be found in the last link.
https://el.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ζώτο...s_Tzigaras.JPG
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...svEq9XQPccq17S
https://sites.google.com/a/bcub.ro/b...iobibliografie

[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?

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by urbanspaceman

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

I have no idea what the author meant by "spirt de râmă" but look at it this way, if it doesn't work, you'll have something to drown your sorrow with.

[urbanspaceman]

Noroc!

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by urbanspaceman

Noroc!

Sănătate!

[Reventlov]

The most recent issue of the magazine Medieval World: Culture & Conflict (formerly Medieval Warfare) includes a short piece by Adrian Gheorghe on the 15th century Wallachian military, entitled "Dracula's Men: The Equipment and Tactics of Wallachian Soldiers."

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by Reventlov

The most recent issue of the magazine Medieval World: Culture & Conflict (formerly Medieval Warfare) includes a short piece by Adrian Gheorghe on the 15th century Wallachian military, entitled "Dracula's Men: The Equipment and Tactics of Wallachian Soldiers."

Thanks for the heads-up! Adrian Gheorghe is one of the members of Corpus Draculianum. For anyone interested, here he talks about Vlad Țepeș and his Wallachian army.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4GrGPJo41dc
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1HW0SqTTKyo

[Teisani]

Frescoes from the former schit at Stăneşti-Lunca, com. Lungeşti, jud. Vâlcea, Wallachia. Construction and frescoes finished on October 28th 1536. Unfortunately, they are terribly degraded. We also find a portret of Stroe Buzescu (story here) and his wife, Sima. Source: http://www.medieval.istoria-artei.ro...c-programs.php

[Teisani]

Frescoes from Moldova's painted churches: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/C...ite?uselang=ro

A few from Probota Monastery, church Sf. Nicolae, finished in 16 Oct 1530. Some banana-hilt sabres (Ottoman hilts).

[fernando]

Looks like a music band video .

[Teisani]

Originally Posted by fernando

Looks like a music band video .

Ooops!

[Teisani]

For a while now, I have been wondering if the sword at Michael the Brave's side in this depiction is just artistic licence or possibly one of the multiple swords, a man of his status, likely would have owned.

Source: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki...ump-to-license
Mihai Viteazul at Nicopole. Engraving by Ioan Orlandi from Rome. Year 1598.


Judging by the creature's-head pommel (likely a lion?), it could be one of these North Italian / South German / Swiss / Austrian sabres that tipically have a lion's head pommel. The spiral shaping on the grip is another nice detail which is found on swords from this period/region and later (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...98&postcount=3). The one thing that doesn't match is the simple cross-guard. Usually these sabres have complex hilts. The simplest one that I could find are these two examples with S-guard. I do not know much about this type of sword, almost nothing really. Could anyone offer some of their expertise on this subject? Do you know if there are any examples with simple cross-guards?

Addendum.
Why would a Wallachian Voivode be depicted with such a sword? It could be his association with Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor. If the depiction is true and not pure fantasy, it might have been a gift from Rudolf to Michael. Who knows?

https://www.christies.com/lot/an-ita...=5699103&lid=1

[Teisani]

A nice collection of pictures from 15th-16th century Moldovan painted churches can be seen here. A good source for period depictions of men at arms and their equipment.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/prof_r.../albums/page10