Arms & Armor – 13th Century Hungarian Sword

The Arms & Armor Hungarian Sword has a sharpened and tempered blade crafted from 6150 high carbon steel. The tang is fitted through a crossguard and pommel of steel and then robustly peened onto the pommel. The grip of the sword is a core of hardwood bound in tightly fitted leather.

This sword is reproduced from an example in the Hungarian National Museum and dated to 1200 – 1275. The sword immediately impresses with its size; with a long Type XIII blade and long crossguard, it was clearly a weapon meant for a professional warrior who knew how to get the most out of this long-bladed and powerful sword. Its length lends itself well to combat from horseback where it could be used both as a sweeping blade to strike a man on foot or even as used as a short lance to pierce the foe while on the charge. Its length also allows the bearer to strike opposing horsemen at a distance that may have been out of reach of a shorter arming sword. In skilled hands the could be used quite well in unmounted combat as well.

Though the blade is large, a good amount of distal taper and a long and deep weight-reducing fuller keep it wieldy and quite agile for a blade of its size. The wide blade, well-suited for cutting, brings great chopping and hacking force to bear with its wide profile and the great leverage afforded by such length. The long crossguard opens up a number of options for both defense and offense that are not suitable or ill-attempted for swords with shorter guards. This is the kind of feature that would have mattered to a professional armsman who knew how to use all the components of the sword in the fight, not just the blade. The brazil nut pommel is unobtrusive and does not easily interfere with the wrist. It also fits well-enough into the palm to allow a second-handed grip if desired.

Though the sword is associated with Hungary, some evidence suggests its origins could have been in Southern Germany. A sword such as this could have found its path eastward in the hands of one of the Teutonic Knights. It is unfortunate that the sword cannot speak, for it likely has quite a storied history; Hungary in the 13th century was a tumultuous place; against a backdrop of invasion, migration and civil war the likes of the Teutonic Knights, the Mongols, the Cumans and the people of the Kingdom of Hungary would cross swords in a century of upheaval.