Today we examine an interesting custom piece modeled on the sideswords of the mid-16th century. Rather than a swept hilt, this sword features two curving posts on the outer guard and a triple-barred inner guard. Weighing just over 2.5 pounds this sword is capable in the cut and the thrust.
A sword from a similar period and with some shared design features, such as the use of posts for the outer guard, is our Serenissima Rapier, pictured above. Check out all of our production rapiers here, and some of our custom projects here.
As always, our swords are entirely made by us at our shop in Minneapolis, MN out of 6150 carbon steel, hardened and tempered to 50-52 Rockwell. Our swords and other weapons are made to look, feel, and function just like the historical originals on which they are based.
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985