His loss of an eye in a joust, which would have ended the careers of most, but he had doctors remove the bridge of his nose to improve his field of vision, both for military needs and to help guard against assassination. Check out his portrait below. This was a man who understood what was required in a sword.
His renown was so great that not only was he awarded many titles and military honors in Italy, but he was also inducted into the Order of the Garter by Edward the IV of England. He also left an artistic and architectural legacy. He had two studies designed and built for his use, made with intarsia or inlaid wood, an artistic form of decoration for objects and furniture that was then at its apogee. Check out the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio, now in the Met it is one of our favorite spots ever. In all, he was the epitome of a renaissance gentleman. This sword is no less notable than its namesake.
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.