The Gustav Vasa Rapier from Arms & Armor is an exceptional replica of the sword of a King. Gustav Vasa was king of Sweden from 1523 to 1560. He was an great leader and military commander.
An elegant example of the Norman Type 43 hilt done in steel with blackened and bright contrasting finish to mimic the black and gold finish of the original sword. The hilt with straight guard arms, an out turned main side ring, two forearms and a U-shaped fore ring is a simple and sturdy form of complex hilted sword. The back guard is a side ring supported by two back bars joined to the ring at the center and rooted at the end of the forearms.
Gustav Vasa Rapier by Arms & Armor
The arms of the guard and pommel are decorated with panels of foliage and geometric patterns. The ends of the arms terminate in lion heads and the outer center of the side rings are set with medusa heads. All of the decoration is very sculptural and bold.
This replica has a twisted steel wire bound grip with a lexan core for years of sturdy and stable durability. The blade is 6150 steel, tempered to 50-51 RC hardness. This gives authentic and durable blade life with good edge holding ability for long and consistent use.
Gustav Vasa Hilt
The blade of the original is probably of German manufacture, but the hilt may have been made in Sweden. Gustav Vasa invited German craftsmen to set up shop in 1551 to create an internal arms industry similar to Henry VIII of England’s creation of the Greenwich Armoury. We are lucky to have this sword today as it was nearly destroyed in a fire in the armouries and only saved when someone throw it out a window. It sustained some damage but has been restored and our replica gives you the chance to have a sword like this for your very own.
A video spotlight of our Gustav Vasa Rapier
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.