St Martin's Sword is our newest addition to our line of medieval swords. It is based on an illustration of St Martin from 1440 in a French book of Hours. St Martin of Tours, a revered saint known for his acts of kindness and charity, was depicted in many medieval works of art. He was a Roman soldier and is most often shown cutting his cloak in half with his sword to share it with a disabled man along the road.
Our New Sword
This sword shows one of the earliest historical depictions of the addition of a knuckle bow to the guard of a sword. This single handed sword has a octagonal wheel pommel, a leather covered wooden grip with four risers horizontally encircling the grip. These allow an enhanced tactical sense of the sword in hand. The guard is forged with a distinctly sharp turn into a knuckle guard. The art this sword is based on is shown in the item description on our website.
Legacy
Throughout history, St Martin has inspired tales of heroism and chivalry. A noble legacy for this sword to emulate for enthusiasts and historians alike. It will make a great addition to your sword collection or would be the perfect piece to start an armory of your own.
Check out this sword in the video below
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