This 15th century finger-guard sword has a blade forged from high carbon steel and is peened to a hilt with a crossguard and pommel of blued steel. The wooden guard is tightly overlaid in braided steel wire which has been blackened.
The companion scabbard is crafted from wood and it is bound in black leather and fitted with a blued steel chape and locket. Blackened metal hanging rings are braided onto the scabbard with leather knotwork.
This sword of Deepeekas premium Primus line has been reproduced from a 15th century sword contained within the collection of The Royal Armouries in Leeds. The sword itself was once part of the collection of trophies and tribute collected by the Mamelukes in the Arsenal of Alexandria. The Mamelukes were inadvertently very helpful to scholars, for they dated the sword in Arabic Nashki script to 1432 – giving a concrete date for at least the very last year it could have been crafted. Additionally, the sword bears a stamped makers mark typical of Italian swordsmiths.
In the late Medieval Period the Christian nations of the Eastern Mediterranean were under increasing pressure from assertive Arab and Turkish powers. The Kingdom of Cyprus was sacked by the Mamelukes after an ill-fated loss of the Cypriots in battle. Afterwards they were compelled to send tribute to the Mamelukes and oftentimes the tribute included fine swords which the Mamelukes kept as trophies in an ever-burgeoning collection. A collection that would preserve many fine examples of dated European swords for later scholars.
This sword is one of the more famous of that collection, for the finger ring on the guard shows it to be straddling the transition from the simple crucifix guard of medieval swords to the beginning of more complex and protective hilts. The simple addition of a half moon ring gives protection to the finger to protect it in a bind – placing a finger over the guard was likely a technique of notably earlier origin than this sword and it gives improved control over the sword, particularly in the thrust. Later developments of this style would include a pair of rings and over time more protection would be added to later swords and they would evolve into the swept-hilt cut and thrust swords of the Renaissance.
The blade of this sword also shows an increased emphasis on thrusting with its tapered profile, though it reserves a hearty width for effective cutting. Deepeeka Primus studied the original sword when making this reproduction and the last photo shows this reproduction being compared to the original sword. The original sword has a weight of 1 lb 11 oz and a POB of 7.5. Like the original, this reproduction is relatively light in weight and is a responsive sword.
Please Note: The sword crossguard now has a quillon end which has less of an upswept curve – this applies only to the side of the crossguard with the finger ring. Pictures will be updated at a later date when possible.
Rick –
Deepeeka outdid themselves with this replica. It’s spot on with its original counterpart. Have in mind though, this particular model it’s not entirely “Battle Ready”. As with all Deepeeka swords, you gotta look at the SKU in order to know whether it’s been tempered, or both tempered and hardened, or au contraire, nothing at all and happens to be just a wallhanger. In this case, the “PRS” means “Prius” model, NOPE, it’s not an hybrid/electric sword! (terrible joke, I’m sorry), it just happens to belong to the Prius line, which are made, in the case of replicas, with thorough care. As you can see in the pictures here, one of them shows you the Deepeeka representative comparing the original and the replica side by side.
Now, this bit of info reharding the SKU is not, apparently, widely sought after, even when it’s readily available at the Deepeeka webpage, with their broken English and everything, and the whole brand is sneered at for not making good swords, when actually, buyers should’ve simply done their (short, fast) homework beforehand :-P
Last but not least, Deepeeka makes swords for other well known, higher price-per item companies. And it’s a funny game to play, you know, in case you happen to be bored: “Who made this X brand sword really?” – You’d be surprised with your findings. Cheers.
Rissian (verified owner) –
Just got mine in the mail. This is a work of beauty. Blade is straight with no noticeable blemishes, and the scabbard isn’t too shabby either. Nothing rattles or feels loose.
I’m no expert in swords, but it looks great and fulfills all my expectations (I’ll be using this as a display/costume piece, I have no faith in myself trying to test it out for any other use).
Diego Kuri –
I happen to have this sword, but bought it in Spain, it´s a very nice looking sword, it has a distal tapper(It measures 6mm in thickness at the tip and goes to 1mm at the tip) , i don´t now if it´s tempered, i guess not and wouldn´t like to try and bend it, however it is really a gorgeous piece, the point is acute and i guess you can pierce some things with it, it has a really nice scabbard and is a great reproduction of the one from the Alexandria Arsenal, the price is great and is nimble, i wouldn´t use it for combat, also if you want to use it for recreation, just mind the tip.