Shrewsbury Hand and a Half Sword – Deepeeka

The Shrewsbury Sword is a capable and hard-hitting bastard sword with a blade hand forged from C60 high carbon steel – a steel with properties similar to 1060 high carbon steel. The crossguard and pommel are crafted from resilient steel and the wooden grip is tightly bound in quality leather. A robust peen over the pommel anchors the blade tang into the hilt for a solid and robust overall construction. The sword is matched with a wood-core scabbard which is wrapped in high quality vegetable tanned leather to match the grip – a protective steel chape complete the sword.

The sword takes its namesake from the 1403 Battle of Shrewsbury which pitted Henry IV against rival Henry “Hotspur” Percy. Originally powerful supporters of Henry IV who desposed Richard II from the English throne, the Percy’s felt snubbed by Henry for failing to reward them suitably for their support. Allying with the Welsh patriot Owain Glyndŵr and the powerful English noble Emund Mortimer they crafted a joint plan to divide up a conquered England wrested from Henry IV. On 21 July 1403 the Royalist armies met the rebel faction in battle.

The battle initially went well for the Percy’s and their allies, with disciplined archery scything down the Royalist ranks. The Royalists had archers of their own, but the companies in command of the Percy’s were superior and the Royalist army wavered. Seizing what he believed to be an opportunity to kill the King himself, Hotspur led a charge into the Royalists. In the melee Hotspur was killed by an arrow to the face in a moment when had his visor raised and with his death the resolve of the army crumbled, leaving the field to Henry IV and the Royalists. During the battle the Prince of Wales and future King of England, Henry V suffered a grievous wound to the face from an arrow. He was saved from the impressive skill of his physician John Bradmore who invented and improvised a device on the spot to extract the arrowhead from Henry in a tense surgical operation. Though permanently scarred, Henry V survived to become King.