In Turin, a sword alleged to have beheaded St. Maurice is kept among relics of the venerated Saint. It is quite clear that this is an impossibility, for St. Maurice lived in the latter half of the 3rd Century A.D. and the sword dates to the 13th Century. Regardless of origin, this sword is an impressive relic. It is a lengthy, wide bladed single-handed sword – no doubt intended to awe onlookers who contemplate the last moments of the Saint. It is one of the best preserved swords from this time period and there is some debate as to whom it was originally crafted for. The Sword of St. Maurice is massive for a single-handed sword and has a long blade for single-handed sword. It is theorized that this weapon was either meant to be used by a large warrior, or it was intended to be used from horseback, where the reach and heft could be used to terrific effect. Perhaps both are true.
In any case, it is chronologically out of place with the relics of St. Maurice, for the story is that St. Maurice was the commander of the Roman Theban Legion – a Legion (or Auxiliary force) raised in 3rd Century Egypt and sent to duty in Switzerland. Though Rome was still Pagan, Maurice and the Theban Legion were Christian. Much of their effort was directed at restoring order amidst the incessant uprisings of lower class Romans, who were incensed at the grinding taxation, currency debasement and encroaching tyranny of a strained Roman Empire. When the Theban Legion was ordered to persecute Christians, Maurice and the Legion refused. Emperor Maximian ordered decimation for the Legion – one in every 10 soldiers were executed for disobedience. Still, Maurice and the Legion he inspired refused to bend and persecute their religious kinsmen. A furious Maximian called for another decimation of the ranks. Yet again Maurice and the Thebans refused to bow to their Emperor before their God. In rage, Maximian ordered the execution of the entire Legion, martyring Maurice and his soldiers.
The Sword of St. Maurice, by Deepeeka, is inspired by the original weapon. It is smaller and more manageable for the average arm then the original sword. It has a blunt blade of high carbon steel. The crossguard and pommel are of steel and the grip is wrapped with tightly spiralled brown leather. It comes with a wood-core scabbard overlaid with stitched brown leather and two brass hanging rings.
agentchallenger (verified owner) –
Haven’t had it for very long but, first impressions are good. It’s slightly heavier than my other, comparative swords, which I actually quite like since the cutting motion requires less force to follow-through. In turn, I find that means you’re using less of your muscles to drive home force and, instead, they direct the blade more accurately. Having said that, you’re going to notice the weight after a while. I suspect that will flatten out after practice. Overall, the quality is fairly good. All the parts feel nice and tight. You can see the odd machining marks, particularly on the pommel and on mine the fuller was off center on one side of the blade, which my pseudo-OCD mind will just have to ignore. The hand wrap feels sturdy enough and well-glued but I do feel like it would have benefited from a second pass on the leather wrap. However, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to fly apart either so, that’s the main thing. If you’re concerned about scabbards, the one that comes with it is actually not bad. There’s an unfortunate sheen on the material but, when you antique/weather it, there’s a pleasing “adventurer” look to it that I find fun, for lack of a better term. So, yeah, overall I think it’s definitely worth a buy, particularly at this price point.