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Product description
This beautiful medieval sword is a replica of an original 14th-century piece found in a grave in Toulouse, France, in the 19th century. Its striking aesthetics and high-quality materials — including a pommel covered with gilded silver foil — led some to speculate it belonged to French King Philip IV the Fair (Philippe le Bel, 1268–1314). In his Records of the Medieval Sword, first published in 1991, Ewart Oakeshott calls it a kingly sword, suggesting it may be the very piece Philip IV of France deposited in 1308 at Chartres Cathedral as a token of gratitude for one of his battlefield victories. To this day, however, no tangible evidence of a royal connection exists. The remarkably well-preserved original is on display at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris, France. The replica features a broad, double-edged blade that tapers sharply toward the tip. A fuller runs about two thirds down its length, engraved on both sides with the inscription NULLA DE VIRTUTIBUS TUIS MAJOR CLEMENTIA EST ("None of your virtues are greater than clemency"). The cutting edges are not sharpened. A red leather-wrapped wooden handle pairs with a crossguard that curves toward the blade, and both the crossguard and pommel are made from brass. A circular recess at the center of the pommel is engraved with a floral motif. The sword comes complete with a red wood-and-leather scabbard with brass chape, throat, and articulated suspension rings. Designed as a collector's or display piece, it also works perfectly as a costume prop.
