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- May 21, 2013
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Check out my completely free online sword museum! 160+ historic swords with measurements, important historic texts, essays and more!
http://www.sword-site.com
1075 AISI 50RWC Australian High Carbon Steel
6mm Stock Laser Cut by an Industrial Guilloutine Maker then painstakingly crafted by hand into its final shape
Non linear distal taper
Sharp, parabolic (apple seed) heavily reinforced edge
1.8kg
38 inches long
3 inches at widest
Australian Vegetable Tanned Kangaroo Leather Covered Grip
Tasman Oak Grip / bound with vegetable tanned goat leather
Engineering Brass Guard
Balanced Engineering Brass Pommel
Peened Construction
Only High End Two Tonne Per Square Inch Epoxy Glue Used
A One Off Design
Alae Swords Makers Mark
$799 includes postage to anywhere
As always open to reasonable offers
The Byzantine Kataphract were the saving grace of the inhabitants of Constantinople on more than one occasion, and moreover they were the finest heavy cavalry the world could field until much later in the medieval period. Their armour was so superlative that it saved the life of their Emperor Alexius who, equipped in the fashion of the Kataphract, was able to withstand being charged twice by Norman Knights both of who landed direct blows with their lances. Alexius was then struck repeated by foot soldiers but was still able to make good his escape from certain death.
It was advised by a Byzantine Military Document that the swords of the Kataphracts should be at least 36 inches long, and that they should carry both the Spathion (Heavy Straight Sword) and the Paramerion (a curved or uncurved sword of Avar origin that was lighter overall).
The Kataphract did not solely rely upon his charge, but due to his excellent kit was able to wade through enemy lines, his armour protecting him from virtually all enemy attacks - the opening he created would then be exploited by the rest of the army. Alternately the rest of the army might engage the enemy's front while Kataphracts made short work of the wings.
So physically demanding was the Kataphract's work and armour, and so expensive was his panoply that only about 500 men amongst an army of 30 000 might be armed as Kataphracts.
The origin of the Kataphract troop type can be traced to antiquity in Persia, and then adopted by the Romans. They ceased to be used ultimately, but were revived by the Byzantines many centuries later - and were equally successful at this later date. The genius of the Byzantines was, amongst other things, their long stretching military memory. Not content to merely innovate, they were able to call upon useful ideas from the past to assist them in their endeavours.
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Historical examples that have inspired this sword:
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