Royal Armouries 15th Century Falchion
SWORDS OF EXCELLENCE
FROM WINDLASS STEELCRAFTS
The Royal Armouries Collection
The Windlass Sword Collection is brought to you by a collaboration between The Royal Armouries and Windlass Steelcrafts.
Windlass Steelcrafts is a world leader in the manufacture of swords and armour & The Royal Armouries is the home of the UK’s national collection of arms and armour.
Together they have the skills and knowledge to bring you the most historically accurate swords ever made giving you the truest and most authentic experience of swords of their time.
This new collection starts with a set of six historical swords, each one has been meticulously measured, weighed, and reproduced to an exacting standard under the guidance and approval of The Royal Armouries
Windlass Steelcrafts then using the finest steel and materials and their most skilled craftsmen, have brought every aspect of the original sword to life so you can have a piece of true history in your hand.
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This replica is a reproduction of Royal Armouries IX.144, a single-handed, single-bladed steel sword. mid 15th - early 16th century.
Known as an infantry hanger, side arm or falchion. The original has resided in the Royal Armouries collection since before 1916 and its exact origin before that is unknown but it is part of a group of similar swords with English provenance. This family of swords, sometimes known as ‘Wakefield’-type hangers’ (after one of the group, ‘The Wakefield sword’, being found near the site of the Battle of Wakefield, 1460), often feature beaked pommels and S-shaped hand guards. Some have an additional side bar or lug on the guard, as seen in this example. (Note: the lug on the original had been damaged and is bent, meaning it actually pokes into the hand, which has been rectified on the reproduction.
These type of short swords were popular sidearms for billmen and archers during the Wars of the Roses and into the early Tudor period. Swords similar to this could have seen action in battles like Wakefield, Towton, Barnet, Tewkesbury and Bosworth. This example features a deceptively complex and challenging single edge blade, with subtle transitions of cross-section and clever hollow grinding and a fuller to make it lighter. It has a graceful hollow ground front edge and a slender but strong point. The hilt provides a good level of hand protection for the time, for soldiers who were not generally wearing gauntlets.
A quick and easily manoeuvrable sword, this replica is crafted with a hand forged blade, by an experienced, skilled blacksmith, using modern 1080 high carbon steel that is fully tempered and is distally tapered for proper weight distribution. The sheath is made with a wood body and covered with leather. The tip is reinforced with a brass chape that features a traditional cut-out. At the throat, the leather extends upward and covers part of the guard at the ricasso.
Includes a certificate of authenticity on heavy stock, plus Windlass Classic Wax and polishing cloth.
Dimensions
Overall: 32"
Blade: 27-1/4", single edge
Guard: 6-1/16" wide overall
Blade width at ricasso: 1-1/2"
Blade is distally tapered: 1/4" thick at guard, 1/16" at tip
Weight: 1 lb, 15 oz.