Sword of war, c. 1500 AD

This sword was found in 1959 at Varpa skans (redoubt), north-east of Jönköping. Inventory number and catalogue files are missing. Judging by the look, it was probably made in the later part of the 15th century, or possibly early in the 16^th century. This would match with the circumstance that prince Christian of Denmark (later king Christian II) plundered Jönköping in 1511, and that it is possible that there was fighting around the Varpa redoubt. The sword is of the long-gripped type popular in the Nordic countries by that time. A sword with a very similar hilt is kept in the National Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark, and has been dated to c. 1400. I doubt that date. The pommel is pearshaped and slightly flattened. The ends of the cross are curled towards the hilt, not the other way around as one would believe. The blade is thin (c. 3 mm; 1/8”) at the base, and there are two narrow fullers running 2/3s of the length of the blade. Approximately 40 mm (c. 1½”) of the point are missing. The sword is extremely easy to wield, and can be swung with ease with one hand alone. It probably performed best when used with both hands, though, as the blade is very vibration-prone.

Close-up of the hilt

Length: 1200 (1240?) mm (47,24”)
Blade length: 860 mm (33.85”)
Blade width: 58 mm at the base (2.25”) (55 mm/2.16” closest to the cross)
Pommel, height: 65 mm (2.56”), width 48 mm (1.89”)
Width of cross: 233 mm (9.17”), thickness at the cross 23 mm (0.9”)
Weight: 1410 grams (3 lbs ½ oz)
Point of balance: 20 mm (0.79”) from the cross
Location of primary node: c. 500 mm (19.7”) from the cross