The Duke (#1543)
The Duke sword is inspired by an illustration in Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc medieval encyclopedia, a masterwork of exposition and illustration. A classic knightly sword, the Duke is designed to resemble the cruciform arming sword so often found in medieval art. The straight guard is expertly sculpted and subtle in its smooth lines. A double-edged, single-fullered blade departs slightly from Viollet-le-Duc’s illustration in that it has a less severe taper and termination. The pommel may appear to be a standard wheel-style pommel with peen block, but has in fact been made slightly oversized to counterbalance the blade. This brings the point-of-balance closer to the guard, resulting in a sword that is startlingly lively in the hand and that flows effortlessly from strike to guard. The Duke is one of our best attempts at recreating the knight’s arming sword, and we hope the great Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc would be proud of us.
Hand forged from 5160 High Carbon Steel
Differential Hardened at a Rockwell of 60 at the Edge; 48-50 at the core.
Fittings: Mild Steel
Handle: Leather Wrapped Wood Core
Total length: 40″
Blade length: 32″
Blade width at base: 2 1/8″
Grip Length: 5 inches
Weight: 3lbs 3oz
POB: 5.5 inches
813.16 CAD – 995.42 CAD
If you ask modern day sword collectors who the most famous and influential scholars of the medieval sword were, the typical answer you will get is Ewart Oakeshott (1916-2002). And it’s true – Oakeshott literally wrote the book on medieval sword types, and a whole system of classification (The Oakeshott Typology) is named after him. More advanced collectors may recognize the names Dr. Jan Peterson (1887-1967), who created a typology for classifying Viking swords, or Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler (1890-1976), who refined Peterson’s typology. Predating any of these scholars, however, is a man whose writing on medieval arms, armor, and architecture dwarfs many later historians’ bibliographies – though he is largely unrecognized by the modern sword collecting world.
Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was born in 1814 in Paris, France. He was an architect by trade, a brilliant one by all accounts, and an inspired artist and illustrator. While the architectural world knows Viollet-le-Duc as an architect, restorer of historical buildings and monuments (including considerable work on Notre-Dame Cathedral and many other famous landmarks), and as the first true theorist of modern architecture, he also wrote and illustrated some of the largest volumes in existence on the medieval sword.
The volumes Viollet-le-Duc wrote are breathtaking in their scope and depth. His extensive writings cover not only descriptions of different medieval swords and armor but tracks and explains their evolution throughout history, and his stunning illustrations compliment his writing expertly. Unfortunately, as his works were not commonly translated into English, the largely-anglophone sword collecting population remains ignorant of these incredible volumes and Viollet-le-Duc’s influence on medieval scholarship. Some translations exist, but copies are notoriously hard to find and prohibitively expensive. In the English-speaking world, many of these works and completely unknown, and the incredible scholarship they contain can only be found by efforts of French-speaking individuals – such as us here at Darksword Armory.
The Duke sword is inspired by an illustration in Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc medieval encyclopedia, a masterwork of exposition and illustration. A classic knightly sword, the Duke is designed to resemble the cruciform arming sword so often found in medieval art. The straight guard is expertly sculpted and subtle in its smooth lines. A double-edged, single-fullered blade departs slightly from Viollet-le-Duc’s illustration in that it has a less severe taper and termination. The pommel may appear to be a standard wheel-style pommel with peen block, but has in fact been made slightly oversized to counterbalance the blade. This brings the point-of-balance closer to the guard, resulting in a sword that is startlingly lively in the hand and that flows effortlessly from strike to guard. The Duke is one of our best attempts at recreating the knight’s arming sword, and we hope the great Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc would be proud of us.
3 reviews for The Duke (#1543)
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Scott G (verified owner) –
I’ve waited quite a while to leave my review for The Duke. I wanted to ensure it met my expectations, and after about a year of owning it, it has. I’ve gotten used to the handling and balance of the sword though I haven’t used it in combat (obviously). For those who would perform cutting tests, the edge comes very sharp if you order it sharpened. There’s a reason I have been a Darksword Armory customer for several years now (I’ve purchased the Five Lobe Viking sword, The Norman, and The Duke). As a hobby, I’ve studied ancient Greek, Roman, Viking and Medival history with a focus on their arms and battle tactics. Darksword has executed a great mix of historical accuracy and interpretation. The Duke is exactly what I hoped for and expected in a quintessential medieval sword. Though larger than The Norman sword (which I also love), it handled very well with a larger pommel to counterbalance the longer and heavier blade. It also tapers to a finer point giving it the more acutely angled tip to penetrate armor. This is exactly the type of sword I think of when studying and imagining the Middle Ages of Western civilization. For those of you who are also cinephiles, this sword would be right at home in the Ridley Scott movies Kingdom of Heaven or Robin Hood. Love this sword and highly recommend it.
Eyal Azerad –
Hi Scott,
Thank you so much for your comment and compliments. Very much appreciated. The Duke is also one of my fav pieces in our collection (probably my 5th fav). Just love the simplicity yet beauty of the sword.
Steven,
James (verified owner) –
Some time ago now I purchased this sword after many long years of wanting one of Darkswords blades. I would often look at the many different offerings available and ponder which I would like best.
After much deliberation I came to the conclusion that this ‘Duke’ sword was most suited to my needs, and was very much excited about receiving it.
Unfortunately upon opening my package I found an (admittedly small) imperfection in my specific copy of the model. I contacted Darksword, and was met by what I can only explain was excellent customer service; an experience all too rare these days.
I have grown to love it despite the minor gripes I have had with it, and I can honestly say that it handles as well as it looks. If you are looking for a real period weapon that is as practical as it is beautiful, this is it.
Jose Aguayo (verified owner) –
I just received the Duke, and it its just as i expected it to be! It is beautiful extremely well made, i just cant take my eyes off it! The balance its perfect even though the sword feels to be on the heavy side, i just love how it feels and how it looks! My only regret is that i purchased it with the scabbard without the belt, the scabbard its beautiful dont take me wrong, but its a little too plain, the belt would have make it look even more beautiful with more character, I highly recommend this sword, just make sure you order the scabbard with belt, you wont regret it. Thank you very much Dark Sword Armory,