German Long Knife with leather scabbard, ca. 1510

Please note:
We do not sell this product to customers under the age of 18. Please provide your birth date when ordering. We'll also need a scanned copy of your ID-card or passport sent to prekyba@blade.lt by e-mail.

German Long Knife, circa 1510 A.D.

In the late Middle Ages, both urban growth and the rising of the middle classes led to an increased demand for a civil weapon of defence. At that time, only the aristocracy was allowed to carry double-edged swords. Therefore, the so-called langes messer (= long knife, also commonly translated as messer in English), an extended version of the German medieval bauernwehr, emerged as the weapon of the common man. Unlike the saber-like grosses messer (also called grossmesser), which made its appearance at around the same time, the longknife had a straight, single-edged blade. However, it often featured a so-called false edge or reverse edge at the tip and had thus a double-edged point.

This long knife by Ulfberth is modelled on a well-preserved original piece which belonged to the private collection of the crown prince Ernst August of Hanover before its auctioning back in 2012.

The forged guard is S-shaped curved and features a large parrying ring on the obverse side. The sturdy tang is riveted to the solidly forged steel pommel. The hardwood grip plates are held in place by seven iron ball-head rivets. The blade's upper half is adorned with three fullers. It is hand-forged out of EN45 spring steel and oil-tempered up to 48-50° Rockwell. Its edge is however not sharpened.

Delivery includes a matching leather scabbard.

Details:
- Replica of an original sword from the early 16th century
- Blade material: oil-tempered EN45 spring steel
- Rockwell hardness of the blade: approx. 48 HRC
- Overall length: approx. 115 cm
- Blade length: approx. 91 cm
- Max. blade width: approx. 4.3 cm
- Blade thickness: approx. 4 mm
- Cutting edge: approx. 1 mm thick
- Point of Balance: approx. 21 cm from the guard
- Weight: approx. 1650 g