ca. 1300–1325 AD. Medieval Western Europe. A stunning, forged-iron long sword of the Oakeshott Type XVI.2 with a slender hand guard and a discoid pommel. The cross style 2 guard has a slight central protrusion on either side and moves freely along the hilt, and the style K pommel features a petite recess along either side within the chamfered peripheries. The narrow triangular blade is complete with a deep fuller that traverses almost halfway down from the tang base as well as sharpened edges that taper downwards to form the acutely pointed tip. The high middle ages saw swordsmiths develop new types of blades to combat the ever-increasing usage of plate armour. Against these defenses, early-styled swords with light, flat cutting blades lost much of their effectiveness. Warriors and craftsmen of the day saw the need for more acutely pointed blades with cross-sections reinforced for thrusting.Provenance: Property of a European collector. Formerly in the collection of Earl Mitchell, London 1990s.Size: L:935mm / W:185mm ; 1.1kg