Godfrey de Bouillon Sword, 11thC.
Godfrey de Bouillon Sword, Norman Crusader and the first King of Jerusalem Sword, 11th century, inspired by original examples and historical sources.
Dark brown grip, cross potent brass inlays on both sides of the blade.
Sword characteristics
The sword is powerful, reflecting the most typical features of the Type X in its early form: a wide blade with more parallel edges, a wide and long fuller, a short, straight guard, and a massive mushroom-like pommel. The pommels of these swords often have characteristic asymmetries and curvatures, which I have reproduced in a subtle but clear way to maintain the historical character of the real swords.
Inspirations
This sword was inspired by a large group of Petersen/Oakeshott Type X swords from European museums.
Some of them already bear Christian cross potent inlays made of yellow metal (a type of brass), just like those in this reconstruction.
Was such a sword used by Godfrey in 1099? We don't know. It's possible, but there's no certainty. These swords were very popular in Western Europe, although they are found throughout the European continent. We know them from historical sources from the areas from which Godfrey set out.
I tried to analyze many sources and possibilities when choosing the design of his sword, and this seems to me to be one of the most possible options.
Who was Godfrey of Bouillon?
Godfrey of Bouillon (French: Godefroy de Bouillon, German: Gottfried von Bouillon, Latin: Godefridus Bullionensis; 18 September 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a Frankish knight, and one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until its conclusion in 1099. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087. After the successful siege of Jerusalem in 1099, Godfrey became the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. He refused the title of King, however, as he believed that the true King of Jerusalem was Christ, preferring the title of Advocate (i.e. protector or defender) of the Holy Sepulchre (Latin: Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri). He is also known as the 'Baron of the Holy Sepulchre' and the 'Crusader King'.
Measurements:
total length 950mm
blade length 810mm
blade width 59mm
grip 98mm
crossguard 150mm
pommel 70x33x24mm
balance 135mm
weight 1160g
sharp
Note: This sword, like any handcrafted sword in the medieval style, can have traces of the manufacturing process, minor irregularities or asymmetries resulting from the specificity of real craftsmanship and medieval understanding of aesthetics, that are completely normal and do not affect the quality of the sword, but give it a unique original character, consistent with medieval objects of the same kind.
