Longsword “Olbracht”

Olbracht is the Old Polish form of the German name Albrecht — and the sword is the same blend: its shape comes from 15th-century German longswords, its name from Polish history. The name was borne by John I Albert (Jan Olbracht), King of Poland from 1492 to 1501, the king of the proverb “under King Olbracht the nobility perished”, coined after the failed Moldavian campaign of 1497. The sword is no copy of the king’s weapon or of any particular museum piece but a longsword in that idiom: plain and unadorned, steel and black cord in the hilt.

The pommel has the most character: it is shaped like the stopper of a scent bottle, hence the English name scent-stopper. It flares towards the end, has ground facets and was one of the typical longsword pommels of the 14th and 15th centuries — the elongated shape gives the second hand something to hold and balances the long blade. The guard is straight, with squared arms that flare at the tips. Pommel and guard are stainless steel, so unlike the blade they need no oil.

The grip is 24 cm long, enough for a secure two-handed hold. The wood is wrapped in black cord, and a steel ring divides the grip at about half its length. The maker specifies a full tang — the extension of the blade runs through the whole grip to the pommel instead of stopping halfway into the wood.

The whole sword is 132 cm long, 90 cm of which is the fullered blade, up to 5 cm wide and 7 mm thick, and it weighs 1.72 kg. In fairness, that is more than typical period originals of this length, which usually weighed 1.2–1.6 kg. In motion it reads as a steady sword that drives a full cut and holds its line, but it reminds you of its mass when you change direction quickly.

The blade is 5160 steel. The maker calls it high-carbon; more precisely it is a chromium spring steel with about 0.6 per cent carbon and 0.8 per cent chromium — the steel leaf springs are made from. Its strength is toughness: it takes impacts and flexing rather than cracking. According to the maker the blade is hand forged, then ground and polished; the hardness falls within 50–58 HRC — the nearer the bottom of that range, the more the steel forgives a hard hit; the nearer the top, the longer the edge stays keen.

The scabbard is 96 cm long: hardwood covered in brown faux leather with light stitching, its face decorated with a heraldic shield bearing a griffin in an ornamental frame. A hanger with straps and buckles at the mouth lets you wear the sword at the belt. 5160 is not stainless: wipe the blade after every use and give it a thin coat of oil, and now and then take the sword out of the scabbard to check it — wood and faux leather keep moisture against the steel.

Note: this is a sword for collecting and solo practice. It is not suitable for sparring with a partner — contact calls for blunt gear with an edge at least 2 mm thick and a rounded tip.

• 5160 spring steel, 50–58 HRC
• Scent-stopper pommel in stainless steel
• Straight guard with flared ends, in stainless steel
• 24 cm two-handed grip: black cord and a steel ring
• Full tang, blade up to 5 cm wide and 7 mm thick
• 96 cm wood and faux-leather scabbard with a griffin on a heraldic shield