
A Cultural History of the Medieval Sword
Power, Piety and Play
Hardcover | 23 January 2023
At a Glance
Hardcover
$74.75
Aims to ship in 15 to 25 business days
When will this arrive by?
Enter delivery postcode to estimate
The sword is an important and multi-faceted symbol of military power, royal and communal authority, religion and mysticism. This study takes the sword beyond its functional role as a tool for killing, considering it as a cultural artefact, and the broader meaning and significance it had to its bearer. It should be on the bookshelf of anybody who claims to be interested in the importance of the sword in medieval life and thought and their cultural significance in the past - and present. Robert Woosnam-Savage, Royal Armouries. We see the sword as an object of nobility and status, a mystical artefact, imbued with power and symbolism. It is Roland's Durendal, Arthur's Excalibur, Aragorn's Narsil. A thing of beauty, its blade flashes in the sun, and its hilt gleams with opulent decoration. Yet this beauty belies a bloody function, for it is also a weapon that appears crude and brutal, requiring great strength to wield: cleaving armour, flesh, and bone. This wide-ranging book uncovers the breadth of the sword's place within the culture of high medieval Europe. Encompassing swords both real and imagined, physical, and in art and literature, it shows them as a powerful symbol of authority and legitimacy. It looks at the practicalities of the sword, including its production, as well as challenging our preconceptions about when and where it was used. In doing so, it reveals a far less familiar culture of swordsmanship, beyond the elite, in which swordplay was an entertainment, taught in the fencing school by masters such as Lichtenauer, Talhoffer, and Fiore, and codified in fencing manuals, or fechtbucher. The book also considers how our modern attempts to reconstruct medieval swordsmanship on screen, and in re-enactment and Historical European Martial Arts (or HEMA), shape, and have been shaped by, our preconceptions of the sword. As a whole, the weapon is shown to be at once far more mundane, and yet just as special, as we imagine it.
Industry Reviews
This reviewer came away feeling as though he was Jamie Lannister after a thorough and fun training session with Bronn. There is so much in this book that it will be worth returning to again and again. Jones has shown us that truly the sword is mightier than the pen. * MEDIEVAL WORLD *
A fascinating and excellent study, full of wide-ranging historical, literary, and historiographical depth. A Cultural History of the Sword is a worthy text for any appropriate college or graduate classes that wish to see the Middle Ages with more clarity and enjoyment. * STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE TEACHING (SMART) *
It should be on the bookshelf of anybody who claims to be interested in the importance of the sword in medieval life and thought and their cultural significance in the past - and present. -- Robert Woosnam-Savage
ISBN: 9781837650361
ISBN-10: 1837650365
Series: Armour and Weapons
Published: 23rd January 2023
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number of Pages: 240
Audience: Professional and Scholarly
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 17.6 x 24.7 x 2.2
Weight (kg): 0.61
Shipping
Standard Shipping | Express Shipping | |
---|---|---|
Metro postcodes: | $9.99 | $14.95 |
Regional postcodes: | $9.99 | $14.95 |
Rural postcodes: | $9.99 | $14.95 |
How to return your order
At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.
Additional postage charges may be applicable.
Defective items
If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.
For more info please visit our Help Centre.
You Can Find This Book In
This product is categorised by
- Non-FictionHistoryGeneral & World History
- Non-FictionWarfare & DefenceWeapons & Equipment
- Non-FictionAntiques, Vintage & CollectablesCollecting Militaria
- Non-FictionHistorySpecific Events & Topics in HistorySocial & Cultural History
- Non-FictionSociety & CultureCultural StudiesMaterial Culture
- Non-FictionHistoryEarliest Times to Present DayEarly History from 500 to 1500