Early 14th century AD. A Western Middle Age iron longsword, possibly from Italy, of Oakeshott's Type XVI.2, cross style 2, pommel style K, showing a slender triangular blade with deep fuller and acute point; narrow lower guard with flared ends; on both sides along the edges strong signs of battle nicks, that have reduced the width of the blade; long grip with slight taper, disc pommel with chamfered edges, shiny brown patina, no serious pitting; nice example of a well employed sword, with the point of the balance well down towards the point, ideal for a weapon designed to deal powerful cutting and thrusting blows. See E. Oakeshott,The sword in the Age of the Chivalry, Woodbridge, 1964 (1994); Dufty, A.R.,European swords and daggers at the tower of London,London, 1974; Oakeshott, E.Records of the Medieval Sword, Woodbridge, 1991; similar to a specimen preserved in the Tower Armoury (Dufty, 1974, pl.4a); other very similar specimen (maybe the most similar) is the sword in the Royal Armouries (inv. IX.1083), formerly d’Acre Edwards (Oakeshott, 1991, p.149"). Another sword from the River Thames, found in Westminster opposite the Houses of the Parliament (Oakeshott, 1991, p.148) shows the same point with the lower flat blade tapering strongly, and a very stout diamond-section reinforced point. 804 grams, 1.02m (40"). From an important private family collection of arms and armour; acquired on the European art market in the 1980s, and thence by descent; accompanied by an academic report by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This blade form developed as a direct offensive answer to the newly developed, reinforced mail armour of the period 1300-1350 AD. It was broad and flat in section enough, to provide an efficient cutting edge, but the lower part, below the end of the fuller, was nearly always of a stiff-flattened-diamond in section, with a strong median ridge, making it suitable for thrusting as well. The fact that not all the swords of this category have a ridged lower blade, makes sometimes difficult to distinguish the blades of type XVI from the blades of type XIV. These blades are quite often visible in the medieval art, especially in Italian early 14th century AD paintings (Oakeshott, 1991, p.147, lett. Iii and ii"). These are paintings from the Saint Gimignano Cathedral, whose artists copied the swords from real life, like all the artists of the Middle Age: soldiers at the Killing of the Innocents, soldiers at the Road to the Calvary and at the Crucifixion of Our Lord, warriors at the Killing of the sons of Lot. They show as this kind of sword was very popular at the beginning of 14th century in Italy, where maybe the typology was born. They highlight also about the way in which the grips were done: in grey, red or black leather, while the scabbards are mostly black and grey. Such swords are also visible in medieval English art, like in the sword kept from Saint Peter on a roof-boss in the Exeter Cathedral (dated 1328 AD"). The most striking thing about these blades is that they seem very clearly to be made to serve the dual purpose of cutting and thrusting. The upper part of the blade was in the old style, but the lower part was acute enough, and stiff enough to thrust effectively. Thus it may have been equally useful against the armour prevalent in the first half of the 14th century—mail, mixed mail and plate (or 'splinted armour'), or complete plate. Froissart describes two episodes in which the point was so acute to penetrate a plate armour: writing about an incident during the pursuit after the battle of Poitiers (1356 AD) he says: 'When the Lord of Berkeley had followed for some time, John de Hellenes turned about, put his sword under his arm in the manner of a lance, and thus advanced upon his adversary who, taking his sword by the handle, flourished it, and lifted up his arm to strike the squire as he passed. John de Hellenes, seeing the intended stroke, avoided it, but did not miss his own. For as they passed each other, by a blow on the arm he made Lord Berkeley's sword fall to the ground. When the knight found that he had lost his sword, and that the squire retained his own, he dismounted and made for the place where his sword lays. But before he could get there the squire gave him a violent thrust, which passed through both of his thighs so that he fell to the ground.' At the same time there was enough width and edge at the 'centre of percussion' or 'optimal striking point' to enable the blade to strike a very powerful shearing blow. These swords were therefore designed and intended to cut through mail and pierce plate. We may reasonably date the type to the period when all the kinds of armour, previously mentioned, were in use together, so at the beginning of 14th century AD, a period in which, in Italy, together with the early plate armours, great use of the very hard to penetrate protections in cuir bouilli, widely visible on the graves of the Angevine knights in South Italy and in the over mentioned paintings of San Gimignano.