Palecourt Hand Forged 1095 Steel Medieval Longsword | 41 Inch Overall | Arched Steel Guard and Knot Engraved Shield Pommel with Fitted Scabbard | Knight Collector Gift | RK-1894

Palecourt is a hand and a half longsword in the knightly tradition. The blade is 1095 high carbon steel, broad at the guard and tapering to a strong point, with a fuller running down roughly the first half of its length. The crossguard is arched, sweeping forward toward the blade rather than sitting square, the grip is bound in pale cord over a wooden core, and the pommel is a shield shaped block of polished steel engraved on the face with a circular knot. A fitted scabbard is included.

The arched guard is a quiet piece of engineering. A straight bar guard catches a descending blade and stops it dead. A guard curved toward the point catches it and steers it outward, away from the hand, which is why the shape spreads across northern European sword design through the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Palecourt is forged, ground, hardened, hilted and finished by hand by hand in the Czech Republic, and it ships with its scabbard and our lifetime warranty.

Long blades carry more legend than the rest, and the legend and what collectors buy separates the story from what people actually own. 1095 is the plain carbon steel we work in, and the steel glossary explains what the number means and why it takes an edge. For a grip that takes one hand or two, look at the bastard swords.

Specifications

What hand and a half actually means

A hand and a half grip is a compromise that solves a real problem. A one handed sword leaves your off hand free for a shield, but caps how much leverage you can put behind a cut. A true two handed sword doubles your leverage and takes the shield away permanently. A six inch grip lets you do both. Close the main hand under the guard and the sword handles as a single hander. Drop the off hand onto the pommel and the two hands work as a lever with the guard as the fulcrum, which roughly doubles the force at the edge without changing anything about the sword. Fifteenth century fencing manuals treat that switch as routine within a single exchange, and the pale cord binding on Palecourt runs the full six inches so the second hand has somewhere secure to land.

1095 steel and how we treat it

1095 is roughly one percent carbon with almost no alloying. That plainness makes the heat treat honest, because the outcome is set by temperature and time rather than by chemistry that does its own thing in the quench. We normalise three times, quench in warm oil, and temper back to 54 to 58 HRC. That is deliberately below knife hardness, because a 33 inch blade has to flex under lateral load and return true rather than take a set or crack. The fuller through the upper half drops several ounces from the part of the blade furthest from the hand, which is where weight costs you the most. The guard and pommel are stock removed from bar, filed to shape and polished by hand.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel, the leather or the wood. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On Palecourt the obvious place is the flat face of the shield pommel, where the circular knot currently sits, though a longer line fits along the ricasso instead. See the engraving page for what fits in each position.

Handling and balance

The balance point sits about five inches ahead of the guard, which is normal for a longsword of this length and gives it a deliberate, weighty feel through a cut rather than the flicking quickness of a shorter blade. The arched guard tucks the hand slightly forward. If you index the flat of the blade against the web of your thumb you will find the edge alignment falls into place without thinking about it. This is a sharpened, functional sword sold for collecting, display and dry handling. We do not sell it for full contact sparring or for cutting against hard targets, and a blade this long needs real clearance around you before it moves at all.

Care

Wipe the blade down after handling. Skin acid will etch a fingerprint into a satin finish inside a week in a humid room, and humid summers are proof of that. Keep a light film of mineral oil on the steel and refresh it monthly. The cord grip should be kept dry, and if it ever picks up a stain, work at it with a barely damp cloth rather than soaking it, because saturated cord will loosen on the core as it dries. Do not store the sword sheathed for long periods. Our full notes on rust and finishes are in the guide to steel care.

If it is going on a wall, hanging swords and axes safely covers mounts, fixings and what not to do.

Made in the Czech Republic

This piece is made by hand in the Czech Republic, in a workshop that still works the old way. The steel is forged, ground, heat treated and finished by smiths who learned the trade from the people before them, and the wood, horn and leather are cut and fitted by hand rather than pressed out on a line. That is also why no two pieces come out exactly the same.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import these pieces ourselves, check every one when it lands and ship from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. Engraving is done here in the United States after the piece arrives, so your runes or your own design go on before it leaves for you.

A note on handmade variation

This longsword is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The tightness of the cord binding, the exact sweep of the arched guard, the depth of the knot engraved on the pommel and the tone of the satin polish all vary from sword to sword because each is filed, bound and finished by hand. The dimensions, the steel, the heat treat and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Can I really use two hands on it?

Yes. The six inch grip takes a main hand under the guard and a second hand on the pommel. It is not a full two hander, so the off hand rides the pommel rather than sitting fully on the grip.

Is the cord grip comfortable without gloves?

It is. Cord over wood gives a firmer, drier hold than smooth leather and it does not go slick in a warm hand, though it is less forgiving over a long session than a padded wrap.

Is it sharp when it arrives?

Yes, to a working sharp edge. We do not put a razor polish on a sword because a razor edge chips on the first hard contact.

How heavy is it really?

Around three pounds two ounces. That is normal for a genuine longsword. The film idea that medieval swords weighed ten or fifteen pounds is simply wrong.

Will it fit a standard sword stand?

Most three tier and two hook stands take it. Check that the cradle spacing handles a 33 inch blade and that the hooks are rated for at least five pounds.

Can I have a family name engraved on the pommel?

Yes. The shield pommel face is the best surface on the sword for it. Your engraving replaces the circular knot rather than sitting beside it.

What is in the box

• Palecourt medieval longsword in 1095 high carbon steel
• Fitted scabbard cut to this blade
• Care card with oiling and cord grip notes
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

Browse the longswords, the arming swords, the full sword range, and the guides for help picking a blade length.