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Fig. 672. The so-called battle sword of Ferdinand the Catholic
Royal Armoury, Madrid
this sword is dated in Turkish numerals on the blade A.H. 836, which corresponds to A.D. 1432, it is, judged by the Arabic inscription recorded on it, apparently part of the spoil which the Egyptian Sultan El-Melik El-Ashraf (Barsábay) won in Cyprus c. 1424. The period of the actual manufacture of the blade must, of course, be reckoned somewhat earlier than the inscribed Turkish date, a circumstance which makes us assign it to the first quarter of the XVth century; whereas if the blade had been found without the inscription and the hilt, we should have been compelled to ascribe it to some date within the XVIth century. This sword then is a highly important piece of evidence showing that this type of blade, grooved and furnished with a ricasso, has a much earlier origin than is commonly attributed to it. The fact that such a blade has been found upon some XVth century weapon has often given rise to doubts as to the genuineness of the whole sword; and the same atmosphere of suspicion is created when the blade (not
