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The different types of bladed weapons (swords, dress-swords, sabers, rapiers, foils, machetes, daggers, knives, arrowheads, etc..) have been of great importance throughout history. In addition to its use for fighting, or in wars, the bladed weapons have been the object of special considerations forming part of funerary rituals, mythology and other ancestral traditions.
The manufacture of a bladed weapon (bronze or iron alloys) of a certain quality requires a certain degree of mastery in metallurgy (obtaining metals and alloys from the minerals of the mines), forming techniques and forging) and heat treatments. Without forgetting the artistic aspects or the crafts related to the complements (pods, belts, shawls, knobs, decoration, etc...).
The present chronology it's a compilation that includes diverse and relatively uneven documents about different families of bladed weapons: swords, dress-swords, sabers, rapiers, foils, machetes, daggers, knives, arrowheads, etc..., with the sword references being the most numerous but not the unique included among the other listed references of the rest of bladed weapons. The reason to group them into a single list responds to a goal for simplification, instead of making a different chronology article for each type of bladed weapon.
Bronze Swords
The first bronze swords with a length equal to or greater than 60cm date from the 17th century BC in regions of the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. They emerged as an evolution of shorter weapons of the type of the daggers or daggers. To make a sword useful in combat, you must have a correct alloy, give it the right shape and apply the necessary thermal (and finishing) treatments. The longer a sword, the stresses (bending and buckling) are more important. What is needed is a weapon that is hard enough (to cut), fairly flexible (without being fragile) and quite tenacious enough to withstand the blows in the fights.
The manufacturing process is summarized as follows: The bronze swords were cast into moulds, heated to a certain temperature and allowed to cool slowly. Finally they cold hammered (hitting them with a hammer on a type of anvil) to increase its hardness.
c.650 BC. According to Pausanias, Theodore of Samos invented the casting of bronze objects.[2]
5th century BC-5th century AD
c.450 BC. Herodotus. He mentioned iron swords (as a representation of the god Ares/Mars) in Scythian people's.tombs
c.401 BC. He described the Indian steel (steel wootz) and two swords made with that material.[3]
326 BC. Battle of the Hidaspes River. Alexander defeated King Porus, who gave him about 10kg of "Indian steel" (wootz steel).[4]
c.230 BC.Philo of Byzantium In his treatise Belopoeica (artillery), he describes the flexibility of the swords of the Celts and Iberians in Hispania.[5] An elastic behavior, such as a spring, would imply some tempered steel content in the mentioned swords.[6][7][8][9]
216 BC. Battle of CannaePolybius described the swords of the Iberians (good for cutting and thrusting) and those of the Gauls (good for cutting).[10]
197 BC. The Greeks were defeated by the Romans, led by Gaius Cornelius Cetegus near the River Clusius (perhaps the current Brembo River). In spite of the numerical superiority of the Gauls, their swords were bent at the first blow and had to be straightened. The Romans took advantage of this weakness to win the battle.[11]
c.20 BC. Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian of Sicily that lived in Century I BC contemporary of Julius Caesar and Augustus. His comments on the celtiberian swords indicate the cut quality and an aspect of their manufacture.[12]
c.5 BC. Gratio Falisco, in his poem Cynegeticon, mentions the knives of Toledo: "... Ima toledano praecingunt ilia cultro ..." [13][14]
c.50. Pliny the Elder talks about the types of iron, and the importance of water in the temper of steel.[15][16][17][18][19]
c.90 AD The poet Martial, born in Bilbilis (near Calatayud), prided himself on the steel of his country, better than the Gallic and the Noricum.[20][21]
Middle Ages
c.500. Ship wrecked near Nydam (Denmark) with a cargo of swords of the type "pattern-welded".
c.700. According to a Japanese legend from the province of Yamato, the sword maker Amakuni was concerned that many swords were broken in battle. And after days of work and prayer, he modified the forging and tempering process by getting swords that were curved and did not break in combat.[22]
796. The emperor Charlemagne rendered the king Offa of Mercia with a sword made by Huns, obtained like war loot.[23]
802. Harun al-Rashid possessed a sword of great quality, called Samsam or Samsamah. Supposedly it was a sword that had belonged to a king of Yemen. The Greek emperor sent him a few swords of Greek manufacture, indicating that he no longer wanted to pay the tribute. Harun broke them all with his Samsam sword, and he did not blunder the least.[24][25]
1274. Sword of the knight Soler de Vilardell (Sword of Vilardell). A sword considered magical, "of virtue". Its cut quality indicates a very successful manufacturing process.[33]
1370. Last will of Pere el Cerimoniós with the sword of Sant Martí and the sword of Vilardell.
1392. Ibn Hud Ibn Hudhayl, in his work " Gala de caballeros y blasón de paladines ", mentions two types of quality swords: those of Indian steel and those of the francs (Catalan) . The latter with exceptional qualities and supposedly forged by genius.[34]
1425. The sword makers of Valencia asked for confirmation of their ordinations, copied from those of the sword makers of Barcelona.
....Item. Senyor los dits privilegis, capítols e ordinacions vees(?) plaurets a Déu a justícia (e) egualtat car axí son stats obtenguts per la spaseria de ciutat vostra de Barchinonae per vos atorgats (a) aquella segons han pres los prohomens de la spaseria de la dita vostra ciutat de Valencia...1425...Alfonsi Dei gratia Regis Aragonum, Sicilie, Valencie, Majoricam, Sardinie et ...[35]
Examination of applicants for master of sword making:
They had to present:“4 fulles d’espases e recapte per a guarniment de aquelles. Ço és la una fulla de dues mans la qual haie a guarnir vermella. E l’altra fulla sia de una mà la qual haie a esser guarnida mitadada de dues colors. E l’altra de una mà que sia buydada e guarnida tota negra. E la quarta ço és un estoch d’armes tot blanch los quals guarniments se vien(?) e haien a fer per lo volent usa(n)t de la dita spaseria dins la casa e habitació de un dels dits diputats...”
1433. Barcelona. In the "Book of the councils" of the guild of sword makers, the way of tempering the leaves of the swords is indicated.[36]
In folio f_099r and others of the "Guild book of the sword makers" appears the expression "confrare ho confraressa" . Apparently a woman could belong to the guilt of sword makers. Maybe only as the wife or widow of a sword maker.[37]
1450-1700
1474. The fencing teacher of Majorca Jaume Ponç was the author of a fencing treaty published in Perpinyan.[39][40][41]
1478. References of the sword maker Julián del Rey. Related to the famous swords with the mark of the "perrillo" (supposedly a stylized dog), he probability, he was a former Muslim armourer who was baptised and under the protection of Fernando el Católico, he worked in Zaragoza and Toledo.[42]
1509. Marriage of Catalina of Aragon and Henry VIII of England. Swords of the armoury of Zaragoza presented to the English king [43]
1517. Superiority of the sword over other weapons in the war of the conquistadores against the Native Americans in Florida.[44]
1522. Sword of Ignacio de Loyola offered to the Virgin of Montserrat.
1525. Battle of Pavia. Francis I of France surrendered his sword to Joan Aldana, a cavalier native of Tortosa.[45]
1540. "Pirotechnia", work of Vannoccio Biringuccio, armourer of Siena. Among other topics it deals with some iron mines and the reduction of the mass in a forge with bellows.[46]
1544. Hunting saber of Henry VIII of England, decorated by Diego Çaias.[48]
1546. Georgius Agricola (Latinized name of Georg Bauer). Work "De Natura Fossilium" which deals with mineralogy. He talks about iron exporting regions and the area of??Noricum (now Steyr in Austria) that produced steel for the quality of the mineral. In other places (Bilbao, Turassio in Spain and Como in Italy) steel would be "manufactured" by the quality of the water.[49]
1547. Mentioned the sword called "de San Martí".[50] (See year 1370)
1599. The Pope Clement VIII gives a sword of Solingen as a present to the king Henry IV of France.[53]
1611. Oldest definition of a cinquedita. (“Cinquedita: a weapon but five fingers long used in Venice”. Similar to a sgian-dubh. So the modern definition of Cinquedea should be innacurate.). [54][55]
1700-1950
1742. "Dictionnaire Universel De Commerce", Jacques Savary des Bruslons, Philémon-Louis Savary. French name of the composite leaves with iron core and steel exterior ("lame de ettofe").[56]
1750. News about the "varnished iron" or "iron" mines of Mondragón.[57]
1760. Carlos III of Spain orders to Luis de Urbina, infantry colonel, a report on the bladed weapons factories of Toledo, Valencia, Zaragoza and Barcelona (in precarious state) to establish a new factory in Toledo
1761. " Bladed weapons Factory of Toledo" (Fábrica de armas blancas de Toledo), created by decree of Carlos III of Spain. It was organized and directed by the Valencian sword's master Lluis Calisto, contracted expressly.[58]
1766. Esquilache Riots
1772. Henry Nock was the founder of a gun-making company. He bequeathed to his manager James Wilkinson, maker of the famous swords and sabers.[59]
1772. Rules for Californian presidios. Soldado de cuera. Cutting arms. Broad sword and lance characteristics.[60][61]
1781-1782. For the armament of the Presidio of Santa Barbara (California) the swords of Toledo are rejected and they are asked for German, Valencian or Barcelona swords, more suitable for military tasks. According to Felipe de Nieve report English by Richard S. Whitehead): "... Uniforms are in deplorable shape due to the fact that supply ships have not arrived. Much of the equipment is defective. Safeties on the pistols are inoperative and The swords of Toledo are so tempered that they can be broken to pieces if they are used carelessly. ".[62][63]
1782. William Bowles, "Introduction to Natural History and the Physical Geography of Spain." With information on the making of swords in Spain.[64]
1793-1795. War of the Pyrenees. The weapon workshops in Catalonia, are opened again.[65]
1798. History of the political economy of Aragon. Ignacio Jordán de Assó. talks about the sword makers of Zaragoza .[66]
1849. "Barcelona General Guide"; Manuel Saurí, José Matas. Describes the sword of the guild of sword makers of Barcelona (60 inches long, 24 inches to the crosshead), which required a strong man to carry it in parades.[69]
1851. Sword of Toledo (of Manuel de Ysasi) presented to the Great Exhibition of London. It could be unsheathed and sheathed in a nearly circular sheath.[70]
1856. Details of the manufacture of swords (according to the Toledo Factory).[71]
1865. Henry George O'Shea. "A guide to Spain". List of swords of the armoury of the Royal Palace of Madrid (at the time of the publication of the work).[72]
Herodotus Halicarnasseus; George Rawlinson, John Gardner Wilkinson (sir); Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (sir) (1862). History of Herodotus. J. Murray. pp.150-. Consultado el 27 April 2011.
Polybius; Robin Waterfield; Brian McGing (5 November 2010). The Histories. Oxford University Press. pp.219-. ISBN9780199534708. Consultado el 26 April 2011.
Great Exhibition; Robert Ellis (F.L.S.); Great Britain. Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851 (1851). Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue. Spicer brothers. pp.1346-. Consultado el 29 April 2011.