Introduction: Tomás de Ayala (often spelled Thomás de Ayala or de Aiala) was a master swordsmith active in Toledo, Spain, during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Circa 1620 represents the peak and final years of his active career, as records indicate he stopped working or passed away around 1625, leaving his workshop to his...

Introduction: War maces, axes, and war hammers are all heavy weapons held in hand, often with a two-handed grip. They were primarily used for crushing rather than slicing or stabbing. Blunt-force weapons became increasingly crucial as plate armor developed and swords could no longer penetrate it.

Discussion: As iron billets became more available, the mace evolved around...

Introduction: Nothing says Knighthood more than a cruciform-shaped sword from the golden age of chivalry. Today, we associate the sword with the knight of noble birth. That association is essentially correct since swords are weapons of war, and only knights could carry them in times of peace. In some towns, even the nobility could not carry a sword. Merchants and townspeople often carried daggers but not...

Introduction: The special undulating flamberg blade is named after its flame shape. The flamberg blade was used primarily with Zweihander (two-hand swords).  Flamberg is the name attributed to the sword of a fictional French knight introduced in a 12th-century narrative poem (chanson de geste) titled Renaud de Montauban. From the 1600s to the 1700s, the term flamberg was used to describe special dueling swords. During the...

Introduction: While broadly categorized within Germanic military traditions, this specific style is highly characteristic of the weapons produced by the Styrian arsenals (such as the famous Landeszeughaus in Graz). The iron hilt design highlights the transition between medieval cruciform swords and the more complex swept-hilt rapiers of the Renaissance.

Styria (now southeastern Austria) was one of the most important weapons-producing regions in the Holy Roman Empire during the 16th century. The famous Landeszeughaus (Provincial Arsenal) in Graz — which still survives today as the world's largest preserved Renaissance arsenal — housed tens of thousands of weapons virtually identical in character to this...

Description: This cannon is too big and heavy to be considered a hand cannon and not big enough to be a bombard designed to tear down castle walls. Instead, it would have been attached to a...

Introduction: In the early 16th century (up to about 1535), the well-dressed, wealthy, or Noble Knight was wearing Maximilian armor. Emperor Maximilian I started an armory in Innsbruck from 1504 to circa 1650. The purpose of the armory was twofold...

Introduction: This typology of sword represents a pivotal transition period in European weaponry during the Forty Years' War and Thirty Years' War. These robust, utilitarian sidearms were standard issue for Dutch forces. Although this type of sword has some affinities with the tessak or dussage, it is not the..

Introduction: The Katzbalger was the signature sword of the dreaded Landsknecht mercenaries of Germany. This is a… blood-and-guts…slash and thrust… kill or be killed… fighting sword. The fighting theory of...

Introduction: This helmet typology was worn, hidden under a hat, during the Renaissance to protect the wearer's head from attacks with weapons. It is called a...

Introduction: This rare sword is in superb museum condition. Venetian arms and armor are rare and sought after by collectors. They have a certain esoteric look and...

Introduction: The rapier under discussion is an actual, mint-condition rapier from circa 1560. The hilt was hand-decorated with damascene around 1850 during the...

Introduction: The original owner who commissioned this pair of...

Introduction: This close helm is as original as the day it was made and is in superb museum condition, which puts it in a unique category. Even the gorget lames are original. The attention to detail is...

Introduction: Walk into the office, living room, or...