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Maria Emilia CRÎNGACI ŢIPLIC
research and / or surveys remained unpublished in museums, and, on the other hand,
to the more intense concerns regarding the medieval sword in Transylvania 38 .
In the Middle Ages, the knightly sword 39 was primarily a symbol of military elite,
of rank, authority and power, it personified courage and justice: separating good from
evil, striking the guilty 40 . Along with the sword, as the main piece of military
equipment, the spear, the shield 41 , the helmet, the chain mail and the spurs 42 were also
used in actual combat and during the ceremony of knight consecration. In addition,
we learn what a knight had to carry to battle from the 1238 and 1266 documents
given to the Saxon hospites from Cricău and Ighiu: “the mentioned hospites are due
to bring under our flag four soldiers / knights [militibus] in chain mail, well trained
and properly equipped, with four good saddled horses, and two tents (editor’s
underline) with the duty to (...) come and serve with our knights [militibus], and not in
the company of our barons”. 43 The military equipment of a well-equipped fighter
could be added a metal military campaign tripod vessel (see plate 4:5), which was not
documentary attested, but was archaeologically certified in southern Transylvania
(see cat. no. 17).
The weapons or pieces of military equipment that can certainly be assigned to the
German environment from southern Transylvania are few, namely only one type of
sword (type VI, according to Z. K. Pinter's typology, type XV, according to A.
Ruttkay, and within the classification made by R.E. Oakeshott, the pommels of the
sword in question are distributed under “type N”) 44 and the military campaign tripod
38 Z. K. Pinter 1999; Z. K. Pinter 2007.
39 R. E. Oakeshott 1964, p. 25.
40 J. Chevalier, A. Gheerbrant 1993, vol. 3, p. 246. On the interpretations regarding the sword as weapon
and symbol, see also R. E. Oakeshott 1991, p. 16 or the paper of L. Mark with bibliography (L. Marek
2005, p. 58-62).
41 J. Bumke 1986, p. 323-326; Z. K. Pinter 1999, p. 40.
42 In the 11 th century, the knight’s arming was an exclusively lay ceremony. Within the knighting
ceremony, the future knight was dressed in armour; he was equipped with spurs and a sword. Then, the
knight’s godfather (the senior) hit him hard on the neck with the edge of his palm, meant to try his
physical strength or to make him remember the arming solemnity and urged him to be brave and loyal
to his senior. Then the fresh knight would demonstrate the audience his force and skill; he had to mount
a horse without using the stirrups and spear down a dummy while in horse run. The epic poem
“Guillaume d’Orange” describes the knightly arming of Vivian, the nephew of Guillaume d’Orange:
Guillaume ties his golden spurs, dresses him with a coat of mail (...), places a helmet with rubies on his
head, ties his steel sword, then raises his arm and hits him hard on the neck, saying: go, nephew, and
may God give you temerity, strength and audacity, loyalty to your senior and victory over the
unfaithful.” Then, in the 12 th century the lay character of the ceremony was added a more and more
pronounced religious note. The future knight would spend the night previous to his arming in a church,
where he would pray and guard his weapons, previously blessed by the priest. The following day he
would take a bath, considered to be a new baptism would go to confession, and then to communion,
would listen to the homily, and then he was armed as a knight, according to the above mentioned
ceremony (L. Pietri 1966, p. 310 apud R. Manolescu 1974, p. 258-259).
43 Ub. I, no. 75, 113; DIR. C, veacul XI, XII şi XIII, no. 259; DIR. C, veacul XIII, no. 74.
44 In Transylvania, during the second half of the 12 th century and the 13 th century, circulated several
types of swords: