Short Sword, 16th Century

This type of sword is often called in French a "city sword" and for Anglo-Saxon authors it is a "short sword". It can be dated to the 16th century.
These swords were intended for use inside palaces and castles, where long one-and-a-half-handed swords would have been inconvenient. The name "city swords" comes from the use of these weapons to protect oneself during nighttime travel in dark alleys, or in the event of an attack by thieves or murderers, according to the own admission of the fencing masters of  the time, the dagger and short sword were much more effective than long rapiers, thrusts, or bastards, due to the lack of space and time for an elegant technique such as could be practiced on the meadow between gentlemen...
BLADE: It is double-edged, with a flattened hexagonal section. This form is typical of the 1st quarter of the 16th century. One of the favorite swords of the Emperor Charles V has a very comparable blade shape.
We will note about 15 cm from the guard a lateral hollow (at the level of one of the cutting edges) which is a deformation of the blade due to a violent blow in combat. This is hardly noticeable and does not alter the general silhouette of the weapon.
Small discreet chips and combat marks along the edges. The general appearance of the blade with its traces of oxidation could, if desired, be significantly improved by patient polishing.
A small modern leather tie has been placed at the base of the blade. I left it.
Blade length = 75.3 cm, width near the guard = 3.4 cm, thickness near the guard = 7 mm, balance point = 10 cm from the guard.
GUARD: This is the classic cross-shaped guard, which comes straight from previous eras, and which will be preserved until the end of the 16th century. The central part is obliquely fluted, and the quillons are straight. They have 4 faces and widen towards their end, where they end in the shape of a pyramid with 4 rounded corners.
POMMEL: It is a pommel of strange shape, reminiscent of model no. 57 of Norman's classification (in "the rapier & small swords"). It is shaped like a mushroom. This type of pommel is particularly uncommon.
This pommel ends in a curious way with what seems to be an enormous flattened rivet knob, (perhaps filed?) such as I have never seen, and which is not in one piece with the pommel.
GRIP: it is old and the leather shows deep cracks, it is most likely the original leather. It is surrounded by a twisted red copper wire binding. A particularly imposing iron ferrule joins the grip and the guard. Again, this is a rarity, and I don't know of any other example of this type of editing.

In conclusion, it is therefore a so-called “city” or “interior” sword. It dates for the blade and the guard (and probably the grip) from the first quarter of the 16th century. The pommel is perhaps, due to its typology, slightly later, although its patina is homogeneous with the rest of the object, but it is very difficult to define. The famous scholar Ewart Oakeshott said that trying to describe all the varieties of "short swords" of the 16th and 17th centuries would be a job equivalent to describing all the rivets of the Eiffel Tower (and as tedious), so we should not be surprised to find models not described
Ref AX2Y-2444
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