VIKING PERIOD IRON CAVALRY SWORD

700-1000 AD. Viking age. An iron sword with a long, single-edged blade, culminating in a point, and tapering grip. The sword was an elite weapon during the Viking period, and only the most well-off warriors - the cavalry - would have been able to afford one. Such swords were used both by the Vikings themselves, and Khazars. The elite status of swords during the Viking age is made clear both by their presence in some of the richest graves as well as a law of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, which requires soldeirs who could afford to maintain a horse to be equipped with a sword. Good condition. Size: L:785mm; 372g. Provenance: Property of an established London gallery; acquired from a private estate collection formed in the 1980s.