Weapons such as this Crusader Sword is one of the finest Knight's swords we have seen. The long battle sword is of traditional form. Swords such as this can be dated stylistically to the second half of the 11th Century AD and were used to fight in the First Crusade. The First Crusade was a Christian endorsed military incursion into the Holy Land and other areas controlled by the emerging Seljuk Turks, who invaded the eastern half of the Byzantine empire in the late 11th Century. The Muslim threat to Christendom, combined with the Papal instruction that Milites Christi, or Soldiers of Christ, would be pardoned for their sins, encouraged the plentiful European warrior-class to join together and recapture "Christian" territory. During the Crusades several "Kingdoms" were created, such as the Kingdom of Jerusalem, created during the First Crusade. These were essentially protectorates, where the Knights ruled over and subjugated the local population. The Crusader sword is a beautiful looking weapon. Grip is wood covered with leather with ribbed texture. Pommel have a deeply recessed cross in the St. George style (means patron saint and protector of crusaders) by eight brass rivets on each side. This beautiful sword have much more regal appearance and sets it apart from a common soldier's stock weapon. This is fully function sword which have very strong history. This sword is one of the most popular weapon in early 14th century. A beautiful and very functional sword.