Longsword of the Catholic Monarchs

Description of the Product

The unification of Spain can be traced to the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in 1469. They both inherited their respective kingdoms, which they then ruled together as dual monarchs, with a shared motto “Tanto monta”, or “as much one as the other”. As they were second cousins, the marriage would have required a papal permission, but due to geopolitical reasons the pope refused, so they falsified his consent. A few years later a more likeminded pope was elected, and a legitimate papal bull was then granted.

Castile and Aragon remained separate kingdoms, but as the monarchs had a close relationship, they were successful in securing their combined powers in the Iberian Peninsula. The crown of Aragon had its interests set in the Mediterranean, Italy and North Africa. Castile's foreign interests on the other hand were focused on the Atlantic. It was mainly Isabella who financed Christopher Columbus’ voyages, and all of the colonies in the New World were in fact formally annexed not to Spain, but to the crown of Castile.

Pope Alexander VI (born Rodrigo di Borja, one of the most famous medieval popes, and the embodiment of the secularity, nepotism and corruption of the Aragonese Borgia-family) gave Ferdinand and Isabella the title of Reyes Católicos, Catholic Monarchs, as they defended the Catholic faith in their kingdoms. Their reign was set in the final years of a process called the Reconquista (re-conquering), the removal of the Muslim Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.  That had started in 711, when Moors, mainly North African Berber soldiers, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and began their conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania. These armies established an Arab rule that would last 300 years in much of the Iberian Peninsula, and 770 years in Granada. Christian kingdoms were eventually able to gain territories from the north onwards. Ferdinand and Isabella completed the reconquista with Granada's surrender on January 2, 1492, an event witnessed by Christopher Colombus. In the process the first modern standing army was born, which pioneered modern warfare, something that Spanish military power and prestige relied on during the 16th century.

Another tool in the catholic toolbox of Isabella and Ferdinand was something no-one expected: the Inquisition. The Catholic Monarchs decided to introduce the Inquisition to Castile and were given a papal bull authorizing them to do so. Presumably there was no need for forgery this time. During their reign, and long afterwards, the Spanish Inquisition was active in prosecuting people for perceived violations of Catholic orthodoxy.

The Catholic Monarchs made sure to negotiate advantageous marriages for their children: Catherine of Aragon married King Henry VIII of England. That marriage famously resulted in divorce, and the English reformation. Their granddaughter Mary I earned her label “Bloody”, when she too lived up what was expected of a Catholic monarch, and tried to reverse the Protestant reforms in England with the burning of heretics. Their other daughter Joanna had a son who in turn would become Charles I of Spain and Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles succeeded to all the territories his grandparents had accumulated, and combined them with his Habsburg territories, resulting in a Spanish Empire on which the sun never set.

The original of this ceremonial great sword of the Catholic Monarchs is in the Royal Armory in Madrid.  With this sword, Isabella and Ferdinand knighted Christopher Columbus on his return from his first voyage to America, and it was used as the symbol of royal power in solemn court occasions up until the 18th century. The pommel has four holes that give it a cruciform appearance.  On the guard is inscribed the motto of Isabella and Ferdinand: "Tanto monta, monta tanto", "As much as the one is worth, so too is the other." This sword is quite special among swords that claim famous historical roots, in that the sword has been in continuous royal inventory since the days of the successor of the Catholic Monarchs, Charles V.

The stainless steel blade is easy to care for, and the sword is ideal as a decoration, as part of a costume, as a collectible and suitable for light cutting practice. The material is not suitable for steel-on-steel fencing or heavy cutting practice. No sheath included.

• Overall length: 121,4 cm
• Blade length: 93,1 cm
• Handle length: 26,9 cm
• Pommel: 8 cm
• Weight: 2,48 kg
• Point of balance from guard: 16,5 cm
• Width at Guard: 4,93 cm
• Width 40mm from tip: 3,08 cm
• Thickness at Guard: 5.6 mm
• Thickness 40mm from tip: 5,58 mm
• Blade material: 420 Stainless Steel
• Sharpness: Unsharpened
• Made by Marto  of Toledo, Spain